BA (Hons) Animation

COURSE OVERVIEW

Programme Specifications BA (Hons) Animation UCAS CODE W615 UCAS TARIFF 96 - 112 BA (Hons) 3 YEARS

The BA (Hons) Animation degree program is a diverse & imaginative course, students with a passion for animation and a love of storytelling, will thrive as part of a design community preparing for an exciting career in animation. The course combines traditional and digital techniques exploring a range of animation principles. Throughout your study you will develop your traditional drawing skills and be introduced to 2D character animation. Working with industry leading 2D animation software, such as Toon Boom, you will develop a professional portfolio. You will have opportunities to create self-directed short film or animated project to express your voice as an animator, to introduce yourself in industry, and gain exposure through international competitions and film festivals. You will have the opportunity to partake in visits and international trips, such as the Manchester Animation Festival, as well as take part in live briefs & competitions and to develop a dynamic showreel. We have forged incredible links with industry with connections such as Tim Searle and Aardman Academy who worked with us as part of our Industry Liaison Group and delivering in person guest talks.

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COURSE DETAILS
MODULES
GUEST SPEAKERS
PORTFOLIO ADVICE
Facilities
Creative Careers
Industry Liaison

During your three years of study you will learn the fundamentals of illustration, animation and storytelling as well as art direction and post-production.

You will develop real-world technical skills including:

• Character animation
• Narrative production
• Illustration
• World building & character development
• Storyboarding
• Motion graphics
• Analogue & digital development
• Post-production
• Creative direction

Our school engages with a wide range of partners working across each creative sub-sector to ensure that teaching and learning are in line with the latest developments in and requirements of industry, including:

Tim Searle
Tim has over 30 years experience of developing, directing and producing award-winning animation. He has written, designed, animated, ‘boarded, edited, produced, directed, and of course made the tea. His animation credits include Mr Bean, Dangermouse, and Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed.
imdb.com

Aardman Animation
Aardman Animation is employee-owned and exists for the benefit of its workforce and the industry they are passionate about. The Aardman Academy is one pillar of Aardman Animation set up to nurture talent and to build sustainable careers They are committed to encouraging talent into the industry by delivering world-class animated-related courses and working with institutions like The School. Working with the Academy gives us access to talented members of the whole Aardman Animation team from animators through haracter developers and story board artists. Film director Mark Hewlis, Head of Aardman Academy, has told us “You can’t create something digitally until you know how it works in the real world.”
academy.aardman.com

Darren Yeomans
Daren is the Studio Director at Atomhawk Design Ltd. Atomhawk is an international operation, known as a world leading art and design studio. They create concept art, UI/UX design, motion graphics and marketing art for games, film and digital media. They have been involved with some fantastic products including:
- Avengers Age of Ultron, - Guardians of the Galaxy, - THOR II "Dark World" - Mortal Kombat (2009), and many others.
Darren and artists from the studio have worked with the school for several years.
atomhawk.com

Sam Arthur
Sam is the co-founder of the publishing house NoBrow/Flying Eye Books. After 10 years directing music videos, commercials and short films, he set up Nobrow with business partner Alex Spiro. In 2013 they launched Flying Eye Books our dedicated children's book imprint. Sam is CEO of Nobrow Ltd which has offices in London and New York, and Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors of the AOI (Association of Illustrators) as well as Festival Director of ELCAF (East London Comic Arts Festival). Sam has supported The Northern Festival of Illustration.
nobrow.net

Keith Opie
Keith is Director and Senior Creative Artist at Paul Windle Design. Apparently he is a “Colour rendering magician and the artist responsible for the sprinkling of our ‘magic fairy dust’ over every piece of work that leaves the studio” Paul Windle Design is a studio of choice for renowned global brands including The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, Ravensburger, and TOMY. The studio works on projects as diverse as 3D Design; Branding; Character Creation; Concept art; Game ; Packaging and Product Development
paulwindledesign.co.uk

Simon Chong
Simon Chong is the Supervising Director on FOX’s Bob’s Burgers. Hailing from Llanberis in North Wales, he moved to LA after 8 years of running his own Animation Studio in London to work on the Bob’s Burgers after a fan animation he made went viral and caught the attention of Bob’s Burgers’ creator, Loren Bouchard, who hired him on the spot and moved him to LA in 2017.

