Steve Lawson

I don’t often post on here. Perhaps that ought to change… But in any case, this weekend was worth a shout out. Armed with some new headshots, silly stories and fabulous knowledge c/o @bafta195 @bafta , it was also an occasion of beautiful catch ups that has wrapped up a week of lovely birthday celebrations and reminders of why I do what I do. Wonderful stuff. Onwards!

This would have been great news any year, but right now - against the backdrop of a great deal of uncertainty - it feels extra special. I look forward to making the most of what @bafta #baftaconnect has to offer, and offering what I can in return 😌

Ringing in the new year… 💍

Google “Roland The Farter” #uk #yorkshire #christmas

Artist Announcment: @stevesguide Based in York but born in the North East, Steve is a multi-award-winning animation director, animator, story artist and writer with over a decade of experience in film, television and media. In 2021, Steve graduated from the MA Directing Animation course at the National Film and Television School, and has since worked on projects for the likes of Nickelodeon, Lego/Universal, Disney/Hasbro and more. In 2024, Steve brought his industry expertise with him when he joined the Northern School of Art as an Animation Lecturer. Originally hailing from ‘up here’, Steve has found a renewed sense of what ‘home’ means to him as he reconnects with his roots and re-explores Newcastle, Hartlepool and beyond. Steve’s current illustrative work is driven by his cast of original characters, showcasing his love for character design and visual storytelling. Driven by his heritage, fascination with machines and technology, and the juxtaposition of this with feeling a sense of stewardship for a struggling planet, Steve combines familial themes with an awareness of AI and robotics to present a vision for a more hopeful future.

We are proud to welcome Steve Lawson to the Creators Academy masterclass family!👏   Steve will host the next masterclass to go live on our platform, ‘Drafting Narratives with Visuals’   Find out more and learn about our platform via the link in our bio

In September 2014, I finally started on the right path after leaving school. I’d gone to Goldsmiths the previous year and hated it, and had abandoned ship before even getting so much as an interview at Oxford Brookes. It turned out okay. More than okay. And it led me on a journey that would include working on feature films, series, museum exhibits and the completion of a masters at @nftsfilmtv , which changed my life and gave me some of my very best friends. Ten years later, in September of this year, I once again found myself at a new university; only this time, I was there to lecture. To share everything I’d learned, and am yet to learn, with budding animators. They say nerves are good; but that first day, despite my experience, credits, connections, awards and all that ‘stuff’, I still found it surreal. Surely it wasn’t long since I’d had my first day at uni? But of course, time flies. Two months in, then, it seemed right to make a post about the fact I’ve joined the BA (Hons) Animation programme at the Northern School of Art, lecturing on a part-time basis in subjects that include the 12 Principles, theory and history, storyboarding, storytelling and more. I suppose I was waiting to post in case they realised there had been a huge mistake and that it actually wasn’t me they wanted, but a different Steve Lawson with years of actual experience. That imposter syndrome is part and parcel of this industry; but I’m learning to deal with it, and to realise that I actually *am* that person with years of actual experience. So far, the role and the warm welcome have both been fantastic, and - as the industry picks back up again - I’ve been enjoying meeting and working with a wonderful group of students, colleagues and industry professionals. Lecturing two days a week has been a great boon for my freelance work too. I’m feeling more inspired than I have in years! I will post next about my first official dispatch, which was down to @aardmananimations last week with @theo_scott ; for now, though, a huge thanks to @thenorthern_animation for the warm welcome and fantastic opportunity! Here we go 🤖🤖

And you all thought I would let @inktober pass on by 🙃 but it wouldn’t be October without me trying and failing to churn out 31 daily drawings now, would it? Like many, I hate the prompts they’ve come up with this year, and originally had deigned to have a year off. But instead, I’m picking up where I left off last year. This was Day 16, Angel; and so naturally here we have… @mrbean , expertly played by Quentin (my #tortoise), and #Sprocket from #buildmeup @bmufilm as Mr Bean’s Mini. My very loose justification here was that Mr Bean is no angel… But truthfully I just wanted to shoehorn this one in! I’ll pick up as many other Sprocket variants as I have time for. Stay tuned 🙂 // #inktober #inktober2024 #procreate @truegrittexturesupply #truegritbrushes #robot #mrbean #teddy #tortoise #mini #car

Today is - or was - a ‘Minecraft day’. A day where it’s cosy inside and rainy or stormy outside. I love rainy days on Minecraft, and the feeling of being ‘inside’; but I also love days like that in real life. Even the sound of rain is magic to me. So, days like this are some of my favourites, and I like to use them to take time over coffee, mull over ideas and noodle away with this and that. Recently, however, I’ve finally settled into reading as a hobby, which is something I’ve always wanted to do but never quite been able to manage. There’s a pleasure in discovering and exploring new worlds, which - when cosied up against the cold - seems ever-more wondrous.

