Humaira Thalayan, a graduate of both Foundation Visual Art & Design and 3D Animation & Visual Effects, put her skills to the test when she came out of VFS and hit the job market. As she explains, her new job came at the perfect time and has given her an opportunity to help make a difference.

And it all started with a student reel about seahorses. (Check out A Friend Like Me, featured below.)

First off, could you talk a bit about what you currently do in the industry?

Humaira: I currently work as an animator for Wrinkled Pants. It’s a software company that creates iPad apps for kids with learning disabilities, and my job is to design all the visuals and try to make them appealing for children about 8 to 12 years old.

The app we are working on right now is called “Are Squirrels Smart, or What?”, which is the third installment of the “Smart, or What?” series. The previous two were “Are Whales Smart, or What?” and “Are Bees Smart, or What?” which are already available at the app store. The app basically consists of a story with images and 5 to 6 learning activities.

It is a lot of fun getting into the mindset of a child and creating animations and art that would keep them interested and playing the games.

How did you land this job after graduation?

Humaira: It was pure luck I must say. After graduation I put up my reel on many video hosting sites and one of them was YouAnimator.com. Eight months of a tiring job search and I had almost given up. I was thinking I’d have to end up going back home to Sri Lanka, when I got an email from Selma Wassermann, CEO of Wrinkled Pants. She said that she loved my reel and wanted to interview me for a position at the company. She sent me tasks to create a rascally squirrel for their upcoming app. I had a week to work on it, and then I went to the interview extremely nervous. But Selma Wassermann and John Horodyski (Director of Marketing and Business Development) were absolutely wonderful and immediately put me at ease. The interview went great, and 24 hours later I was an animator at Wrinkled Pants.

How would you say the Foundation and 3D programs prepared you for what you do now?

Humaira: The Foundation program was wonderful. I was really uncertain about what I wanted to do in the arts field. I had just finished my degree in Business Computing but I always wanted to work in the arts industry, creating drawings and animation that could reach out and help people. Foundation really helped explore my options, just because it exposes us to a variety of subjects, from acting to game design, to 2D and 3D animation, and film. It also helped me to meet people with similar interests and make connections. After Foundation I was clear that I wanted to do 3D animation.

So I went into the 3D program. It was very different from Foundation. It was a year of intense learning, and hard work. I learned a LOT about the various aspects of creating an animated film. We had to create our own story and concept and bring it to life by modeling, rigging, texturing, and animating. We also learned a bunch about post-production techniques. I think this was a brilliant idea, because in the industry even though you are usually assigned just one position, it helps with communication with your co-workers because you know how the pipeline works. The 3D program helped me create a fun reel, which in turn landed me a job.

At Wrinkled Pants we combine 2D and 3D techniques, creating a 2D look with 3D software.

What were the main challenges you faced while creating your student reel, A Friend Like Me?

Humaira: Wow, thinking back I’m not too sure how I got through that year, haha. Working on A Friend Like Me was a lot of fun for me, but the main challenge was that I decided not to use human characters. It was a big risk, in terms of animating as well as getting a job in the industry.

I decided on using a seahorse as my main character just because I wanted to try out something different. I mean you see humans every day, but how often do you see a seahorse playing with a ball or rescuing a friend? Trying to make my seahorse character relatable and make his emotions believable was difficult. His underwater movement was a challenge all by itself. But I had the best mentors: Casey Kwan, Craig Roberts, and Magic Eslami. They really helped me out every step of the way, and in the end everything worked out well.

Lastly, and most importantly, where and when can we see what you’re working on now?

Humaira: If all goes well you should be able to see the new “Are Squirrels Smart, or What?” in the iTunes store by January 2012, and I really hope you have as much fun with it as I did making it.

Thanks, Humaira! We’re looking forward to seeing more of your work!