Pen and paper: One man’s bread and butter
You won't believe your eyes! Man makes a living with just pens and paper.
A pen, for most, is a simple tool to jot down notes, but for one Hillside artist, it is what he uses to make his art, and earn his bread and butter.
Awonke Kwinana is a ballpoint artist who recently discovered his talent and has submerged himself in the art world ever since.
The name ‘ballpoint art’ is self-explanatory – Awonke does portraits in ink of various colours. He did his first portrait at the beginning of 2016 as a gift for a friend visiting from Switzerland.
I wanted to get him something but I didn’t have any money; I only had pens and paper. I had him send me a photo of himself, did the piece, framed it and gave it to him,” Awonke said.
Because of the response he received on the portrait, he decided to look into developing his talent. Months later, he has built up a portfolio, taken to social media and various other online marketing tools and started a business.
“I’m looking at doing more corporate clients but so far, I’m being commissioned to do portraits. I’m making a living off my art. It covers the basic things I need but I’m focusing on the business side of it right now to get my work out there,” he said.
When asked if he had any formal training, he said he learned his shading techniques from one of his fashion design lecturers before leaving his course.
“He taught me how to bring my fashion sketches to life and since then, I’ve developed the skill further,” Awonke said.
Interestingly, Awonke left studying fashion design to do a paralegal diploma, but he has had to take an intermission from his studies, because of funding. He said he has two more units to complete to obtain his diploma and will be using his art as well as other means to fund his studies.
“Ever since 2016 I got into art and I haven’t looked back,” he said. This young man is sure of his talent and is excited to get his work out there and continue doing what he loves.
To view more of his work, visit his website on kwinana.wix.com/mysite-1. Alternatively his work can be seen on Facebook at @AwonkeballpointART.
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