PINETOWN self-taught artist gets the highlight of her career as Rugby National Team members recognise a drawing she created in support of the Springboks during the World Cup.
Shannon Van Den Berg was pleasantly surprised when a drawing she had posted on her Instagram account reached the attention of the Springboks Captain Siya Kolisi.
Van Den Berg, who is known as and referred to as Shan Carmin, is a fine-art freelancer based in Pinetown, Durban. The young artist is popularly known on the art content side of Instagram. Living her wildest dreams, it couldn’t get better for her as she followed her passion which led her to this recognition.
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“I created the Bok drawing in light of the Rugby World Cup – I wanted to show my support in the best way I knew how. It took me a while to actually start the drawing as it was just a thought I was contemplating for a few days because I knew it would be a challenging task.
“I had the idea in mind of doing a collage of some of the players, with our captain as the largest subject, so I went on a ‘hunt’ for the best pictures I could find. Each player I chose to draw was for no other reason than my confidence in being able to translate their pictures best on the paper. After gathering some reference pictures, I digitally edited them into a collage and spent the next ten days drawing non-stop to ensure I finished it while the World Cup was still ongoing. So upon sharing, it could have the best outcome as the spirits of South Africans were collectively roaring high because of rugby,” explained the artist.
The 22-year-old said it was only a few days after she had posted her picture when the captain and other team members noticed it.
“I got to chatting with Siya on Instagram where he complimented me on the drawing and asked for a copy for him and the team. I had also asked if they would be willing to sign the original, to which he said yes. My excitement was through the roof – I was literally shaking. It was such a great morning and probably the highlight of my year. I only have everyone in the comments to thank – who powered together to tag them – so thanks for helping me get it out there,” she said.
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Shan Carmin said the support and love from the community has been so incredibly overwhelming.
“And the message I’m sending to the community isn’t really about me but just a general statement to always support small businesses where and when they can. Whether that be buying from them, spreading the word, sharing their posts on social media – no form of support is too small,” said the young artist. The artist can be found on Instagram: @shan.carmin.art
The community is encouraged to support the Springboks as they head to the finals against New Zealand on Saturday, October 28.
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