Dean Wilkinson
Dean Wilkinson has been a comedy writer for over 37 years in platforms such as TV, radio, stage, books, comics, console games and apps. Dean was Ant & Dec’s writer for 7 years, penning the multi-award winning SMTV Live and Chums. He also wrote alongside Harry Hill for Harry Hill’s Shark Infested Custard. For games he has written, and created most of, LittleBigPlanet, as well as Worms, Driver San-Francisco - amongst many others. He recently wrote a film for Goosebumps entitled Zombie Town starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, on Netflix this year.
deanwilkinson.net

BA (HONS) Animation Showreel 2025

A selection of work from across level 4-5 BA(HONS) Animation at the Northern School Of Art. Music by Kevin MacLeod

Student Voice

Toon Boom

Students will have the opportunity to become skilled operators of a range of industry standard software, including Toon Boom!

MEET THE STAFF

MATTHEW BURTON

Senior Lecturer Matthew joined The Northern School of Art in 2021. As an established illustrator and designer, Matthew has worked in the publishing and design industry for 15 years, predominantly in editorial illustration and graphic design. His early freelance career explored the film and TV industries working with NBC Universal, creating key art for TV productions, documentaries and commercials. Since 2011 Matthew has worked in the publishing industry with a number of key publishing houses. For over a decade Matthew has worked with Move Press as in house illustrator for their huge range of publications and digital content. Move Press, based in California USA, is renown for their high end publications, films and branded content. During this time Matthew has also collaborated with Wiggle.com, Walz and Pactimo, creating a range of cycle wear and apparel. Recent work includes his collaboration in a series of books, working with high profile companies which include Team Sky, Rapha, ASO ‘Tour De France’ and Team EF Pro Cycling. Matthew’s freelance practice is often tied to his interest in the sports industry and has created a niche portfolio of clients within the sector. Matthew’s freelance clients range across the globe from the USA to Taiwan. Matthew’s is currently pursuing his MA and continues his own practice and freelance business. His skills range from analogue illustration and to print making to digital art and design. Matthew is currently exploring the realm of digital 3D and motion design. BA (Hons), MA, PGCE

JOSEPH KEEN

Lecturer Joe joined The Northern School of Art in 2022. As an animator and industry professional, he has worked in the animation industry for 15 years. Prior to joining The Northern, Joe worked for a wide range of companies and high-profile clients both as a creative director, animator and freelancer, working on international commissions with companies such as Dupont. Joe also has worked regionally with local charities, schools and organisations to run animation and character design workshops throughout the north east. Joe’s freelance work is often tied to his interest in comics and graphic novels and has created a series of published books called “Sheerluck Vs the Paranormal” with the writer Dean Wilkinson and published by MX publishing and working with MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing on The Lexitoon Mirror comic for reluctant readers and people with dyslexia.

CARL WILSON

Lecturer Carl is an illustrator and animator based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, producing artwork in a variety of different disciplines working through commercial employment, personal projects & public exhibitions. He has collaborated with a range of international clients, studios and agencies, working within illustrative design and motion projects which have included product, character, branding, advertising, poster and mural design. His career began shortly after becoming a film and television production graduate, whereby he worked as a freelance editor, creating branded content videos. In 2015 transferred his existing moving image skillset into animation and illustration, and has since seen his artwork presented internationally, working with clients such as BBC, NHS and SKP (China). Working collaboratively with Baron & Baron (USA) his work was recently featured in an advertising campaign for International Children’s Day throughout the city of Beijing and made into various mediums including billboards, merchandise, plushies, balloons and stickerbooks. As part of a commercial refit in 2024 for the Royal Derby Children’s Hospital, Carl produced a series of large-scale illustrative murals that are installed throughout various areas of the young outpatients department, featuring his bespoke and bright artwork for families to enjoy. In addition to his creative work, Carl is a frequent speaker at design conferences, events and universities. He has shared his journey, knowledge and experience with a range of educational institutions and art schools, participating as an associate lecturer whilst leading workshops at Nottingham Trent University, Northumbria University and most recently Sunderland. His unique style of work is often informed by early Nintendo video games series such as The Legend of Zelda, Starfox, and Super Mario, combined with a passion for graphical based skateboarding companies such as Girl and Enjoi. His portfolio was selected for the Pictoplasma (Berlin) 2022 conference, whereby Carl delivered a Pecha Kucha presentation to attendees, and more recently was a keynote speaker for the Pictoplasma 2024 “Characters for Clients” international online broadcast, sharing professional character based projects within his work. Notably his unique style of work and portfolio was selected for the Pictoplasma (Berlin) 2022 conference, whereby Carl delivered a Pecha Kucha presentation to attendees, and more recently was a keynote speaker for the Pictoplasma 2024 “Characters for Clients” international online broadcast, sharing professional character based projects within his work.

