01
Find the human centre
Early character placement kept the focus on the couple before the environment was allowed to take over.
Music video · 2026
Down by the
Old Railroad
A hand-painted journey into the unknown for Velvet Train.
Velvet Train · 2026
Let the song lead the way.
For Velvet Train’s Down by the Old Railroad, the aim was not simply to illustrate a song. It was to make a six-minute film that felt like a memory gathering momentum: two people, a train, a changing landscape and the pull of somewhere unknown.
The final direction moved away from ink-heavy line work towards a softer painted world, where atmosphere, rhythm and small details could carry the story.
Format6:15 music video
ApproachPainterly 2D animation
RoleVisual development, direction,
animation & compositing
animation & compositing
A short sequence from the finished film.
“This really gives me the shivers. Such a candid and thoughtful approach to the lyrics.”Client feedback · Velvet Train
Building the journey
From a ten-second test to a world with room to breathe.
The work began with a small proof of concept: a side-on train moving through the landscape. From there, the film expanded into eight core sequences, visual motifs and quieter cutaways that gave the song space.
02
Build the world around them
Loose painted environments established scale, summer light and the feeling of waiting just before the journey begins.
03
Let movement reveal the scale
Parallax landscapes and wide pull-backs turn the train into a thread running through a much larger world.
A final change in gravity
When the train leaves the track.
The ending was conceived as a gradual release from the physical world. The train moves beyond the bridge into a calmer, more dreamlike space, letting the final section feel earned rather than merely surreal.
Music, image, atmosphere
Designed to reward a second watch.
Each passage was built to answer the song rather than fill time: the train, the windows, the landscape, the band and the final night passage all return as small parts of one visual language.
★★★★★
“Liam’s work for us exceeded all expectations. He took time to understand what we envisioned and had amazing ideas that corresponded very well.”
Velvet Train · Verified Fiverr review
Communication 5/5Quality 5/5Value 5/5
Fig & Frame
Have a song that needs its own world?
Let’s find the visual language that gives it somewhere to go.