The 2D Workshop

The 2D Workshop is an Edinburgh-based animation and visual-effects studio founded in 2012 by animator and director Owen Rixon. It creates cinematic 2D animation, motion graphics and live-action visual-effects work for film, television, documentaries, commercial campaigns and public-sector communications.

The studio works across the production process, from scriptwriting, storyboarding, visual development and character design through animation, compositing and final visual enhancement. Its practice combines hand-drawn pencil-and-paper methods and traditional draftsmanship with digital animation and compositing tools.

Animation and VFX capabilities

• 2D character animation, including hand-drawn and digital workflows
• Live-action 2D VFX, compositing and visual clean-up
• Digital matte painting and set extensions
• Storyboarding, animatics, concept development and motion design
• Atmospheric and fire effects, muzzle flares, beauty and rig clean-up
• Sound design and music integration through creative collaboration

The 2D Workshop operates with an agile core structure, assembling project-specific teams of animators, illustrators and sound designers to suit the creative and aesthetic requirements of each production.

Selected work

Its credits include 2D visual effects and animated elements for Doctor Who; historical matte paintings and compositing for Netflix’s Blood, Sex & Royalty; and live-action VFX compositing for Netflix thriller The Black Book. The studio also created animated comic-book sequences for Long Live My Happy Head, adapting Gordon Shaw’s artwork for the BBC Scotland and Melt the Fly documentary.

Original and commissioned work includes the live-action/2D hybrid short Toonocalypse, animated documentary material for The Last Glaciers, environmental explainers, and public-awareness campaigns for organisations including Transform Scotland and NHS Scotland. The studio is a member of Animation Scotland, which represents Scottish animation and VFX studios internationally.