As a self-taught animator, I've honed my skills in 2D and 3D computer animation, incorporating the handmade feel of techniques like stop motion. I've had the privilege of working on some really interesting projects, including animating the original artwork from the children's classic Ivor the Engine for a BBC 2W promo, and the BBC animated series The Adventures and 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
Ivor the Engine is a classic British animated children's television series that was produced by Smallfilms in the 1970s. The show follows the adventures of a small steam engine named Ivor and his friends as they travel through the Welsh countryside. It was created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, who were also responsible for other popular children's shows such as Bagpuss and The Clangers. The show is still beloved by many today for its charming characters, soothing narration, and catchy theme tune.
I had the privilege of working on the creation of three promotional videos starring Ivor the Engine for BBC 2 Wales. Our small team scanned the artwork originally created by Peter Firmin for a classic children's TV series and transformed it into traditional stop-motion animation using Adobe After Effects. The process allowed us to reproduce the charming and unique style of the original series while bringing it to a new audience with a fresh and modern approach.
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 television show created by Ragdoll Productions. It follows the surreal and imaginative adventures of two close friends, Abney and Teal, on a series of small islands in a lake within a city park. The show primarily targets preschool-aged children and features a blend of 2D and CGI animation, created by writer and illustrator Joel Stewart. It encourages creativity and curiosity in its young viewers and premiered on CBeebies.
From sketch to screen
Throughout my collaboration with Ragdoll, I worked on a range of tasks, including character designs, story developments, sequential designs, animation blocking, final animation, and children's book illustrations for Walker Books. At the start of production, I worked on creating sequential design panels. This was an explorative moment for the team before the stories and characters were fully developed.
My experience in this creative period equipped me with a range of skills, including versatility and adaptability.
From hand-made soft puppets to 3D Autodesk Maya
The two main characters, Abney and Teal were first created as real puppets and photographed in hundreds of poses. Through special programming, Autodesk Maya was able to load the photos onto 3D models, for an interesting blend of stop-frame and smooth animation in 2D and 3D.
2D and 3D animation: from animation blocking to final proofs
On the animation, I served as a reference point for other animators on the team on ensuring the continuity and animation style of the lead character, Abney. I developed a library of reusable loops and cycles, including a selection of walk and run cycles featured in this video. My library of loops and cycles was available for the rest of the team to use, contributing to the overall efficiency of the animation process and highlighting my role as a key contributor to the project's success.
The Storm is one of my favorite episodes, but you can watch more on the BBC IPlayer and on You Tube.
Illustrating the TV series books
Following the completion of the animation production, I moved on to work as an illustrator for Walker Books on the series books. I sketched out the layout of the spreads for each title and created the artwork in accordance with the creative guidelines of the TV show's director, Joel Stewart. Throughout the process, I effectively communicated with the design team at Walkers, to understand their requirements and incorporate feedback. Working on the adaptation of the TV series to books allowed me to work with a variety of book formats, which was a great opportunity for me to broaden my skills and knowledge.
