Animation & Illustration

Freyja Finnis

Person sitting against a large tree with falling leaves. Text reads "What's Buried Beneath: Graphic Novel by Freyja Finnis."

Front cover design for my graphic novel, drawn and coloured digitally

Hi! My name is Freyja Finnis and I’m an illustrator, animator, and aspiring character/concept artist. With my work, I like to focus on relatable characters and their emotions, illustrating their stories in all ways, no matter how great or small.

I take a lot of inspiration from nature and how our different connections to it change us and our perspectives, especially when used in the context of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres. In my own work I have branched out mostly into fantasy and horror so far. 

I like to work with themes of freedom, femininity, and the desire for escapism in my projects, which lead me to create my final project.


What’s Buried Beneath, my graphic novel, is a personal horror piece semi-disguised as slice of life. The novel follows Maddie; a young woman returning to her small rural hometown, as she goes on a journey of self-belief and acceptance. As Maddie is forced to learn more about herself due to otherworldly intervention in a town of growing tension and suspicion, she ultimately makes the choice to stop giving up herself to please others, ignore social pressures and build up the courage to stand for herself. 

Telling Maddie's story meant a lot to me throughout the process of creating it as a lot of her experiences came to mirror mine. It was important to me that I did the story I wanted to create justice with my improved skills and knowledge of narrative I have gained over the past three years.

A person stands in a forest clearing, surrounded by trees with vibrant red leaves, gazing at a large, twisted tree.
Sepia-toned illustration of a dense forest with tall trees and dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, creating a serene atmosphere.
A woman with long hair sits on a train, looking out the window at trees. A hand reaches for a suitcase. Text: "Next station," "Not long now..."
Comic strip showing a woman waking up in bed, getting dressed, leaving house and walking through forest
A man talks to a humanoid wolf in a forest. The wolf expresses concern about people’s reactions and their safety if discovered.
A person stands in a forest clearing, facing a large tree with a dark, ominous wolf face emerging from its trunk.
A woman with a magnifying glass stands in a forest, looking curious. A blank scroll is displayed beside them.
A concept art piece done for the graphic novel, showing the main character under tree Environmental study that inspired certain directions for the project Train scene from graphic novel Main character leaving house from graphic novel One of the final pages from graphic novel Double page spread of mysterious dog in tree from graphic novel Animation Showreel 2025