Digital Paper Cutout Animation Studio | Glasgow, UK

What Is Digital Paper Cutout Animation?

Digital paper cutout animation combines the tactile qualities of hand-cut paper with a controlled, modern digital animation workflow. At Sundstedt Animation, we produce handcrafted, award-winning paper-style cutout films that prioritise visual character, texture, and storytelling over trends or automation.

The Lark and the Loon. The Old Red Rooster. Official Music Video. Animation Director, Illustrator, and Animator. Anders Sundstedt.

Founded by Anders Sundstedt near Glasgow, the studio has over a decade of experience creating high-quality digital paper cutout animation for music videos, short films, commercials, and cultural projects. Our work blends analogue craft sensibility with digital precision, resulting in animation that feels physical, intentional, and emotionally grounded.

What We Do

We design and animate bespoke digital paper cutout animation projects from concept through to final delivery. Artwork may begin as hand-drawn or hand-cut paper elements, or be illustrated digitally using a pen tablet, then layered, rigged, and animated using a flexible digital pipeline.

This approach preserves the charm, texture, and subtle imperfections of traditional paper animation while allowing for precise timing, revision control, and delivery across multiple formats. From music videos and short films to branded content and broadcast work, every project is built around strong visual storytelling rather than templates or shortcuts.

Why Choose Sundstedt Animation?

Sundstedt Animation is an independent studio specialising exclusively in handcrafted digital paper cutout animation. We combine traditional illustration skills with a contemporary digital workflow to produce animation that is distinctive, re-editable, and built to last.

Our work avoids generic visual styles in favour of carefully designed characters, layered environments, and deliberate motion. We collaborate with musicians, directors, agencies, and organisations that value originality, visual authorship, and craft-led production. The result is animation that stands apart visually and holds up over time.

Our Digital Paper Cutout Animation Process

Projects typically begin with illustration developed specifically for cutout animation, with layering, texture, and depth considered from the outset. Artwork may be scanned from physical drawings or created digitally using a pen tablet to retain a natural, hand-drawn quality.

Visual development often begins with still imagery and material studies to explore tone, texture, and depth before committing to animation. This allows the visual language to be refined early, ensuring clarity and cohesion once production begins.

Elements are then separated, layered, and rigged to behave like traditional cutout pieces. This preserves the depth and character of paper animation while allowing for controlled motion, revisions, and versioning within a digital environment.

Animation may be executed frame by frame or through rigged motion, depending on the needs of the project. Characters and environments are built as modular layers, allowing movement, parallax, and subtle imperfections without sacrificing consistency.

Flexibility and Production Quality

A digital cutout workflow allows individual elements to be refined without rebuilding entire scenes. Characters can be adjusted, timings refined, and backgrounds updated while maintaining visual continuity.

This flexibility supports efficient production while retaining a handcrafted look. Projects are delivered in formats suitable for cinema, broadcast, web, and social platforms, with assets structured for future updates or re-edits when required.

Endlessly Creative Paper Cutout Animation

Textures may be scanned, photographed, or digitally created to retain a tactile, handmade quality. Subtle imperfections are preserved rather than polished away, helping the animation feel physical and expressive.

Characters maintain their integrity, props remain consistent, and scenes can be revisited without degradation. The goal is animation that feels crafted rather than processed, combining visual warmth with technical reliability.

Why Digital Paper Cutout Animation Works

Paper cutout animation carries a strong sense of intimacy and approachability while remaining visually distinctive. Its clarity of shape and texture makes it well suited to narrative-driven work, music videos, and emotionally focused storytelling.

The style is efficient to produce, adaptable across formats, and highly recognisable in crowded visual environments. This makes digital paper cutout animation particularly effective for projects where tone, symbolism, and visual identity matter.

Music Videos and Short Films

Digital paper cutout animation is especially well suited to music-driven and festival-bound projects. The style supports rhythm, mood, and metaphor while allowing for strong visual authorship.

We work closely with directors and musicians to create films that respond to tone and pacing, whether minimal and restrained or layered and expressive. The result is animation that enhances the music rather than competing with it.

Explainers and Branded Storytelling

Products, services, and ideas are translated into clear visual sequences that support understanding without oversimplification. The cutout style keeps attention while maintaining structure and clarity.

This makes digital paper cutout animation an effective choice for explainer videos and brand storytelling that require memorability, warmth, and visual coherence.

Social and Campaign Content

Short-form paper cutout animation is highly recognisable in fast-moving feeds. Assets can be adapted across formats and durations, supporting campaign consistency across platforms.

Whether supporting a release, campaign, or ongoing content strategy, our animations are designed to stand out and remain visually coherent over time.

Let’s Get Started

If you are planning a project that would benefit from handcrafted digital paper cutout animation, get in touch via info@sundstedt.co.uk or use the contact form. Sundstedt Animation works with clients internationally and is ready to collaborate on your next film, music video, or animation project.

Ready To Partner?