Sharpen your pencils and start drawing, South Africa's children are being told as the country's booming animation industry finds itself losing millions because of a skills shortage. International animation powerhouses such as the US, France and the UK are looking to South Africa to provide services because their own animators can't keep up with the demand.Animation SA chairman Nick Cloete said local experience in long format animation, such as that needed for a television series, made South Africa an ideal destination for international investors.But more skilled people were needed to meet the demand."The domestic capacity in many countries has reached its limits so they have to look for suppliers elsewhere who could work within their parameters."It turns out South Africa is the perfect place."Local suppliers cost investors 50% to 70% less than in their own countries."We could earn millions in foreign investment from just one project," said Cloete."Imagine what we could do with multiple projects simultaneously. If we build capacity we can become an international service hub."Draw for Life, started in Cape Town to teach the principles of drawing to "at-risk teens", has heard the call.It is midway through a 10-week foundation course at the Animation School, in Woodstock, Cape Town, which it offered to eight Grade 11 and 12 pupils from schools in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.Julia Louw, the founder of Draw for Life, said too little was being done to promote animation as a career option, especially for children from poor communities."Good animators are in high demand and good black animators are in even higher demand."You don't need a lot of resources to do this."You just need a pencil, some paper and a stopwatch and you can practise these skills to a level at which you can develop a portfolio that could get you into an animation school."Grade 12 Aloe High pupil Marvin Hyser said the Draw for Life experience had made him want to become a character designer.Other career streams in animation include 2D and 3D film or TV, gaming and creating special effects...