Welcome To Escape Studios!

Welcome to Escape Studios!

A very warm welcome to our new animation and vfx undergraduate students who recently joined us to study for their BA/Mart in Animation or BA/MArt in VFX. 

Teaching started on Monday 22nd September - you can find the full 2025-26 Term Dates here. 

Classes take place at our North Greenwich Campus at 6 Mitre Passage. In addition to classroom teaching, we have plenty of other resources to help our students to learn the art and craft of animation and vfx. 

Escape Studios UG Term Dates 2025-26

Our undergraduate term dates for the academic year starting in September 2025 have been published - you can see the dates on the left or download the full PDF here.

Enrolment for our new undergraduate students starts on Monday 8th September; Welcome Week starts on Monday 15th September, and formal teaching begins on Monday 22nd September.  As always, we will extend a warm welcome to all our new students this September.

Welcome to Our New Students!

We're extending a warm welcome to our new undergraduate students at Escape Studios. Undergraduate teaching starts on today - Monday 23rd September.  You can see the full 2024-25 term dates here.   

Classes take place at our Greenwich Campus at 6 Mitre Passage SE10. 
  
Core Textbook - The Animator's Survival Kit

We recommend that all our animation students buy a copy of  The Animator's Survival Kit, by Richard Williams; now the standard textbook for animators and easily the most comprehensive book available for learning animation.

We have many copies in the Animation Library here at Escape Studios (we also have many other books on animation and digital film-making), but they are often out on loan so it's a good idea to get your own copy.

Free Beginner Animation Tutorials in Maya

Animate a squid in motion

Below is a list of simple animation tutorials aimed at junior animators just starting to learn their craft. Each tutorial has been chosen for simplicity; the goal being to learn the basics of animation in Maya. 

One or two are password protected, but most are free. Get started by learning how to Animate a Flag Waving, how to Animate a Telephone Ringing - or Animate a Submarine Travelling Underwater.  And, most of all, have fun animating. 

Welcome to Escape Studios!

Welcome to Escape Studios!

A very warm welcome to our new animation undergraduate students who will soon join us on our BA/Mart in Animation on Monday.

Teaching starts on Monday 14th September, and this year is a blend of traditional classroom and digital online delivery. 

Classes take place at our Central London Campus at 190 High Holborn. Online classes will be delivered through a variety of online platforms including Blackboard Collaborate.  Below is a brief list of suggestions to get you underway.

How to Get Started with Toonboom Harmony

Plamen Ananiev

Plamen Ananiev is returning to Escape Studios on 18 March 2020 to teach our evening class in 2D animation, introducing our students to the art and craft of 2D animation with Toonboom Harmony.

Harmony is now one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation, such as at London-based animation powerhouse Blue Zoo, which recently created a whole new division for 2D animation.

In this post, Plamen explains how students can get started with Harmony, setting up the software to exploit its maximum potential.

Six Ways To Get Started in Animation

Animation Studio by Helen Piercy

How do you get started in animation? Fortunately for would-be animators, there are today plenty of cheap (and even free) resources to get you started.

Today, animation is a mix of art and technology.  Animators work at the crossover point between creative skills and techie skills - a good animator has both.

Below are our best tips on how to get started in animation, and how to prepare yourself for a career in the animation industry.

Getting Ready for September

September will soon be upon us, and our new cohort of animation undergraduates will join us in a few short weeks.

What kind of preparation should students do before starting with us on our BA/Mart in Animation in September?  It's always good to do a little preparation and get a bit of a head start.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way. You don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

First, here is a short reading list to get you started.

Get Ready For Our January Animation Course

The clock is ticking for our animation short course, starting in January 2018.  But what kind of preparation should students do before starting the course?  We teach all our students from scratch, but it's always good to do a little preparation and get a bit of a head start.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way.  It's not comprehensive, and you don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

Getting Ready for September

The best book on animation

What kind of preparation should students do before starting with us on our BA/Mart in Animation in September?  It's always good to do a little preparation and get a bit of a head start.

Below is a brief list of stuff to get you under way. You don't have to do all of it, but tick off a few of the things on this list and you will be a making a great start on your animation career.

First, here is a short reading list to get you started. We've narrowed it down to just two key books that we recommend for all our students.