James and I

12 Oct

Thought it would be good to reveal a little of the process going on behind the scenes. Here’s James at work in his studio, brining hand painted watercolour art back to animation.

The process starts with storyboards which both James and I have contributed too. Here are James and I reviewing layout plans, before James commits to breaking up layers and painting backgrounds. While most of our animation production is virtual, working with a team across the country, James and I working as a bubble family has really helped this core stage of pre-production conception.

Animation Director, David Bunting reviewing layouts with Art Director James McKay

And here’s the result - a magnificent, background watercolour painting, brimming with atmosphere from the hand of a skilled artist.

David Bunting

I’ve been making animations since I was nine years old, filming on a Super 8 camera! Since then, I’ve worked across television, film and independent projects, collaborating with studios and broadcasters including Disney, BBC, Channel 4 and Netflix.

I studied Animation at Senior College Ballyfermot in Dublin before training in Visual Effects at Walt Disney Feature Animation in France. That led to work as a classical drawn effects animator on films including Disney’s The Tigger Movie and the title sequence for Thunderbirds.

A love of storytelling drew me into storyboarding and filmmaking. After training at Aardman Animations, I worked with studios including Aardman and Blink Industries on series such as Shaun the Sheep, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed and Alley Cats, collaborating with talented teams across the UK animation industry.

Alongside commercial television work, I develop and direct independent films - most recently the award-winning animated documentary No One is an Island(2024) - that allow me to push my artistry and tell more personal stories. Through comedy, drama, or quieter moments of reflection, I’m fascinated by animation’s ability to bring people of all ages together — communicating stories through character, rhythm and visual language.

At heart, I’m still driven by the same thing that started it all: the simple magic of drawings coming to life.

https://www.buntinganimation.com/

James and I

New Backgrounds - colour language

Old crones