Centre • Bath
Meet the Members: Angie Phillips
Meet Angie Phillips. Illustrator, animator and one half of ARC Studio.
Our Pisces queen has a smile that can light up any room, an enviable shoe collection and is a self-proclaimed ‘yogi-wannabe’.
Angie has a permanent desk in the Resi area of Brunswick Square where she runs an animation studio with London-based business partner, Phoebe. Her portfolio boasts the likes of Channel 4 and the Transport for London.
We caught up with Angie over a coffee to chat about that Bristol-London split, what a typical work day looks like for her and the binge-worthy TV show that is Euphoria.
Can you tell us what you do and what an average work day looks like?
I’m a co director of ARC Studio which I run with my long time collaborator Phoebe. We create 2D animated films, explainer videos and illustrations.
On a good day my morning starts with meditation and yoga, then I cycle into Gather Round and head straight for the coffee machine.
An average work day varies depending on the stage of a project. The pre-production phase of a project is exciting and freeing because anything is possible (within the boundaries of the brief of course!) It involves research, pitching, storyboarding and designing. Then production time is heads down, headphones on and focus. I love animating, it can be quite meditative and always feels like magic when a drawing comes to life.
How do you find working with your business partner in London? Any tips?
Myself and Phoebe have been working together for 10 years,since studying together, so it’s hard not being in the same studio space. We make remote work by catching up on non-work stuff and walking lunchtime phone calls have been great.
We are planning on a working holiday this year so we can spend some quality time together to reflect and plot next steps, probably on a lunchtime walk!
What are you watching/reading at the moment?
I’m loving season 2 of Euphoria, every episode has me gripped and has my heart rate racing. I’ve learnt not to watch just before bed.
I recently finished (for the 2nd time) Open Water by Caleb Azumh, set in South London. It’s about love, masculinity and being a young Black man.. It’s the most prolific, poetic book I’ve read in years, hence reading it twice!
I’m also listening to an audio book, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s about a child’s AI robot set in a dystopian future but really it’s about what it is to be human.
What excites you most about the creative process?
I love character design, which merges my two greatest passions; designing and people watching.
Anything you’re working on at the moment that’s exciting you?
We just finished an animation for the Science Museum, for the recently opened Stephen Hawking exhibition. We had to understand some heavy physics ideas but it’s been a rewarding project to think it might inspire a new generation of scientists.
Do you have a favourite artist/designer/photographer who really inspires you?
The biggest influences in my work have to be Saul Bass for his concise graphic communication, which is always rendered with so much charm and Mary Blair for her expressive use of paint and texture.
But my favourite artist might be Peter Doig – his paintings really speak to me!
Why did you choose to come to Gather Round?
The usual post-lock down need to be out of pyjamas and around other creative people. I love hearing about what others are working on and having a chat around the lunch table.
Thanks for the catch-up Angie! If you’d like to check out some of Angie’s recent work head over to her website. Join us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to get to know all things Gather Round and meet more of our creative members.
