I am a self-taught animator, with experience in both 2D and 3D computer animation. My work often combines digital tools with the handmade feel of stop-motion.
I have animated original artwork from Ivor the Engine for BBC 2W promos, and later contributed to the BBC children’s series The Adventures of Abney and Teal.
Ivor the Engine
BBC Promos for BBC 2W
Squint Films Productions, Cardiff
Written by Oliver Postgate - Art by Peter Firmin
Directed by Ed Talfan
Animated by Davide Arnone and Jim Le Fevre
Image editing Davide Arnone and Ffion Rhys
Our small team scanned Peter Firmin’s original artwork and animated it in Adobe After Effects, using a stop-motion approach that kept the warmth and charm of the original images.
The Adventures of Abney & Teal
Ragdoll Ltd. - BBC World Wide
Directed by Joel Stewart
Written by Steve Roberts, Joel Stewart, and Matilda Tristram
The Adventures of Abney & Teal is a British animated children’s series created by Ragdoll Productions for CBeebies. Written and illustrated by Joel Stewart, it follows two friends who live on small islands in a lake within a city park. The series combines 2D artwork and CGI animation, giving it a gentle, handmade quality.
From sketch to screen
While working with Ragdoll, I contributed to character design, story development, sequential panels, animation blocking, final animation, and children’s book illustrations for Walker Books.
In the early stages of production, I worked on sequential design panels, exploring how stories, characters, and moments might unfold on screen. It was a lively, collaborative process, and it taught me a great deal about visual storytelling.
Sequential design
Initial animation
Animatic
From hand-made soft puppets to 3D Autodesk Maya
Abney and Teal began as handmade soft puppets, photographed in hundreds of poses. Their images were then mapped onto 3D models in Autodesk Maya using custom programming, giving the animation the charm of stop-frame with the movement and flexibility of digital techniques.
The Abney and Teal dolls
2D and 3D animation: from animation blocking to final proofs
I helped maintain the animation style and continuity for Abney, the lead character. I also created a library of reusable loops and cycles, including some of the walk and run cycles featured in this video. These became useful reference points for the team and helped keep Abney’s movement consistent throughout production.
Loops and cycles
Final Animation
The Adventures of Abney and Teal - Episode 4 - The Storm
Picture-book Illustration - Walker Books
After the animation wrapped, I worked with Walker Books on The Adventures of Abney and Teal picture books.
Working closely with the design team, I helped adapt the stories into book format, exploring page layouts, pacing, and composition while staying true to the visual world of the original series. It was a valuable chance to move from screen-based storytelling into picture-book illustration.
The Adventures of Abney and Teal - Walker Books