A FORMER Amman Valley pupil has swapped doodling on the back of textbooks to creating animations for a feature film.

Bryony Evans, originally from Ammanford, had dreamed of becoming an animator for years and will now be seeing her work appear on one of the leading British television channels this Christmas.

The 26-year-old said: “When I was younger I was always drawing and doodling and I enjoyed being creative.

“When you are in school you think you can do anything, but when you actually get into the industry it is really hard to get noticed.”

Bryony, who is currently working as an animator at Cloth Cat Animation in Cardiff, sent off a show real with a video of all her work along with her CV to Lupus Films last year to be a part of feature film Ethel and Ernest, and was later asked to attend a tester day last October.

She added: “When I received the phone call to say I had the job I was over the moon.

“It really is a dream come true to work on a feature film.

“I worked as an Animation Assistant for five months on Ethel and Ernest. It is really rare to see a 2D animation feature film being made in the UK.

“I expected to be travelling to America to be a part of a feature film, but the film was all hand-drawn with the use of a computer.

“I had to make sure all the drawings were perfect. Every detail had to be precise.”

Ethel and Ernest is based on a graphic novel by English author and illustrator Raymond Briggs, best known for his story The Snowman, and tells the story of the lives of Brigg’s parents from their first meeting in 1928 to their deaths in 1971.

Since the film’s world premiere at the BFI Film Festival in October, and subsequent cinema release, Ethel and Ernest has been hugely popular with audiences around the UK, garnering five-star reviews and glowing praise.

“My family has already seen Ethel and Ernest and I have a godson who I really enjoy showing my work too and seeing how he reacts. It is really rewarding,” Bryony said.

Bryony’s mum Heather added: “I am so proud of Bryony and so pleased she is making her way in the animation industry.”

Ethel and Ernest is being shown on BBC1 on December 28 at 7.30pm.