Animations by David Begley
I make animations from drawings created with charcoal baked from driftwood gathered along the Wexford coast. Working intuitively, I draw, erase and redraw, allowing figures and landscapes to transform from one image into the next.
Explore the films below, discover how they are made, or join my mailing list for news of new work and workshops.
I am currently working on an animation commission based on Dutch cellist, Frieda Belinfante (1904 - 1995). This film will be completed in 2027.
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Explore artworks from my animations
Breathe animation trilogy
Breathe, Seed, and Be were drawn at Tyrone Guthrie Centre in September 2014, and again in January and February 2015. Breathe was drawn on one sheet of paper, and when completed, the same paper was used to begin Seed. I worked on a larger scale for Be. The drawing for the first scene of Be measured 70cm x 100cm. The titles came to me as instructions as I worked.
'Breathe' animation
Driftwood charcoal on Fabriano Tiepolo paper, 4 minutes
© David Begley 2014
I tacked the paper to the studio wall and began by blackening and smudging it with driftwood charcoal. I worked for hours until an arresting image arrived; the storm. I had no plan; I just drew.
I worked through transformations until the image of the woman in the cave appeared.
As I drew, I held a small mirror on my left shoulder and with each frame checked the drawing's reflection. I noticed the shapes changing in the negative space (the space outside / around / behind the protagonist). These shapes became the figure moving through the background.
The piano melody came to me as I drew. I recorded it while on a residency at Tyrone Guthrie Centre.
Explore limited edition prints from Breathe
'Seed' animation
driftwood charcoal on Fabriano, 5 minutes
© David Begley 2014 - 2015
Seed is the second in this trilogy of animations.
I wanted to transform a cloud. Soon the cloud became a tree and a beast climbed down from it, and O! Magical mayhem . . . an island gave birth to an egg. Drawing the egg traversing the sea was mesmerising. I worked late for hours, and nights, immersed.
Screened at Newnan Film Festival, Georgia, USA
Cinema Club, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Artists Film Award, Stiwdio Maelor, Wales
Making my animations
From driftwood to charcoal
I begin each film by gathering driftwood, allowing it to dry, and baking it.
I love the process of finding, gathering, and burning sea sticks. Watching the flames, smelling the wood smoke, harvesting from the sea, the thought of the journey the timbers have made. Blocks, knots and coiling shapes, exotics with heads and tails, images and stories in themselves. Some sticks so beautiful it’s a shame to bake them.
Driftwood charcoal releases a scent of sea char when you draw with it. The longer it’s baked, the darker and softer the mark. Lesser baked sticks give browns similar to raw umber. Because of its warmth, driftwood is compatible with an under-drawing of burnt cork.
For tone and charcoal drawing in general, I love the deep velvet warmth of driftwood. Its black is pitch, the handling softer, its stain fuses with the paper, the colour is richer and more variable than its dry land comparisons – perhaps this is the salt at work.
Read David's article on baking charcoal
Explore charcoal making, drawing, and animation workshops
Hand clap stick snap - baking charcoal
A short clip of David gathering sticks on the beach
filmed by Hanneke van Ryswyk
Percussion and edit by David Begley
© David Begley 2026
From drawing to moving image
For Breathe, Seed, and Be I made no storyboards but made notes as I drew – reminders to animate aspects of each drawing. Each animation is made of thousands of drawing-adjustments, photographed. While at Tyrone Guthrie I worked in the dark with two spotlights on the drawing. My frame rates varied from 2 -12 frames per second.
I combined field recordings and piano for the soundtracks.
For The Wexford Whale I began with research, developed a plan of scenes, worked with a school and drew and animated selected scenes. One of the things I love about the transformative aspect of animation is the unexpected inbetween images discovered in the process of drawing: when transforming a bird into a jellyfish, a new hybrid is invented. It is neither bird nor jellyfish. It is a jird, a fird, or a bish. Wonderful!
The Wexford Whale score and soundtrack was composed, performed, and recorded by Ruah Pearson.
For my current animation commission on Frieda Belinfante I have drawn storyboards, created an animatic, and from these have begun animating.
See images below – how I bake my charcoal and make my animations.
Screenings, commissions and collaborations
If you are interested in screening a film, commissioning an animation or inviting me to speak about my work, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Explore artworks from my animations
Most of my drawings are destroyed in the process of making my animations - each scene is erased or drawn over to create the next. Some drawings have survived this process.
Explore original drawings and limited-edition prints
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The Wexford Whale
The Wexford Whale is a 12 minute animation commission directed by David Begley featuring drawings by David and 5th and 6th class pupils of Scoil Mhuire National School, Rosslare, County Wexford.
The film’s evocative soundtrack was created by Ruah Pearson and includes a voice recording by Richard Sabin, principal curator of mammals at The Natural History Museum, London.
The film is based on the story of the 25 metre blue whale captured by Lifeboat pilot Ned Wickham outside Wexford harbour on March 25th 1891. The skeleton of the whale named 'Hope' hangs in the Hintze Hall of The Natural History Museum, London.
Watch The Wexford Whale
Drawing The Wexford Whale