Two illustration courses recently held by IFTM’s School of Continuing Education have inspired an exhibition of the work produced by the students involved. Entrance to the exhibition, at the Team Building on the Mong-Há Campus until 19 August, is free of charge for all members of the public.
The “Meet Your Story – Exhibition of Final Products of Illustration Courses” officially opened on 19 May. It displays a selection of 30 illustrations by students and instructors.
One of the courses focused on hand-drawn images, while the other covered applied illustration, involving software. Each course explored aspects such as character modelling, sketchbook creation, and illustration applied to packaging.
The work on show at IFTM is diverse and vivid in terms of imagery. It includes commercial-product packaging, clothing, picture books, and animation scenes.
The courses, held in 2021, were the first outcome of a collaboration between IFTM and the Macao Illustrators Association. The latter selected the instructors for the programmes, according to their interests and qualifications, says the association’s President Mr. Nono Leong Chi Hang.
Mr Leong commends the work of the IFTM students. “Feedback from our instructors was very positive. Students were very dedicated during class and were really interested in this topic”, he says.
The association head points out that the IFTM courses “provide an opportunity to give students the skill set to do illustration work for a living”. “Due to the nature of the industry in Macao, not many people can work as a full-time professional illustrator,” he states. But Mr Leong believes the students showed “a lot of potential”, and says one of them, Aurélio Lewis, had already joined the Macao Illustrators Association.
The young artist was studying illustration at university in the United Kingdom when the COVID-19 pandemic cut short his last months of classes and eventually led him back to Macao. “I didn’t really feel like I completed my bachelor’s degree, so I signed up for these 2 courses to become more self-confident in my skills”, says Mr Lewis.
For the exhibition, he produced packaging for Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes, designed to recall memories from a world before the pandemic.
Mr Lewis says the IFTM courses helped him to learn how to think creatively. The courses were “short but packed with a lot of information”. As a result, participants “can learn a lot of things,” which will “help you in the future,” he adds.
Acting Vice-Director of the IFTM School of Continuing Education Dr. Cora Wong Un In says the illustration courses and the exhibition are part of a wider effort by the Institute to support the development of cultural and creative industries in Macao. “The goal is for art not only to be born on campus, but also to enter the community and truly integrate into the daily life of citizens,” she says.
The IFTM School of Continuing Education offers courses in creative activities including abstract painting, classical painting in oils, photography, and Chinese calligraphy.
IFTM also makes regular contributions to culture and the arts in Macao by holding exhibitions on the Mong-Há Campus. Admission is free for all at those events. Some show the work of Macao artists that teach at the IFTM School of Continuing Education, as well as of their students.
