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| Charles with one of his Illustrations |
By FIDELIS SUKINA
Armed with a pencil a biro and an eraser he sits and takes
in the weeks pressing issues from the newspapers and, thinks out a scene on the
A4 sketch paper,
He just needs less than 10 minutes to create an illustration
that summarizes the week’s events, into a great work of art.
Charles Nir 54years of age living here in the Nation’s
capital is a freelance illustrator; he offers his humble services to news
agencies and NGO’s or any other organization that wishes to have an
illustration that brings out a clear message.
“I am from Mendi
Southern Highlands Province and since primary and High School I have had the
interest of drawing”
He graduated from the Goroka School of Arts and Design, in
1979, and since then has never looked back.
“I didn’t do well in school but my talent took me to
continue at the Goroka School of Art and Design”
“I was interested in the field and that made me to excel in
it, I always was interested in Expressive Arts during High School”
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| Charles finalizing his illustrations |
After spending two years in Arts School he did odd jobs,
before working with two newspaper agencies laying out the illustrations and
stories on to the printing press.
He had been a newspaper illustrator for almost 30 years,
working with three different organizations
He worked with Niugini Nius Limted, from 1983 to 1990 which
later on was taken over by Word Publishing and then, Talair before its collapse
he joined a printing shop which SP Brewery owned doing the layouts and
illustrations, later on he joined the National Newspaper in 1997 and left after
7 years, to pursue a freelance career.
He takes pride in his work and with his talent he wastes no
time in producing results, he is currently contributing to the Sunday Chronicle
News Paper drawing cartoons that depict the weekly issues in Papua New Guinea
He has his own unique style and is clearly producing
results,
“I just read the week’s news and come up with a drawing and
show it to the editor for him to approve, and so far all my Illustrations are
accepted”
Even the NGO Partners in Melanesia which promotes
environmental conservation, acquired his services to help them with their
booklets as part of awareness.
“Sometimes I work
with NGOs, I did illustrations for a booklet on environment conservation”
“They wanted 24 A4 size Illustrations and I gave them what
they wanted in just 3 days”
He basically draws from his thinking and imagines what you
expect from him, that’s after you explain to him what you want.
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| More of Charles's Ilusstrations |
As you sit and watch
he will finish a drawing within ten minutes, depending on the number of
characters and the scene involved
“When I was small I use to see drawings from the children in
the Village hanging on the tucker shop and that made me excited and hearing the
praise the young artists got I wanted to become like them”
In a nation with a
lot of culture and heritage it is often hard to differentiate characters from
each province but that doesn’t hinder Charles that much, he has interesting
features that help to differentiate characters from each region of Papua New
Guinea
“Sometimes when I am drawing I don’t really differentiate
but, most of the times its to do with their traditional attire, or body
features like a person from the Highlands Region would have a bigger beard than
a coastal man, and coastal women especially central would have grass skirts and
tattoos, but it does not really matter as long as the issue is addressed”
Charles has a talent that speaks a thousand words, a picture
that stimulates the minds of readers, so they can grasp the message clearly.
A humble and simple
person, with very few words to say, maybe because he spends his time thinking
more than talking, he has his own pen name CHESS which could be found within
the Illustration itself
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