Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/820803
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 MAY 2017 41 This Week When did your interest in pursuing the visual arts first begin, and how did it develop? On that note, how did this grow into an interest in the digital sphere in particular? Well, my artistic journey is quite an erratic one. I started drawing and painting since I was very lit- tle (so typical!). I "studied" art in secondary school but my plans were open at that time. In around 2001-2003, I fell in love with fan- tasy stuff, games and animation movies, mainly because of Lord of the Rings and Blizzard. This is when I got my very first graphics tablet, and I knew that I wanted to get better at painting (both tradi- tionally and digitally); I wanted to reach the same level of illustration I had seen on the Blizzard Fan Art Program. Despite this interest, I knew there weren't many opportunities, and I opted to go into Mechanical Engineering. So my artistic inter- est was on hold for about seven or eight years, with only a little ar- tistic activity every now and then. During the last year of HND in Mechanical Engineering, I decided to change course and got my Art A-Level, so that I could go into University. Now I aspire that some day soon I will be making a living through what I like doing most. How is the BFA in Digital Arts helping you develop the style you want to develop, and what were some of the most important lessons you've learned from the process so far? The BFA in Digital Arts course is a broad one. For people who want to get to know more about many different areas of Digital Arts, the course is very interesting. In my case, I knew precisely the area I wanted to improve in, and I wanted to do it fast. The most important lesson I learnt, is that one should use the work given to them as an opportunity to reach their personal targets. Whenever I could choose the subject of my assignments, I used that opportunity either to practice more illustration techniques or else to explore animation further. The second important lesson which goes hand in hand with the first one, is that one should try to produce more or better than that which is expected of them just for a single assignment. I consider it as investment: the more you invest in learn- ing and producing, the bigger the return in the future (at least from a drawing, illus- tration or animation point of view). I have to admit that at times, the work- load was a challenge to keep up with, but that's what makes it interesting and what pushes the students to become better. Also, being around other artistic people can provide different insights and feedback, which is really helpful in artistic terms. Could you describe your contribution to the Pocemucka exhibition? How did you interpret the overarching brief of what the exhibit sets out to express? As you probably read already, Pocemucka refers to a person who asks a lot of questions, typically a child. So in essence it is representing the act of being inquisitive and to have a thirst for new knowledge. Through our final project-based dissertations, all of us are seeking new knowledge and are asking questions about many different things, which extend into different areas of digital arts. This is the link we all have in relation to each other, and Pocemucka is the personification of that link. In my case, I am seeking knowledge about what constitutes good character design. Being a huge artistic field to explore, I limited my work to illustration – no surprise there – and considered examples related to gaming and gaming history. Consequently, I applied the knowledge obtained from the research to produce a series of character designs, which will be exhibited in May and will also be part of the Final Degree Exhibition. Portraits of budding artists This year's edition of the annual Degree Exhibition of the Bachelors of Fine Arts in Digital Arts students will be taking place at the University of Malta campus from June 2 to 16. In the coming weeks, we will be interviewing some of the participants of the showcase, this year entitled 'Pocemucka' – a Russian word signifying somebody who asks plenty of questions. This week, we speak to Eric Leone Aid Scheme part-financed by the European Union Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2014 - 2020 Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the well-being of society Aid Scheme part-financed by the European Social Fund Operational Programme II - European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Investing in human capital to create more opportunities and promote the well-being of society" Co-financing rate: 80% European Union; 20% National Funds €8 million have been allocated to Investing in Skills - a new initiative promoting training activities - which will run until 30 th June, 2020. These activities will be financed (80% of eligible costs) by the European Social Fund as part of the Operational Programme II (2014 - 2020). Information sessions on the Investing in Skills scheme will be held as follows: • Thursday 11 th May - Registration at 09:00; Information session from 09:30 to 11:30 at the Ministry for Education and Employment, Great Siege Road, Floriana. • Friday 12 th May - Registration at 13:00; Information session from 13:30 to 15:30 at the Ministry for Education and Employment, Great Siege Road, Floriana. • Tuesday 16 th May – Registration at 09:00; Information session from 09:30 to 11:30 at the Gozo Experimental Farm Hall, Imgarr Road, Xewkija, Gozo. Those who wish to attend an information session are asked to send an email to iis.jobsplus@gov.mt or call 22201300. INVESTING IN SKILLS MINISTRY FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR THE EU PRESIDENCY 2017 AND EU FUNDS Works by Eric Leone Eric Leone