Course feature: Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds

For teenagers with an interest in animation, our Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds Short Course is the perfect way to get inspired, learn about the industry and start building a creative portfolio.

The course is led by Kate Sullivan, an award-winning animator, designer, director and documentary filmmaker. Since graduating from the Character Animation PG Cert (now MA) at Central Saint Martins, Kate has worked on a variety of high-profile content and gained much critical acclaim.

We caught up with Kate to find out more about her practice and what students can expect from this exciting week-long course at Central Saint Martins. We'll also share some great examples of student work made during the course.

It’s never too early to start a career in animation, and practising drawing is one of the best ways to begin. The Animation for 16 to 18 Year Olds short course introduces the basic tools, technical skills and fundamental principles needed to succeed in the animation industry.

Kate has a wealth of professional experience and expertise in this area, having worked on a wide range of projects with numerous clients, including Cartoon Network, BBC, Channel 4 and Google.

Kate’s recent work includes designing, storyboarding and animating titles and ad-break bumpers for Channel 4’s TV series ‘Mitchell and Webb are not Helping’ and animating the titles, credits and establishers for BBC’s TV series ‘Upstart Crow’. Take a look at some of Kate’s brilliant work on her Instagram account.

"I used a mixture of digital and old analogue ways of doing stuff on the Mitchell and Webb series," says Kate. "I thought collage might be the way to go as the show’s very much a collaboration. As well as animating and storyboarding the sequence, I did most of the photography. Many of the objects (representing sketch ingredients) are locally sourced. Special guests include my washing machine and the fire extinguisher at Shoeburyness leisure centre!"

Inspiring young animators

During the course, students learn the 12 principles of animation and gain an insight into the animation production process. Students receive 1-1 feedback and advice and explore ways to improve their animation work.

"What I teach on the course is quite simply what was taught to me at UAL - a set of industry-recognised skills that can be used when making any style of animation using any sort of software," says Kate. "I want to pass this on because it helped me in two very important ways. Firstly, it made me employable and secondly, it gave me a great foundation to build on."

Students learn how to work on a light box with animation paper, shoot their own animation on a line-tester and build a small portfolio demonstrating key animation skills. With materials provided, the course offers a great opportunity to get to grips with tools of the trade, including rolling and flipping animation paper.

Studying on campus at Central Saint Martins is also the perfect way to meet and connect with like-minded students, expand your creative network, share ideas and learn from each other. "I am still in touch with my fellow UAL classmates," Kate tells us, "we support each other and sometimes work together too."