Danielle Astra Loubser
- Animation Department
Danielle Astra Loubser (née Kirstein) was born in Groblersdal, Mpumalanga to Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) parents, Rev. Lawrence Daniel Kirstein and Alison Kirstein (Heine) a former beautician and beauty pageant winner, but moved to Cape Town at the age of two as a result of her father being relocated to a church there.
Her father gave up being a successful tobacco farmer in the Transvaal (now Limpopo Province) to start studying theology for the next 7 years when she was 6 weeks old. Though they lived on about R400 a month living allowance from the Methodist Church, including housing, Danielle was fortunate enough to be sent to the Christian private school, El Shaddai, on a scholarship/ bursary fund. Her father left the Methodist denomination in 1997 as his beliefs differed from their strict doctrine. He then became the Pastor of an Independent Charismatic Church, and an Artist (Sculpting and Painting, both of which had been lifelong hobbies.) Danielle left the private school after Junior High, to finish her last 2 high school years at Stellenberg High School and matriculate in 2003 with an Exemption. Her passion always lay with the Arts, which she excelled in, as well as Languages and Writing. Her father had always encouraged her artistic side and encouraged her to pursue any career she dreamt of.
After School, she was accepted to one of the most respected Animation colleges in the country, The Animation School, formerly called UCAA (Universal Computer Arts Academy). http://www.theanimationschool.co.za/ She completed a Diploma in 3D Animation and was trained in both Maya and 3D Studio Max, as well as Photoshop, Combustion and other Adobe package products.
Her focus and specialisation had been in 3D, despite this, in 2007 she started working as a 2D Character Animator at Clockwork Zoo, and from April 2008 as a junior animator until about May 2011 when she was promoted to a senior animator. There she worked on international kid's shows such as Happy Valley, Mr Bebe, Caillou and Florrie's Dragons for Disney Junior Channel, and more. After Clockwork Zoo's sudden and devastating closure, she went on to further study 2D Animation officially at Learn2/TouchVision in Cape Town, specifically, she trained to be a Toonboom Harmony animator, as this was the preferred software always used by international companies such Clockwork Zoo.
In 2011, on March 5th, shortly before the unexpected shutdown of CWZ, Dani married her teenhood best-friend, Dwain Loubser, in an "intimate" Rainbow-themed ceremony in the Paarl Winelands attended by 136 wedding guests. Two large families, combined with community friends, and Animation colleagues made for a wonderful, colourful, memorable day. Her father performed the ceremony after walking her down the aisle, this was followed by a buffet, flash mob and all-night dancing.
In February 2012, she was sought out and hired by Bubblegum in 2012 to help start-up their Animation Department and went from Senior Animator to a Lead Animator, heading up a team of Animators, and worked on shows such as Eena Meena Deeka, Guess How Much I love you, and Shutterbugs. She also became the trainer and lead over all the interns & juniors hired as animators at Bubblegum Animation Studio in Cape Town, South Africa.
Her father gave up being a successful tobacco farmer in the Transvaal (now Limpopo Province) to start studying theology for the next 7 years when she was 6 weeks old. Though they lived on about R400 a month living allowance from the Methodist Church, including housing, Danielle was fortunate enough to be sent to the Christian private school, El Shaddai, on a scholarship/ bursary fund. Her father left the Methodist denomination in 1997 as his beliefs differed from their strict doctrine. He then became the Pastor of an Independent Charismatic Church, and an Artist (Sculpting and Painting, both of which had been lifelong hobbies.) Danielle left the private school after Junior High, to finish her last 2 high school years at Stellenberg High School and matriculate in 2003 with an Exemption. Her passion always lay with the Arts, which she excelled in, as well as Languages and Writing. Her father had always encouraged her artistic side and encouraged her to pursue any career she dreamt of.
After School, she was accepted to one of the most respected Animation colleges in the country, The Animation School, formerly called UCAA (Universal Computer Arts Academy). http://www.theanimationschool.co.za/ She completed a Diploma in 3D Animation and was trained in both Maya and 3D Studio Max, as well as Photoshop, Combustion and other Adobe package products.
Her focus and specialisation had been in 3D, despite this, in 2007 she started working as a 2D Character Animator at Clockwork Zoo, and from April 2008 as a junior animator until about May 2011 when she was promoted to a senior animator. There she worked on international kid's shows such as Happy Valley, Mr Bebe, Caillou and Florrie's Dragons for Disney Junior Channel, and more. After Clockwork Zoo's sudden and devastating closure, she went on to further study 2D Animation officially at Learn2/TouchVision in Cape Town, specifically, she trained to be a Toonboom Harmony animator, as this was the preferred software always used by international companies such Clockwork Zoo.
In 2011, on March 5th, shortly before the unexpected shutdown of CWZ, Dani married her teenhood best-friend, Dwain Loubser, in an "intimate" Rainbow-themed ceremony in the Paarl Winelands attended by 136 wedding guests. Two large families, combined with community friends, and Animation colleagues made for a wonderful, colourful, memorable day. Her father performed the ceremony after walking her down the aisle, this was followed by a buffet, flash mob and all-night dancing.
In February 2012, she was sought out and hired by Bubblegum in 2012 to help start-up their Animation Department and went from Senior Animator to a Lead Animator, heading up a team of Animators, and worked on shows such as Eena Meena Deeka, Guess How Much I love you, and Shutterbugs. She also became the trainer and lead over all the interns & juniors hired as animators at Bubblegum Animation Studio in Cape Town, South Africa.