I graduated with a major in Animation back in 2008. Whilst studying animation, I had found it tedious and frustrating, until I discovered stop-motion animation. That opened up a world of possibilities, but I was still not enjoying animation much. After graduation in 2008 I thought I would never animate again, and then in 2012 my first job out of receiving a Bachelor of Education was managing a children's summer camp of animation and film making. When I got my classroom I utilized my knowledge in animation to teach students about the eye and how it functioned, and to teach them about story and story telling. Then in 2016 I was suddenly teaching animation at University level and in Spanish - I focused on story, character design, and stop-motion. But I also re-learned Adobe Flash, After Effects, and Premier to teach them. As I taught the course, I began animating again. The pieces on this reel are all recent within the last year and a half. I still don't love it, not for all the time, but I do love it once in a while, and more so I've developed a love rather for teaching it, directing it, and telling good stories. 

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While completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, Tahira focused her efforts and research on experimental and stop motion animation. She animated everything she could get her hands on from plasticine to coins and cumin. Much inspired by the works of German puppeteer Lotte Reiniger, and her silhouette paper puppets, Tahira soon began making paper puppets with movable parts and animating them. She eventually decided to use this method of animation for her grad film which focussed on a Peruvian folk tale. This folk tale is based on an Incan princess, Cusicoyllur, of which she thus named the film. Her grad film, "Cusicoyllur"  went to the New York International Film Festival summer 2010. Tahira later spent time facilitating the running and managing of stop motion animation camps at the University of Calgary - summer 2012. And then teaching a university course focussed on classical and stop motion animation at the School of Fine Arts in Cusco, Peru - 2016. 

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Character Concepts & Design