Last summer marked the first time I offered a raffle prize system to my library's summer reading club. Instead of small prizes, I put together four different prize packages that included software, a accompanying book and a accessory. Of the four packages (music producer, novel writer, designer toy maker and manga illustrator), the manga illustrator kit was overwhelmingly the most popular prize. In this package I included a copy of the Manga Studio software, a Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet (small) and Manga Studio for Dummies . I knew the manga illustration kit would be popular as many of my teens are artists, but I had no clue on just how massively popular this prize would be. Drawing tablets are a must have for all serious digital artists. One only has to look at the sheer number of deviantART fans to understand that young people love to draw, and they love to share their art work. Having a decent digital illustration program and a digital drawing board makes this process much easier, and allows students to take their digital art to the next level.
Unfortunately, most drawing programs and drawing tablets are out of reach for teens, as they're a costly investment (software and a tablets will run you at least $100 usd). Due to the fact that there were so many teens interested in this prize (and therefore many bummed out teens who didn't win), I have decided to purchase a Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet and the Manga Studio software for my teen computers. Hopefully, by December I will have a dedicated teen computer that will have the software installed, and a Bamboo tablet that teens can reserve inside the library, so they can work on their digital projects.
How do I know this will all work out? I don't really, but I do have my teens massive enthusiasm to support my hunch. The teen who won the manga illustrator prize, is a very happy gal as well. She has brought in a lot of her digital work, and it's really good. Best yet, she's already agreed to help me teach the teens how to use the software. I think this is all key to providing outstanding service to youth. By acknowledging their interests, and incorporating it into our services, we as youth advocates can provide the tools to help teens realize their creative goals.
If you would like to set up a digital art station at your youth organization, you can find Manga Studio, the Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet, and Manga Studio for Dummies online at Amazon.com and Office Depot Online.
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