A picture is a thousand words!
Liji. Narayan
DOODLE, the unique children’s drawing festival was organised at Mayoor School, Noida recently. The event inaugurated by Sandeep Adhwaryu, chief cartoonist of the Times of India, and sponsored by JustDial offered workshops for all ages from six to eighteen. The festiva on December 10-12 saw twelve of the best names from the fields of animation, cartooning, illustration, etc.,proved to all present that a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
The kids listened wide eyed when Savio Mascarenhas, the art director of Amar Chitra Katha, turned simple lines and shapes into something different and more meaningful. On the second day he even encouraged the parents to sit in on the sessions and join the kids in letting loose their creativity.
The session by Sankha Samanta, India’s famous postage stamp designer, walked the children through the stamp creation process. Saurabh Pandey, illustrator from the Children’s Book Trust, kept the smaller lot enthralled by his simple manner of drawing expressions. His sessions were a hit with parents too.
Without deviating from the main theme of the festival, which was drawing, there were story telling sessions by Fouzia, the first woman Dastango of the country and certified storyteller Amita Khare. While they narrated their stories, illustrator Shivani brought to life scenes from their tales on a whiteboard, leaving the audience awed. Veteran designer, illustrator, political cartoonist and Limca Book record holder, Atanu Roy allowed his students to explore their creativity and draw what they love most. With Kavita Singh Kale, the participants managed to create their problem monsters in the form of pollution, garbage, bad air, traffic and even rash driving.
VandanaBist, winner of the Katha chitrakala Award for best illustrator, helped the kids fill their world with shapes. Illustrator and graphic
artist, SuvidhaMistry, whose works have been exhibited across the globe, enlightened kids on the technique of creating picture books. With cartoonist, painter, sculptor and illustrator, Uday Shankar, the participants were able to enter the funny world of cartooning while others interested in animation attended the ‘Animation kakeeda’ workshop by animation film designer, SalilShail.
All present were able to witness these artists drawing live on canvasses kept out in the sunny lawn. An exhibition of some of their best works was also on at the venue.
As part of the fest, there was also a Doodle Your Name to Fame contest which attracted over 500 entries. The winners were given away fabulous prizes including a Kindle e-reader, JBL wireless speakers, Sony headphones and BSA Ladybird bicycles.
The objective of the festival, in the words of the organizer— cartoonist & illustrator, Ajit Narayan— was to draw everyone’s attention to the significance of drawing/doodling as a powerful tool of visual communication. He is confident that DOODLE, as a regular event will spread visual literacy!