DIGITAL ART ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
UNDP Armenia’s ImpactAIM Accelerator in cooperation with Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (ISTC Foundation) is jointly launching a completely new market-driven vocational program that will be equipping art students with future skills and informing the change of vocational art curriculum in design-focused VET colleges.
The "Digital Art Entrepreneurship" program will target 120 youngsters aged 15-24 from Syunik, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor, and Kotayk regions either students or recent graduates with VET degrees in arts. The Digital Art Entrepreneurship program will develop their entrepreneurial and digital art skills, bridge them with top Armenian digital art companies and experts, and introduce them to global freelancing platforms. Designed through project-based learning, the program will provide the participants with real-world challenges from actual businesses.
The program will be implemented with leading local companies and experts involved in digital art entrepreneurship, particularly in creative game design and comic production.
Professions suggested by the program include graphic novel sketching, storyboarding, character development, inking, NFT (non-fungible token) art production, the use of generative AI for art, game art, and game design.
The Digital Art Entrepreneurship program consists of the following parts:
- Digital art skills Bootcamp
The Bootcamp consists of a 5-week program with the aim to develop digital art skills in the following topics:
- Scripting
- Storyboarding
- Character Design
- Inking and coloring
- Working with digital tools
- Experience Sessions
This part is dedicated to building a portfolio, discovering trending tech in digital arts, and real-life experiences of creating digital art products and freelance work.
Experience sessions will engage mentors with profound domain knowledge in։
- NFT Art (platforms, business model, tips for success)
- Freelance platforms (platforms, profiling, business model, tips for success)
- Generative AI (DALL-E 2, WOMBO, Open AI etc.)
- Game design elements (game design document, game genres, MVP and releases, selling points, monetization)
- Game art. 2D modeling (character design, level design, UI/UX + Adobe Illustrator)
- Game art. 3D modeling (character design, level design + Maya)
THE OUTCOME
- All the projects created during the program will be presented to the Evaluation Committee comprised of the Program and UNDP teams and the 15 winners will receive prizes in the form of illustration tablets.
- Parallel exhibitions of Comic art and NFT art will be organized in Yerevan and in all regions where the program will be implemented, wherein the final projects of the participants will be presented to the communities of each region.
- To facilitate the digitization of the outcomes, all the projects will be shared on Instagram using the designated hashtag for easy reference.
- In addition, a dedicated landing page will be developed to showcase and disseminate the outcomes, as well as facilitate potential sales opportunities, if deemed necessary.