Young artist drawing success at Lethbridge markets

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on December 13, 2022.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Chalise Young displays her drawing pieces at the Lethbridge Handmade Market on Saturday at Exhibition Park.

The KidPreneur program was present again at the Lethbridge Handmade Market on Saturday at Exhibition Park, and Chalise Young was a 17-year-old entrepreneur that was on hand with her Fire Line Art business.

Young makes custom drawings utilizing a graphite pencil, and sells prints of her original graphite drawings, makes art kits for kids that come with two video tutorials and sold mini greeting cards at the market.

“I’ve been drawing on and off since middle school, I think,” said Young. “But during COVID, I got really bored, and I needed money. So I made up a business and started doing this and it’s been awesome.”

Young has always loved art and when she looks at things, her instant instinct is wanting to draw it.

“I just want to recreate it,” she said. “I just love it so much.”

She began her drawing career by drawing hands, which are her favourite because she feels they convey so much feeling in simple poses.

“On average my drawings take three to four hours, and then I take a lot of breaks,” said Young.

Young said it’s trusting the process when it comes to designing these types of drawings.

“A lot of back and forth between your eraser, pencil and your smudger,” she said.

“So back and forth, and just trusting it’s going to turn out the more you go.”

Young has drawn creations that are too many to count in her estimate.

She was able to market herself at the Handmade Market by showing her personality through her work and talking to people.

“Oh, awesome. It’s been crazy busy,” said Young. “I think this is the busiest we’ve been… and so it’s been awesome. I’ve sold a lot of stuff.”

She has been enjoying the digital art and hopes that will go somewhere in the future.

Her sister Sylvie runs her business, Sylvie’s Baker Boxes, which focuses on child baking kits.

“It’s our favourite part,” said Shaimus Tolman, a market manager. “Lots of these vendors have kids themselves, and want to find a way to show the kids that there’s ways to do this. But I just got done talking to all the KidPreneurs. I went from booth to booth on that whole wall and they were all smiling from ear to ear. And one of them was like, ‘We’ve done 15 markets now,’ like a couple of little under aged, seasoned professionals and they’re like this was the best one.”

“KidPreneurs is anyone who is under the age of 18 who is the primary vendor of their business,” said Jessica Plant, Lethbridge Handmade Market Organizer and KidPreneurs founder, during an interview with the Herald at the February market. “We give them a 50 per cent discount on their booth. They need to be involved in the production and they need to be there selling their product.”

– with files from Dale Woodard