The best gift to receive on your graduation day is to have the special moment captured on camera. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 lockdown has robbed many students of the chance to wear their graduation gowns and take that walk to receive their certificates.
Instead of designing graduation outfits, Vuyelwa Matsane, Fashion Designer is putting her illustration skills to good use by creating graduation portraits for her clients who have missed their graduations illustration skills to use.
Matsane said she wants to help South Africans cement their achievements by giving them a portrait in their graduation gear.She the idea was sparked by a client who sent through the request, wanting to surprise her husband with a graduation portrait. “I started brainstorming and realized this is actually amazing,” she said.
Matsane started her first graduate portrait by using social media influencer Sarah Langa and her friend Kefilwe Mabote. “I saw that Sarah had graduated. I liked the fact that we know a famous friend of hers, Kefilwe, so I put them together,” she said.
Using a photograph of the two ladies, Matsane managed to capture the most intricate details, from the shine on their belts, earrings and rings to perfecting their facial features. It takes her about 90 minutes to complete the drawing and another hour to edit and digitize it.
With regards to the pricing of the artwork, Matsane said she took into consideration the fact that she would be catering for students. A half-body portrait, containing only the graduate, costs R250.To add a second image, which shows the graduate’s full-body, costs R300. Having a guest added to your picture costs R500 – plus an additional R100 for every other guest.
On the 17th of May,Matsane posted the following on Facebook:
ATTENTION CLASS OF 2020 COVID19 May have denied you a graduation ceremony, but you can still have a beautiful memory.
“I ask them to send me pictures of themselves. A good, clear, quality picture of the face and a good-quality picture of the body, so I know the sizing and stuff. I ask them to let me know what the regalia and belt should be like, and do they get a hat? I also ask them to send me a picture from their university so I can copy that on to the illustration, “explained Matsane.
She said this idea came at the right time. “I was praying and stressing about the coronavirus because the fashion design aspect of [my business] has been silent. I was thinking about how to make money and I really didn’t want to be doing masks. So, when the idea dropped, I realized this is perfect,” said Matsane.
Moreover, Matsane is also offering her services to previous graduates who did not get photographs with their loved ones during their graduation ceremonies, or who could not attend their ceremonies in the past.
