Am Bocsa

“spectacular digital painting” – National Geographic

Am Bocsa makes 2D animations dripping with painterliness. Hand-drawn and hand-painted, but at the same time fully digital, Catrìona Black’s animations are guaranteed to be something special.

Many of her films are available to view for the first time online on this website.

“creative and truly Gaelic, imaginative and compelling” – Inverness Courier

I’m Catrìona Black, and I established Am Bocsa (Gaelic for The Box) in 2001, to pursue my life’s dream of making animated shorts. I jumped in head first with Pìobairean Bhòrnais for BBC ALBA, which met with worldwide success. Since then I’ve built on that success with several more award-winning films in Gaelic and English.

Two things matter to me more than anything: that my animations are moving works of art drawn by hand, and that my Gaelic films are Gaelic to the core. And it works: people want to see my films again and again.

I made my early films with Corel Painter (looking back, I was crazy) and now work with professional 2D animation software, TVPaint. What both have in common are the ability to draw by hand with a graphics tablet, and to choose from a diversity of digital brushes which are true to life.

I used to live in Scotland and work in Gaelic and English. Now I live in the Netherlands and work in Gaelic, English and Dutch.

Fàilte, welcome, welkom! I hope you enjoy my work.

“Deeply moving” – The Herald

Click on the films you would like to know more about.