The latest in the series of  ‘Alumnae Talks’ welcomed Felicity Neal (2020 leaver) to talk about her experience of studying Animation (BA Hons) at Westminster University.

Felicity is in her final year of studies and inspired students by sharing her incredible portfolio of work and dropping in that she had just returned from an International Film Festival in Portugal the day before!

Felicity talked about how commercial animation is a rapidly growing and vibrant industry. She said that a lot of companies are offering internships, work experience and graduate programmes with animation skills being sought for a number of creative outlets – films, gaming, advertising and websites. She has completed a placement with a company who works on blockbusters such as Star Wars and Planet of The Apes.  Her passion is to work on hyper-realistic illustrations with a keen eye to work on the Marvel live action films. 

“At The Abbey, I studied art, textiles and spanish.  I was interested in film and illustration and I realised that animation would be a good in between”.

Her top tip for students looking to work in the creative industries are:

– Showcase your creative work in a digital portfolio;

– Have a LinkedIn profile with links to your best creative work;

– Familiarise yourself with digital drawing and 3-D software (talk to the Art Department about the best free software available).

Felicity will return next year to work with The Abbey Animation Club.