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The importance of picture books and illustrations in children’s development cannot be over emphasized. Children learn to read pictures much before they learn to read text. Therefore, richly illustrated picture books play an important role in engaging children in the process of reading. In India, where a large number of children attending government schools are first generation learners who lack a print environment at home, pictures become the first medium of introducing them to stories and the world around them.
A participant concentrates hard during a contact session of the Riyaaz Academy.
The Riyaaz Academy for Illustrators was set up in 2015 as a platform for budding artists and young illustrators to explore different forms of illustrations. The 11 month certificate course aims to refine the perception, professional skills and intellect of students interested in illustration, especially picture book illustration. Young students are encouraged to look at illustrations from a child’s point of view and being sensitive to the fact that children in India today are growing up in a multilingual and multicultural world. Riyaaz illustrators bring in humour in their work because children enjoy that the most. At the same time they address social biases, champion values of sustainable development, equality of gender, caste and religion and break stereotypes. Riyaaz was set up jointly by Parag and Eklavya, Bhopal along with illustrator Atanu Roy. While Riyaaz is only in its second year, students have already illustrated books and magazines for several publishers including Pratham Books, Eklavya, NCERT, Room to Read and Agha Khan Foundation.
Understand good quality children’s literature.
Experiment with different art styles and variety of art materials and strengthen art and illustration techniques (composition, drawing, sketching etc).
Build relationships with children’s publishers and work in a professional environment. Conceptualise and illustrate own picture book/s.
“In Riyaaz I understood how the publishing industry works. I learnt from the mentors at Riyaaz how illustration for the purpose of publishing is different from any other work form… I gradually understood that illustrations should be more than a visual representation of the text. You need to show a story unfold on each page.”
“Earlier I used to think an illustration for a children’s book would be either making a drawing as if a child has drawn it or animating the forms to create a vibrant illustration…after coming to Riyaaz I started to understand that there were many other ways to approach illustration. Now, I often connect the text I have to illustrate with my own childhood to think about a deeper meaning of the text.”
“Many art institutes have tried to create a curriculum for art. These courses most often fail to create a deeper engagement for artists for expression because of their very curriculum which is one of its main limitations. A course like Riyaaz offers a wider range of perspective because of its flexible structure. These spaces create an informal model which is more holistic and can produce artists who think about illustration with a mind of their own.”
A professional development certificate course that trains practitioners to imagine the library as an open and creative space for all curricular areas, especially reading for pleasure.
An annual award that recognizes and honours original and significant contribution of Indian authors and illustrators to children’s literature in Indian languages.
Parag’s annual Children’s Library Conference where library educators and others engaged in the library, with reading and children exchange ideas, present best practices and challenges.
How do illustrators train? What happens during the course of a contact week at the Riyaaz Academy for Illustrators? This photo essay takes a sneak peek into the various aspects of the course.
