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Animating a better world

Jeanette Diergaardt

Newly appointed Aljuandre Bok and Namupa Nghixulifwa are taking up the task to animate a client’s dream.

Both fresh out of university and working for Intouch Interactive Marketing, the 23-year-old and 25-year-old are ready to learn more from the media industry.

Artists in their own right

Aljuandre and Namupa are stepping into a male-dominated field and are ready to change the status quo for women. Digital creation is not the only skill up their alley; they both enjoy creating art through painting, sketching and drawing.

With animation being from the digital media sphere and being one of the newer concepts for Namibians, the two women shared that it took some time for their parents to warm up to their study choice.

“When I got the job at Intouch, I saw the relief on my father’s face,” says Namupa.

According to Aljuandre her parents always wanted her to do something else like becoming a veterinarian because she was always good with animals. “My parents would always push something else because they considered design as not a stable career.”

The Basics

For anyone wanting to animate, being familiar with design software would be the way to go. Namupa shared that she studied graphic design and from there got the job at Intouch as a junior animator. To her the interface of design software and the animation software are similar, therefore making it easier to learn. “Graphic designers will eventually learn to animate as well,” says Namupa.

“You don’t have to study graphic design or animation to become an animator,” says Aljuandre. There are various YouTube videos with tutorials, but becoming comfortable with the software is important.

BEGINNING DAYS

Both Namupa and Aljuandre are from Delta Secondary School where they both had art as a subject. Aljuandre furthered her studies at Inscape in Cape Town, whereas Namupa studied at the University of Namibia. Both of them graduated this year.

To Namupa art did not come easy. She shared that her high school art teacher was shocked when she passed the art module with a distinction, as the teacher had always told her that she was no good. That further inspired Namupa to practise more and to work late nights to perfect her drawing skills.

Future Prospects

The two are excited about the new learning experiences waiting for them. Their dream is to take their animating career further. Both aspire to be creative directors one day. The world of animating for film is also a dream that both share.