Cat
Feraday

Artist &
Educator

I'm an animator, art director, and educator with a passion for storytelling, character, and craft. As co-founder and Art Director of Rocket 5 Studios, I've led visual development for projects ranging from indie games to immersive interactive experiences.

My background spans 2D classical animation, stylized and realistic 3D character work, and cutting-edge media including AR and VR, with contributions to both feature animation and AAA game titles.

I'm a professor in the Experimental Animation program at OCAD University, where I bring industry experience into the classroom and explore animation as a contemporary art form. I remain deeply active in both my personal and professional arts practice while being equally dedicated to my teaching career.

Find me elsewhere on the web: LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky or Email

Sketch Book

My creative practice is rooted in both digital and tactile worlds. Alongside my studio work, I explore personal projects in felted sculpture and drawing from nature - two practices that keep me grounded in observation and materiality. These hands-on approaches inform my digital work and keep my creative instincts sharp, allowing me to stay connected to the evolving language of animation while continuing to experiment with new forms of storytelling.

Life Studies

Observational drawing is part of my regular weekly arts practice. This is an opportunity to play with shape, color or media without the pressure of having to achieve results. Allowing oneself to play and make, to observe and record, is one of the great pleasures of being an artist.

My new favourite thing is nature journaling - sitting in a place thinking about the ground under my feet, all the things I can feel, hear and smell, and giving myself permission to just observe and record.

Birbs, Borbs and Barbs

I’ve always loved the feel of natural wool but never took to knitting. Discovering needle felting changed that - it’s a deeply cathartic process, transforming loose wool into form through rhythm and focus. My favorite subjects are birds, or “birbs,” which I see less as literal depictions and more as expressions of how watching birds makes me feel.

These soft, woolen forms later inspired the characters in my VR experience Birb Watching.

Art Direction & Design

At Rocket 5 Studios, my primary roles are Art Direction and Animation, supported by production and design work. All animation in the following projects was created by me.

Birb Watching
Developed with support from the Ontario Arts Council, Birb Watching is a meditative interactive experience that invites players into a vibrant world filled with friendly birds and a sense of abundance.

The Phantom P.I.
As Art Director, I led a team of three artists and contributed across multiple disciplines including character design, modeling, rigging, and animation.

Kitty Disastrous
A puzzle-adventure game exploring the bond between a cat and her ferret. I was responsible for overall art direction and creative design.

Animation Reels

These reels showcase the range of my work as a professional animator across film and games. My experience spans multiple disciplines, from 2D feature animation at DreamWorks to 3D feature and game animation at studios such as LucasArts and Crystal Dynamics. Regardless of medium or format, my focus has always been on capturing the soul of a character through movement and performance - an approach that continues to define my lifelong connection to animation.

Awards

Ubisoft IndieSeries Top Pick, 2017 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Global Market Development Program, 2016 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Interactive Digital Media Fund Concept Definition, 2015 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Export Fund – Interactive Digital Media, 2015 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Interactive Digital Media Fund, 2014 (Rocket 5 Studios)

Casual Connect SF Indie Prize Best In Show/Critics Choice Award, 2014 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Export Fund – Interactive Digital Media, 2014 (Rocket 5 Studios)

The OMDC Export Fund – Interactive Digital Media, 2013 (Rocket 5 Studios)

1993 Nursery Rhyme, OCA: Film/Video Cabaret Award

1993 Nursery Rhyme, Jet Fuel Independent Film Festival, Best of Festival Screening

1992 Persistence of Vision, OCA: Film/Video Cabaret Award

Credits

AR Racecar (Rocket 5 Studios)

Strangeways VR prototype (Rocket 5 Studios)

VR-GO, Autodesk Contract (Rocket 5 Studios)

Kitty Disastrous (Rocket 5 Studios)

MotorMama Meltdown, for Cartoon Network (Rocket 5 Studios)

KnitWits, for Cartoon Network (Rocket 5 Studios)

The Phantom PI Mission Apparition (Rocket 5 Studios)

Tomb Raider (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One), Animator, Crystal Dynamics

Mudpit (TV), Animator, Guru Studios

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (feature) released 2010, Mr. X

Tomb Raider Underworld (game) released 2008, Crystal Dynamics

The Wild (feature) released March 2006, CORE FA

Gladius (game) released 2003, LucasArts Entertainment Co.

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (game) released 2001, LucasArts Entertainment Co.

Return To Monkey Island (game) released 2000, LucasArts Entertainment Co.

The Road to El Dorado (feature) released 2000, DreamWorks SKG

The Prince of Egypt (feature) released 1998, DreamWorks SKG

CatFeraday

Artist &Educator