Kids asked to participate in the Junior Painter Awards competition
WHEN Laureate na nÓg PJ Lynch was eight or nine, he loved copying other people’s pictures.
“I used to copy from superhero comics. It was a stepping stone, a great way to learn technique,” says the children’s book illustrator, who’s on the judging panel for the Sightsavers 2017 Junior Painter Awards competition.
The competition’s core objectives are ‘education’ and ‘embracing creativity’. It’s open to primary school students of all ages across Ireland.
This year’s theme is ‘Framing the Future’. Irish children are invited to let their imaginations run wild and create their own masterpiece.
“I think children will come up with amazing ideas when they think of what the future might look like. I’m looking for weird imaginings — crazy robots and the like,” says Lynch, who visits plenty of classrooms as part of his Laureate na nÓg role.
“I find children have the same enthusiasms and concerns but as they get older I worry about new technology. People are using it too much and forgetting about old techniques — getting stuck in and drawing, making things up. I think there’s great magic when kids do that — they have the best fun ever.”
Lynch thinks it’s a shame that, as we get older, we tend not to look for books with pictures. He finds graphic novels very inspiring.
“The Irish have a great tradition with words but maybe not as much with pictures. I’d encourage people to look at pictures longer.”
Sightsavers communications manager Ann O’Leary says it’s “sad and startling” that 90% of people who are blind live in developing countries and that 90% of children who are blind don’t attend school.
“The Junior Painter Awards is a way to teach Irish children about the value of sight and the impact that living with blindness can have on children around the world.”
Entrants can win cash prizes for their schools, as well as memberships and ‘toolboxes’ full of arts/crafts materials from ReCreate Ireland.
Fifteen regional winners will be selected and will see their work displayed at a special awards day next spring, where three overall national winners will be announced.
Every entrant will receive a certificate of participation. The closing date for entry is Friday, November 25.
To get involved, parents/children can speak to their teacher or visit www.sightsavers.ie/juniorpainter to request entry forms.
* Encourage children to look at pictures for longer — and to spot things not apparent at first glance.
* Allow kids to “get dirty” with chalks, paints, and charcoal.
* Reading books is vital for developing empathy — children learn to see the world from another’s point of view. It also inspires them to come up with their own stories.
* Encourage them to make their own picture books — write a line of text and draw a picture to go with it.
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