Doreen student uses footpath as canvas for heartwarming teddy bear hunt Winnie the Pooh picture
A bored art student stuck inside his Doreen home just wanted to do something that would make everyone happy during the pandemic. His amazing creation brought neighbours to tears and set the bar for National Bear Hunt art.
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A Doreen art student has ditched his sketchpad for the footpath in a bid to lift the spirits of families holed up inside during the coronavirus pandemic.
With chalk and charcoal Roberto Taranto spent six hours across two days last week drawing an image of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on the pavement outside his Masons Rd home.
The Year 12 Hazel Glen College student said he wanted the piece of art to ”bring a smile” to the faces of passers by.
“I was seeing all these kids out on the pavement using chalk, so I thought what is something I can create that can make everyone happy and forget what is going on,” Roberto said.
“I became pretty interested in this bear trend going on at the moment — it’s very nice to see people have found a light in a pretty dark time so I wanted to keep that going.”
Households across the country are plastering rainbows and bears across windows as parents take their kids on colourful teddy-spotting treks to distract them from the pandemic.
More than 40,000 people have joined the movement.
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The 17-year-old said he had been overwhelmed with the support of his neighbours, with one woman even gifting him chocolate for his compassionate gesture.
“This jogger saw the progress right from when the picture was just a black and white outline to the finished outcome,” Roberto said.
“And one morning the doorbell rang and it was her wanting to give me an Easter egg because she said my picture made her smile every time she passed it.
“Another kid came to see it but cried because the rain had washed the drawing away.
“It’s very gratifying that what I did can affect so many people in a nice way.”
Roberto said he hoped to study biomedicine at La Trobe University and specialise in cardiology when he completed VCE.