🌕 my debut EP 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑶𝑴𝑵𝑰𝑨𝑪 is out today ! 🌕 climb through to the video; directed by @stevesguide and produced by @singlemaltproductions , it’s about sleepless nights, coping with loss, and their impacts on mental health. it was thoughtfully crafted and brought to life through many friends’ time, care and creative energies: from Sherry Heather’s poetry to Phoebe Stapleton’s insomnia-inspired choreography 🌗 watch and listen in full ~ link in bio 🌑 supported by the amazing folks at Help Musicians @helpmusicians , to whom we say a huge 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ARTIST / Nikita Faie / @nikitafaie with funding support from Help Musicians @helpmusicians CREATIVE CONCEPT / Nikita Faie PRODUCTION COMPANY / Single Malt Productions / @singlemaltproductions DIRECTOR / Steve Lawson / @stevesguide PRODUCER / Emma Hanson / @emmahanson13 DOP / Jamie Touche / @jamietouche PRODUCTION DESIGNER / Kate Beard / @k.l.b.design MOVEMENT DIRECTOR / Phoebe Stapleton / @phoebestapleton ANIMATORS / Steve Lawson Joey Hawks / @joeyhawksanimation Eve Bannister / @evebannisterart ARTWORK / Nikita Faie KIT SUPPLIED BY / SLV / @slvstudios STUDIO SPACE / Single Malt Studios EDIT AND VFX / Steve Lawson GRADE / Jamie Touche SONGWRITERS / Sherry Heather & Christopher Roberts / @rainbowemeralds @musicfanconnection ARRANGEMENT / Nikita Faie PRODUCTION / Nikita Faie & Ian Flynn / @werkhouse VOCALS / Nikita Faie HARP / Laura Marquino / @lauramarquino

Earlier this year, on the 19th of January, singer/songwriter Nikita Faie (@nikitafaie ) popped into my Instagram DMs. Prompted by fellow York storyteller @dsthrace - thanks for the recommendation, mate - she introduced herself; but I had no idea then that it would lead somewhere quite so special. In fact, at this point, it’s hard to remember a time where we didn’t know each other. That’s because we’ve been on a bit of a journey together into the world of pixilation, a form of stop-motion involving the animation of live actors. For those who have forayed into this realm themselves, you’ll know that it demands a lot of patience, a lot of care and a lot of trust; and in our case, a lot of laughs. On a pixilation set, time blurs, ideas osmose and magic is made. The scope of Nikita’s pitch was ambitious, and I knew I’d need some practiced hands if I was to pull off directing and animating such a thing: @singlemaltproductions shaped hands, to be precise. Camera wizard Jamie Touche (@jamietouche ), production design sorceress Kate Beard (@k.l.b.design ) and I first met at the NFTS on a pixilation shoot (see ‘One Minute Workshop’ on my website), while producing machine Emma Hanson (@emmahanson13 ) and I connected when the four of us began working on our award-winning grad animation ‘Build Me Up’. Fast forward to now, and we’ve had brilliant support from movement director Phoebe Stapleton (@phoebestapleton ) - who crafted shapes and lines so gorgeous that I fancy she may secretly be an animator herself - as well as from fellow Build Me Up & NFTS alum Eve Bannister (@evebannisterart ) and animation extraordinaire Joey Hawks (@joeyhawksanimation ). So, what do you get when you put all of these people together? Good soup, that’s what. With a final word of thanks (for now) to this wonderful bunch, to @helpmusicians for their funding support and to everyone else that helped us out, I want to invite you all to look forward to INSOMNIAC, releasing August 30th. More to come… #Insomniac, #StopMotion, #Pixelation, #IndieMusic, #Animation, #NikitaFaie, #NewMusic

9 years later… @acdc at Wembley once again with my Stepdad. T-shirt has aged better than we have! My fifth time seeing my favourite band. Last time was in 2016 with Axl, and as amazing as that was, I’m glad that my lasting memory of them will be with @brianjohnson up front. I don’t usually post about stuff like this any more but had to do it for the sake of the comparison! 😂