Fay Matthews

Illustration and Animation - BA (Hons)

Hi, my name is Fay and I am an Illustration and Animation graduate with a passion for visual communication. During my studies at Cambridge School of Art, I have gained experience in a variety of 2D animation techniques and have become particularly skilled in using Adobe After Effects. My illustration work takes a mixed media approach, where I collage together different shapes, textures and colours, drawing inspiration from the natural world.

My greatest achievement in my final year was animating and directing an explainer video about the medical condition Fibrosis, for the Medical Technology Research Centre. This was a valuable experience as I wrote a script and developed a visual language that helped explain complex scientific information to the general public in an accessible format. In the future I want to create more explainer and learner animations as I enjoy the challenge of finding ways to visually communicate information which raises awareness of important topics.

My final project is called “Take Notice”. It is an interactive animation that encourages young children to explore nature. When the viewer presses play, they are taken to a park scene which is filled with flora and fauna. When they find something that interests them, they can click on it to take a closer look and watch the nature cycle unfold. The viewer can control when the video moves to the next stage of each looped cycle, which lets them go at their own pace and explore independently. When ready to make a new discovery, they can click back to the park scene and select something new.

I made this animation because I wanted to share my love of nature with children, and I think there is a need for more slow-paced media. I hope my project can be used as a resource to help children connect with nature and encourage them to slow down and take more notice of the natural world that surrounds them every day. “Take Notice” will be available to watch and interact with on my website, which is linked below.