From a pool of about 3,800 creative entries worldwide, two students from Monash University in Victoria–Louie Evans and Kea Tokley-Higgs–were triumphant to be part of the five WATCs winners in Wacom’s 2018 ‘The Next Level Competition.
For Louie who always had a passion for design, photography, and image-making, “Entering Wacom’s The Next Level
competition was a way for me to evolve on a global scale and give myself confidence in my work. The artwork that I submitted was inspired by the idea of personal identity and aims to visualise how a surrounding environment can shape one’s character – I’m excited to see this on display at The Next Level exhibition.”
Kea, on the other hand, said it was part of her journey to become a professional illustrator.”I’m originally from the Dandenong Ranges, which is inhabited by thousands of fern trees,” she said. “This illustration is for the EP cover of a local band, Turn South. Some of the songs explore how people can often feel isolated living in remote towns, and I enjoyed trying to reflect these feelings in the composition.”
The winners were all given a Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13″ 512GB that costs $3,499, while their respective schools will receive a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24″ with the same value.
Wacom Authorised Training Centres (WATCs) continue to develop and nurture boundless creativity and imagination within schools, colleges, and universities across Australia and New Zealand.
The senior manager for content and strategy from Wacom, Simon Marshall said: “We believe in the power of creativity and we make it our mission to inspire and equip imaginative minds to unleash their full potential. WATCs allow students to utilise and master the same tools that are the industry standard for creative professionals, as well as granting teachers a richer learning experience in the classroom.”
