KUALA LUMPUR: Although barely 14, Naim Hamid Hamidin is capable of earning a good income from his artwork that is sold up to RM2,500 a piece.
His father, Hamidin Abd Hamid, 47, said 80 per cent from the sale's proceeds are set aside for his son's education fund, while 20 per cent is contributed to welfare organisations.
Nevertheless, Hamidin, a professor at Universiti Malaya said, he and his wife, Faizah Bazid, 48, monitored their son's workload as he is still in school.
"Currently, we accept orders from close friends or fans of Naim's artwork," he told Bernama during his son's maiden art exhibition recently.
Naim's budding talent was noticed since small when he was fond of spending his time doodling and drawing, said his father.
Hamidin said, the artistic skills of his son, a student of an art school in Johor Baru, began to attract the attention of the public when he was 10 when he was already producing various artwork using oil paint, watercolour and charcoal.
He said, his son received full support from the family and they encouraged him to further his studies in his field of interest.
"For me, such a precious talent should not be wasted. We should do something that we like. It is possible that our skills can help us, for instance, to generate income," Hamidin said.
To expose his son to life as an artist while promoting his artwork, Hamidin had organised a special art exhibition for his son.
He also intended to hold an exhibition with other young artists, showcasing their talents.
When asked on Naim Hamid's ambition, the second of four siblings said he aspired to become a well-known animation artist.
On his recent participation at the 2017 Riyadh Book Fair, Faizah said her son's name was nominated to represent the country when the Malaysian Institute of Translation and Book (ITBM) discovered his talent through the social media.
"I had uploaded Naim's artwork on Facebook and my friends from ITBM who saw them (the pictures) suggested Naim's name. Coincidentally, the theme of the exhibition was on young talent, and thus, he was chosen to go there," Hamidin said.
Naim Hamid was given the honour of drawing the backdrop for the Malaysian pavilion at the book fair, as well as a portrait of the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.
The portrait was handed over to Saudi Arabian Minister of Culture and Information Dr Adel Zaid Al-toraifi to be presented to Kind Salman. -- BERNAMA