They say that art is a creative talent that can be brushed up by learning the basics as well as imitating the masters. Teaching art, however, is a different affair all together.
Age is irrelevant to be an artist. There are plenty of child prodigies around the world. To be an art teacher, on the other hand, people assume that you need to acquire great knowledge as well as gain experience. Yet to teach art at a young age is also a force to be reckoned with.
Amber Rauf is a 27-year-old art and design teacher. Rather than teaching art at a school, she is fast making a name for herself as a freelance art teacher in Doha.
Born and raised in Doha, Amber is a Pakistani professional surface designer and contemporary artist. She has been making her mark more as an art educator than as a creative artist. She runs a series of art workshops at different luxury hotels in Doha every month, providing opportunities to girls and women interested in learning artistic designs and print making.
Amber is all set to organise her next event with the name of ‘Lino Printing Workshop’ at W Doha on July 6. She expects both Qatari and expatriate women to take a keen interest in learning print making.
Amber, a graduate from Aptech Qatar, said: “It is a traditional block printmaking method and very popular even today. The process of making a linoleum print is by drawing a design and copying it on tracing paper and then finally transferring it on the lino block.”
She added: “Once you have your design transferred, you can start the next step which is carving. It is done by using special carving tools with sharp edges in different cutting angles similar to the one use for wood carving. All the extra empty areas are carved out leaving the design only on the lino block.
“We use the words negative and positive in carving process (negative means empty space which needs to be removed by using the carving tool and positive the area which we want to create a stamp) to make sure we get the right design.”
She further said: “The third and final step is printing. Roll over some paint using a roller on the lino block and then putting the block upside down and pressing it on any surface will leave a print on it. It can be used for various purposes like home decor, table cloth, cushion covers and also for wearable items – which is what a lot of fashion industries are doing in India, Indonesia and other countries.”
Amber follows teaching of art as a passion. 
“Being an art educator, l love the idea of organising art workshops for women. I have been conducting monthly workshops since 2016 in different hotels of Doha. All the workshops are of high standard with learning of professional skills for various art courses that are offered to the community of artists in Qatar.
“Each workshop is different. It offers a complete course for beginners to learn professionally, starting with introduction on the projector introducing them to the materials and techniques.”
She added: “Each participant creates an artwork following the instructions – step by step – and finish their masterpiece to take home. At the end of each workshop, every student receives a certification of completion with a goodie bag in which a set of art materials are included as a starter kit which they will take home with them to continue their practice.”
Amber is encouraged by the degree of positive response she gets from her students. 
“The concept of having workshops on different art subjects is interesting and really exciting. People love it. Sometimes I have to repeat the same workshop multiple times because people request me to do it again.”
She is keen to educate the young art students who want to build their portfolio. “I want to provide a facility for Qatar community, high school students, who want to build their portfolio for art college or university, for adults who want to learn something new as a hobby and those who want to learn a specific kind of art but never had an opportunity. My 2019 workshops are all unique with fresh and multi-purpose ideas, which will be helpful from home decor to customised gifts for any occasions.” 
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