Youths benefit from free art classes in Ivory Park
IVORY PARK – There are many opportunities in drawing and animation said Tebogo Ngxande, explaining that so much of the visual communication that we encounter on a daily basis uses animation to communicate.
A free drawing and animation workshop in Ivory Park introduced young community members to drawing and cartooning.
The National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa) held the workshop at Ivory Park’s Riendzo Development Centre from 13 to 14 January.
Tebogo Serobatse Ngxande, head of animation and graphic design at Nemisa, explained that the two-day drawing workshops go from community to community in an effort to inform the youth about visual communication careers – especially to the youth who may otherwise not have had exposure to that kind of knowledge or training before.
“The course is designed to accommodate learners in formal education and learners who are looking to explore their drawing ability in the visual arts,” said Ngxande.
To achieve their goal of passing on information to the youth, they now work with community centres interested in allowing the youth to benefit from such a workshop, especially centres which have access to creatively inclined young people who are interested in pursuing careers in the visual arts.
Though many might not know how to go about pursuing a career in drawing and animation or fear that there might not be enough jobs in those fields, Ngxande believes there are opportunities. “So much of the visual communication that we encounter on a daily basis use animation to communicate. For example, many of the Covid-19 information (posters) are created using illustrations.
“Informative videos (such as public service announcements or commercials) are created using animation from the banking sector when demonstrating how to open bank accounts to instructional videos that guide people on how to do something or use a device.
“Therefore, drawing is a communication tool and it is a skill that can be used in many fields such as film and television (for storyboard artists and set designers), in animation (storyboard artists, character designers, set designers, background designers, and animators), and in graphic design (illustration, logo design).”
Workshops will held again on 3 and 4 February at the Riendzo Development Centre. “Each class will take about a day. The workshops are suitable for people from Grade 10 to post-matric, aged between 16 and 28 years old, and learners with a deep interest in art and drawing.”
Interested participants can contact the centre management to book space on 064 429 1021 or 078 394 6755.
Details: National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa 011 644 4800; www.nemisa.co.za
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