As part of Creative Access’ ongoing partnership with Aardman Animations, Izzy Thomson, was offered a complimentary place on this coveted world-class stop motion course. Here she tells us what she learned and her plans for the future…

I am a painter from the Highlands of Scotland. I grew up in a place called Cromarty, an old fishing town nestled between the hills and sea. I went to Aberdeen, where I gained my BA (Hons) in Painting from Gray’s School of Art. After graduating with a first-class degree, I then went on to complete the Graduate Residency in Leith School of Art, in Edinburgh. After spending time in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, I have since returned to the Highlands and I am currently based in Wasps Studios, Inverness.

My work derives from a love of wild landscapes and storytelling. I have always been captivated by animation and I have had a growing desire to explore the use of one-stop animation within my painting practice since my degree. I am drawn to animation, as a way to make my paintings move and to see how the characters within them might journey through their worlds.

With funding from Creative Access, I was given the chance to undergo the Aardman Academy’s Stop Motion 1 course and finally explore this curiosity. The course took place online, over a 12-week period and was about one-stop, performance-based animation. It guided us through the principles of animation, each week giving us a progressively harder task to complete, to cleverly build up our skill-base and confidence. These ranged from penny slides to animated idles. This prepared us for making a final film for the graduation screening.

The overall ethos was welcoming and relaxed, yet it encouraged a passion for dedication and hard work. This provided the perfect environment to learn from. There was also an online community, which formed a platform for the students and tutors to chat, get to know each other and share ideas. It is a great feeling when you find likeminded people!

The course allowed me to deepen my practice as a visual narrator by further developing my use of one-stop animation within my work and my final project was derived from a painting I had made a couple of years ago.

The access to the use of Dragonframe (the animating software) and the armature by Animation Toolkit (the skeleton that you build up the puppet on) that came with the course, allowed me to immediately put into practice the principles of animation I was taught each week, without having to find the tools to do so.

This opportunity has been challenging, fun and a huge learning curve. I will certainly apply the skills and knowledge I have gained to future projects and continue to develop my use of animation as an extension to my painting practice. I have an upcoming exhibition, for which I am planning to make animations that coexist alongside my paintings – to help me tell stories and bring my world to life.

In the future, I would love to use my animations and storytelling to educate people about ecology, biodiversity loss and the importance of the natural world. Using animation and painting to visually engage and inspire, it is a dream of mine to make work for nature-based charities, to help them promote and rekindle a love for the living world and help to protect it.

For any of you out there at the beginning of your animation journey, I would advise you get a lump of plasticine and a cheap/free app on your mobile (such as Stop Motion Studio) and have a good old play around and make the plasticine move! I would also highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of “The Animator’s Survival Kit” by Richard Williams.

I wouldn’t have been able to complete this course without the help from Creative Access. So, I thank you very much for this marvellous opportunity to grow my creative practice.

You can view Izzy’s animation work here including her final short film The Constant Gardener, created for Aardman on the course.

We were delighted to be joined by Mark Simon Hewis from the world-famous, four-time Academy Award-winning animators, Aardman Animations in a Masterclass chaired by former CA alumnus Mohamed Orekan, now at Lighthouse Films. Their illuminating conversation spanned from discussing their respective careers, and advice on breaking into animation to how the industry is adapting to become more accessible and diverse.

Mark Simon Hewis is Head of Aardman Academy. He spoke about his upbringing in a small, northern working-class farming village, his struggles with dyslexia, his ambitions to becoming a filmmaker. He was the first in his family to go to university before moving to Bristol where he began to work at Aardman Studios, the home of iconic character such as Wallace & Gromit, Morph, and Shaun the Sheep.

Mohamed Orekan is a Senior Animator at Lighthouse Studios. He secured his first role via Creative Access as intern at Illuminated Films back in 2014. He then moved on toMohamed Orekan Blind Pigs, a motion graphics studio. Despite not having previous experience in motion graphics, Mohamed explained he ‘learned on the job’. Now as a Senior Animator, his role involves supporting Junior Animators. Mohamed advised interns to ask as many questions as possible to “learn as much as you can and don’t be shy”. He continued that if you’re willing to learn, people are willing to teach you.

Mohamed and Mark both stressed the importance of having confidence in yourself and your abilities. It is completely normal to experience Imposter Syndrome at the beginning of your role, but, as Mark says, “we all feel like that”. He spoke about how he did not know growing up that being a filmmaker, or an animator, was even an option. Continuing that he had undiagnosed dyslexia, Mark felt he could not go down the academic route – which again reflects how the industry has changed since then to become more accessible for those with disabilities.

Your background shouldn’t determine your ability

Both Mark and Mohamed stressed their fundamental beliefs that your background should not affect your ability to get into the industry; in fact, diversity is what is needed in the industry to tell compelling stories and reflect the diversity of different audiences. Mohamed passionately highlighted that:

Mark assured that there is no ‘one way’ into the industry. Both he and Mohamed shared their thoughts on how the industry has changed rapidly over the past 10-15 years. Mohamed believes it is easier now to break in than it was even when he began his career. He explained that networking before was impossible if you did not know people within the industry to begin with, however now, with the internet, people can share their portfolios and connect with industry professionals with more ease.

They advised listeners not to be intimidated by the tools and software – these are skills which can be (and often are) learnt on the job. Mohamed and Mark agreed that your role as an animator relies on your talent – not the tools you have, which emphasised Mohamed’s earlier point that you pick up these skills as you go. Mark echoed this:

Win awards from your bedroom

The conversation then turned to the effects COVID has had on the creative industries and animation in particular. Mark and Mohamed discussed how the animation sector had adapted very well to the pandemic and that – because of working remotely – animation has become accessible to more people.

Mohamed stated that the past year has proved that ‘you can do this from your bedroom’ and still win awards. He hopes that companies see the strides they have made to be more accessible during the pandemic and continue to use that model of working. Both Mohamed and Mark highlighted how exciting the future of animation was because of the increasing accessibility and diversity within the industry.

Similarly, Mark discussed Aardman Academy’s ethos to be as accessible as possible to aspiring animators around the globe. He spoke passionately about Aardman’s goal to nurture talent no matter someone’s circumstances. Far too often there are financial barriers into the industry, but Mark explains that:

Harness your uniqueness

Ultimately, both speakers delivered the message that if you find yourself in a role within the creative industries, such as animation, you have done so because you deserve it and you have a passion for it. Your background and previous experience all feed into the unique perspective that only you can offer your industry. Mohamed and Mark both drew attention to the importance of harnessing your uniqueness and not letting self-doubt get the better of you. You can watch the session in full here…