Cloth Cat Newsletter - March 2026

Published 2 months ago • 5 min read

ISSUE 17 - MARCH 2026

March at Cloth Cat Academy

This month at Cloth Cat Academy, our talented trainees got to grips with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, learning about the tools and responsibilities involved in creating fantastic, industry standard storyboards for production!

Benedict Tomczyk-Bowen has almost a quarter of a century’s experience in the animation industry, primarily as a storyboarder in TV Animation, but also with forays into the Film and Advertising spaces. Having worked with most of the major animation studios, Benedict has contributed to shows globally and has also developed his own work for Nickelodeon. Thank you so much for imparting your expertise here at Cloth Cat Academy this month!

Jonathan Edwards also hosted his Animation Production Skills course, teaching our trainees how to establish a strong creative workflow, matched with a resourceful production structure to anticipate and build a process that syncs project, crew and client. The programme covered the full production and post stages, whilst exploring in depth the cyclical links between each department.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Jonathan for sharing his knowledge. Jonathan Edwards has over 30 years of industry experience in Animation, VFX and Live Action. He has worked in production and studio management roles across award winning series, features, commercials and shorts in 2D digital & traditional animation. His expertise also encompass Computer Animation, Stop Motion and Post Production, alongside 10 years of lecturing & workshop experience. We’d also like to thank Gorilla Group TV for the tour of their Post Production House and for answering all of our trainees’ questions!

Benedict Tomczyk-Bowen will be back to teach his Storyboarding: A Professional Toolkit course again in September. Full information on all of our upcoming courses and potential funding opportunities is available on our website.

Background Artwork for The Ghost of Midwinter

Here’s a striking snapshot of the dramatic wolf chase in our animated short film, The Ghost of Midwinter. The scene was developed gradually through a series of careful, incremental decisions, from blocking out the movement, refining timing, adjusting weight, and layering in details like breath, snow, reflections and light.

What feels quick and instinctive on screen is actually the result of many iterations, tweaks, and reworks to get the motion reading clearly and the pacing feeling right. This shot was all about balancing clarity with energy, while keeping everything grounded in the environment.

The frosty winter background was created by our Head of Animation Development, Tom Lucas and the wolves were skilfully animated by Senior Animator Gregg Willis. If you’d like to watch our animated short film, the Welsh broadcast Ysbryd yr Oerfel is currently available to watch with English subtitles on BBC iPlayer!

Jon Rennie at CAF26 Industry Day

Cardiff Animation Festival's Industry Day returns on Thursday 23rd April at Chapter, bringing together professionals working across the animation industry, UK studios, students and graduates, emerging talent, funders, commissioners and more for a packed day of curiosity, creativity, learning and inspiration.

Jon Rennie, the Managing Director of Cloth Cat will be presenting his case study, From Script to Screen in Moho at 2:25pm, sharing with us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Ghost of Midwinter using Moho Animation Software.

This year’s programme includes sessions on digital-first content strategies, feature film opportunities, side-stepping into the game development, and practical tools for freelancers.

We’ll kick off the day with a playful keynote by animator, illustrator, crafter and #1 NYT bestselling author Philippa Rice. Other speakers include BAFTA-winning filmmaker Will Anderson, Emmy-winning studio Lupus Films, homegrown game studio Copa Gaming, digital distribution executive Laura Taylor-Williams, BBC Ideas, and seasoned host Hannah Lau Walker – plus more to be announced.

Alongside the talks, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect and to share your work, including 1:1 meetings and portfolio reviews, plus coffee breaks and a relaxed networking lunch. Your Industry Day Pass includes access to all talks and panels, bookable 1:1s, hot drink, and lunch.

Cardiff Animation Festival

Cardiff Animation Festival

Thursday 23rd April

Friday 24th April

Saturday 25th April

Sunday 26th April

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival is back this coming month, presenting two fantastic must-see movies in partnership with Cardiff Animation Festival. Both films will be screened at Chapter Arts on the final day of CAF 2026; Sunday 26th April. To stay up to date with all things Kotatsu, subscribe to their newsletter here. Below is a still from one of the stunning films being shown. 100 Meters (2025) was directed by Kenji Iwaisawa and produced by Uoto, Kodansha/100m Film Partners.