STEVE LAWSON

Lecturer Steve is a multi-award-winning animation director, animator, story artist and writer, and joined NSoA in 2024. Originally hailing from Northumberland, Steve grew up in York before working and studying all over the UK, cutting his teeth in production for films, television and other digital media. Steve’s first job in the film and television industry was back in 2015 on the indie feature Scott and Sid, starring Tom Blyth, but by the time he graduated from Oxford Brookes School of Art in 2017, with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, Steve was honing his craft as a stop-motion animator and director. Even so, he had maintained a firm interest in the worlds of art and art history, and represented the students of Oxford Brookes on the Ashmolean Museum’s Student Board. In late 2017, Steve moved to London, where his first job was to direct the animation on the Channel 4: Random Acts film Ready or No. Thereafter, Steve took on a range of freelance commissions, which ranged from character design to website building, before joining Spiral Productions as an assistant producer. There, he worked on major projects for institutions like the Science Museum and the National Museum of Qatar, contributing his skills in story, editing, drawing, designing, producing and writing. But something was missing… And in October 2018, Steve accepted a place on the prestigious Direction Animation MA programme at the renowned National Film & Television School; the place where Nick Park created Wallace & Gromit back in 1989. Throwing himself into the process, Steve’s industry experience and openness to experimenting saw him get a great deal out of his first year, which also saw him be taught by people from Aardman, Laika and beyond. During his second year, the pandemic struck, but Steve managed to lead a team of nearly 150 people to produce his award-winning MA graduation film Build Me Up - now available on YouTube’s DUST network - during which time he was mentored by John Stevenson, the co-director of Kung Fu Panda and animation director on Shrek. Since graduating from the NFTS in 2021, Steve has worked on a range of projects, from Nickelodeon’s The Tiny Chef Show (S1), to Nexus Studios’ Room to Read: Dewmini’s Story and Channel 5’s Tweedy & Fluff, and he continues to work on projects for the likes of Lego, Universal, the BFI and more. In 2023 Steve was offered a place on BAFTA’s Connect programme, in recognition of his commitment to pushing regional storytelling and non-London-based animation projects. Most recently, he directed the music video for Nikita Faie’s Insomniac, and is currently working with an Emmy-winning production company to write and develop a series based on Build Me Up, amongst other projects. BA (Hons), MA

THEO SCOTT

Lecturer Theo joined The Northern School of Art in 2024 as a lecturer in Animation. An award-winning director, producer, and seasoned freelance illustrator, he has worked in the animation industry for the past eight years. Early in his freelance career, Theo achieved significant milestones. Channel 4 commissioned and broadcast his first short film, marking his noteworthy entry into the industry. He followed this with writing, producing and directing innovative short films in both 2D and 3D, including a project utilizing groundbreaking Machine Learning image processing techniques. Theo's work has also been recognized by the British Film Institute (BFI), which commissioned his latest film 'Cuties.' This film earned multiple awards and was screened at prestigious film festivals such as Annecy, LSFF, and MAF. Theo has received numerous accolades, including the Royal Television Society's 'Professional Excellence in Animation' award and the British Short Film Awards' 'Best Animated Film.' In addition to his film and animation work, Theo has extensive experience as a freelance designer and illustrator. His portfolio features impactful branding, illustrations, and package designs for various businesses, including work for Private Eye Magazine. He has also exhibited his work internationally in New York, Taiwan, and Japan. Currently, Theo continues to develop new animated films. His skills span a broad range, from traditional illustration to advanced digital art and animation techniques.