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An artistic step forward

A 10-day workshop on Photoshop and CorelDraw equipped signboard artists with computer skills

PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO

GOING DIGITAL Some works on display

When digital prints replaced manual artwork on signboards and hoardings around the city, lakhs of artists lost their means of a livelihood. But recently, the Government College of Fine Arts took a step towards rehabilitating these people when it conducted a 10-day workshop on Photoshop and CorelDraw for 13 former signboard artists to equip them with the skills they will need to reinvent themselves as digital artists.

"I had reached a state when I thought I would just forget about my art," said Renu Bharathi, one of the participants. "But this workshop has given me the confidence that I can still do something. I'm amazed at what I could create on a computer after just 10 days."

"Workshops like this can benefit several families that are struggling to survive," said G. Chandrasekaran, Principal of the college. "We hope to conduct more of these workshops all over Tamil Nadu in the coming months."

Teaching the art

Most of the participants had never touched a computer before, and many couldn't even read the English commands on the screen. But that didn't deter their teachers, Raju and Kumar, both Visual Communication teachers at the college. "I didn't use the usual teaching method," explained Raju. "I taught them to recognise the icons and relate them to the commands."

The artists worked day and night during those ten days. They practically lived in the computer hall. Although they were frequently impeded by lack of electricity, they made the most of the time they could spend on the computers, aided by teachers and students of the college. "We actually got to work on the computers only for four or five days," said Ramu.

Next step

The next step for these men is to get government grants to buy computers. "We used to work with a one rupee brush and some paint, but now we need some help to buy the equipment," said Anbazhagan.

The workshop, which was organised and funded by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers' Association, ended with an exhibition of the artists' digital works, inaugurated by Dr. R. Karpoorsundarapandian, secretary, Tamil Development-Culture and Religious Endowments Department.

DIVYA KUMAR

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