Picturesmith
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2007
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 1
About Picturesmith
Picturesmith is an independent British animation production studio founded in 2007 and based in London. It creates commercial and branded content through stop-motion, mixed media and 2D animation, combining physical materials, fabricated characters and digital techniques. Its work spans advertising campaigns, cinema idents, educational films, corporate explainers and social content.
Handcrafted production sits at the centre of its approach. The studio works with puppets, miniature sets, paper craft, cut-outs and practical lighting, using in-camera effects to shape the finished image. Its mixed-media projects can combine stop-motion with puppetry, 2D animation and pixilation, including live hand performances photographed frame by frame. Physical construction and animation are developed alongside the visual direction of each project.
From concept to finished film
Picturesmith offers creative development through scriptwriting, storyboarding, character design and art direction. Production services include puppet and armature fabrication, miniature construction, prop engineering, lighting and stop-motion cinematography. Digital animation and compositing complement the physical work, while post-production covers editing, visual cleanup, grading, sound integration and delivery for widescreen and vertical formats. This range supports projects from initial concept through physical build, shooting and final delivery.
The studio works with creative agencies and brands across consumer products, toys and family entertainment, education, cinema, financial services and public-awareness campaigns. Its portfolio includes the LEGO Star Wars: 25th Anniversary promotional animations, LEGO Arts & Crafts, and handcrafted membership trailers and an ident for Picturehouse Cinemas.
Other projects demonstrate different uses of its material-led approach. Quizlet’s Feed Your Brain combines stop-motion papercraft with pixilated hand modelling. ExxonMobil’s Kitchen Experiments uses animation for STEM education, while Subway’s Galaxy food idents supported broadcast sponsorship of The Big Bang Theory. Additional work includes Sport England’s Join the Movement, Thredd’s Weaving Payments Magic, and animation for the Disney and Primark Munchlings collaboration. Across these formats, Picturesmith’s output connects practical making with animation production for commercial storytelling.
More about Picturesmith
Leadership and production model
- Founder Christian Spencer Hopkins is identified as Creative Director and has served as a company director since 25 April 2007.
- The studio scales productions with project-based freelance teams, including animators, model riggers, directors of photography, gaffers and art fabricators.
- Agency collaborations include Flying Object on Quizlet’s campaign and McCann London on Subway’s broadcast sponsorship idents.
Environmental practices
Picturesmith reports using 100% renewable electricity, balancing carbon through Tree-Nation and maintaining membership in 1% For The Planet.
Recognition
- The LEGO Arts & Crafts campaign received Gold in the Animation category at the Creativepool Annual.
- The Quizlet – Feed Your Brain campaign was a Shorty Awards finalist.
Notable credits
10 creditsOffices
Where Picturesmith is based
- London, England, United Kingdom
London offices
HeadquartersAbout this office
**London Production Studio** Status: active Headquarters Address: 4a Sheep Lane, London, E8 4QS, United Kingdom Operational headquarters and production facility in Hackney, with dedicated prop-making workshops and two stop-motion animation stages. Production continues here following the registered-office change. --- **Registered Corporate Office** Status: active Address: 118 Albert Road, London, Greater London, E17 7PU, United Kingdom Statutory registered office in Walthamstow, effective 30 November 2025, with the address updated on 27 April 2026. The production studio remains at Sheep Lane.
Open roles
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