Versatile is how Andre Jacobus describes himself. A young, up and coming animator, he hopes to someday make his own debut in the international animation industry and work alongside other great animators on the production of animated blockbusters.
Born Andre Damian John Jacobus, the 23-year-old artist hails from the Indigenous community of Kabakaburi Mission in the Pomeroon River and is currently employed as a graphic artist at local marketing agency – Artistic Marketing.
In an exclusive interview with The Scene, Dre, as he prefers to be called, related that he got involved in the arts from a very young age; a hobby that was greatly supported by his father, who, he said, was an artist himself.
“I started drawing from a very young age. I guess I got the genes from my father. He used to do art too and I use to watch him and he used to push me to do it as well,” Dre related.
After completing his secondary education at the Anna Regina Multilateral School on the Essequibo Coast, Dre enrolled at the E R Burrowes School of Art in Georgetown where he pursed studies in painting and graphic design.
He described his stint at the art school as one that allowed him to better develop the skills he already possessed. Three years later, in 2013, Dre graduated from the school with a diploma and landed full time employment with Animatix Studios, a division of the Brain Street Group, an Information Technology solutions firm in Guyana.
It was during the time spent working there, that he really began focusing on animation and had the opportunity to test his skills as an animator. He subsequently branched off into the field of digital drawings.
Now, Dre says, while he rarely paints anymore, he still finds the time to sketch and draw on paper since he believes this skill is an important component of animation and digital drawing.
Dre understands that animation is a fairly new concept to Guyana, but is happy that he is a part of an emerging industry. He finds joy in having the ability to bring two-dimensional drawings to life through animation.
“I like making things come alive. I like being able to bring a dead drawing to life and having the ability to make these things move and create a story,” he said.
But as fun as it is, he explained that it is often a long task particularly because of the length of time that is spent creating and the amount of attention that is paid to getting details right.
Alluding to one of his animated clips as an example, Dre explained that a three-minute production could take as long as five months to complete, from beginning to end.
“It’s tough sometimes in terms of time. Time is a big factor because work on one cartoon action for couple seconds could take some time,” he said.
Going more in-depth, Dre explained that animation begins with a sketch which later forms part of a story board and is followed by character building and background development before an end product can be made.
Other challenges include the availability of the relevant computer software and a very small local market, the latter of which, sees Dre mainly servicing the advertising market in Guyana with his skills as a graphic artist. He has done ads for entities like GTM, Sunburst and Sujata Curry powder among others.
On request, Dre also caters to those who are desirous of having his service of digital drawings at a reasonable cost.
Apart from his passion for art, Dre is also into football and Brazilian martial arts, Capoeira, the latter of which he has been practicing for several years.
Reflecting on his decision to undertake capoeira, Dre related that after watching Only the Strong, a 1993 action film that featured capoeira, he and his siblings tried to mirror the moves they saw in the movie.
“When I saw this movie, something in me just say let me try something because at that time we didn’t know anything about it; we just used to go outside and jump around,” he chuckled.
Having been practicing this form of martial arts for the past four years, Dre is a member of Capoeira Mesticagem Guyana, a local group that facilitates capoeira training.
But when he’s not engaged in those activities, Dre finds joy spending time with his almost one-year-old daughter, who he described as being his “best piece of art work yet,” and watching the landscape flicker by during long drives – something he says that helps him to relax.
When asked where he hopes to be in the future, Dre said while he knows it will take some time, he hopes to someday be able to further his skills in the animation industry abroad and envisions himself working alongside other established animators to produce blockbusters.
Additionally, he envisions growth in the local animation industry, allowing other young animators to be afforded similar opportunities to showcase their talents.
Offering advice to those who are interested in following animation, Dre said, “The basic thing is to keep drawing, keep practicing and you’ll get there someday; everything takes time, the more you draw, the more you practice.
“You may not seem like you’re going anywhere but you’re moving inch by inch,” he added.
