Art is something that’s all around us. We see art on the walls of our school, on social media, on TV, and so many more places. We all have heard of the famous artworks, such as ”Mona Lisa” by Leonardo Da Vinci, “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh, “The Water Lilly Pond” by Claude Monet, etc. What about the art that isn’t so commonly known? What about the artists all around that don’t get any recognition? Here in Grant High School, several students express themselves through the form of art. Many students aren’t as vocal as other students, whether they be introverted, shy, or just simply don’t wish to speak. Most of these students enjoy to do art to express the voice they don’t always physically speak. Many freshman enjoy doing art because since they are the new kids and the youngest in the school, they may feel inclined to be quiet. As a result, they do art to speak their voice. Here are the stories of three freshman that devote tons of time to the love of art.

ONLINE INSPIRATION

Sometimes, YouTube can help inspire the hidden artist inside you that you never knew you had. For Zarielle Lomingkit, this is how she started practicing the art of drawing. Everyone knows about YouTube. Whether you be a creator or you just watch, you still are a part of YouTube. Most of the time when you’re on YouTube, you spend the hours watching videos about things that entertain you, such as vlogs or challenges. Sometimes, however, you’ll stumble upon a video that could change your life. “I used to watch a lot of art channels and they gave me inspiration,” says Zarielle. “Some of the better artists I like to watch now are like, Jaiden Animations.” Zarielle began to notice an interest in art when she was little, and she says she didn’t begin to take the interest seriously until sixth grade. When she was younger, she says YouTube still helped her inspire to draw, and she would watch art videos by
creators she doesn’t currently watch anymore. Many artists draw different things, whether they be landscapes, people, objects, etc. Zarielle typically draws people, but for the future she would like to begin working on a new drawing strength. “ (I would like to practice drawing) animals and like natural things because those are really hard to, like, get the look for,” Zarielle says. At the moment, Zarielle is currently taking the Painting One course, but she has plans to take a couple different courses to expand her artistic ability. “I’m thinking about taking photography,” says Zarielle. “(But I also plan on) continuing painting and drawing.” After taking an interest in art and practicing drawing for years, Zarielle has one thing to say to all the artists just beginning their artistic journey, “ Just don’t give up, because the first steps are really hard because you don’t know how to draw anything, you don’t have your own style yet,” she says. “You just gotta keep working on it and then you’ll eventually get things to […] improve.”

INHERITED TALENT

When you’re born with an artistic older sibling, it can be easy to follow their footsteps and pursue the same interest in art. This is exactly what happened for Megan Maliziola. Something most people know about having an older sibling is that you learn a lot from them, whether you would like to admit it or not. We are all like our siblings in some ways, and for Megan, one of the ways is her artistic ability. “My brother has been drawing since he’s been young,” says Megan. “My brother has always been a really talented artist, and he’s always given me tips on what I can do and helped to explain how I can be better. […] if he had just ignored me or not cared as much, I’m sure I wouldn’t be where I am today with my art.” After being inspired to start drawing at a young age, she started doodling around until art became a serious passion for her. As every artist does, she has favorite things to draw. Megan typically enjoys taking song lyrics and drawing the letters out in an artistic way to fit with the lyrics itself. Aside from song lyrics, Megan also has an interest in nature, so landscapes can also be found in her sketchbooks. Currently, Megan is taking the Drawing One course, and is also a proud member in the National Art Honors Society and the Grant Art Club. In the future, Megan plans to widen her artistic abilities by taking the digital art course, the painting courses, photography, ceramics, and sculpting. She also hopes to get into AP art classes in her future years at Grant. Artists all around the school are just starting art or are thinking about maybe taking it as a hobby, and Megan has one thing to say to them, “If it’s not clicking at first it doesn’t really matter because you just need to keep practicing, keep going. Eventually it’s going to click and it’s going to get better, so just don’t give up and keep going.”

INSPIRING SIBLINGS

Sometimes when people notice their sibling’s artistic talent, they feel inclined to try to match their talent to be like them. For Cindy Ponce, this is exactly how she became passionate about art. A stereotype that everyone thinks about sisters is that they always fight, steal each others things, etc. For Cindy, her relationship with her sister is completely different. Growing up, Cindy looked up to her older sister greatly, trying her best to be talented just like her. One thing she took away from looking up to her older sister was her passion for art. “At some point I saw my sister drawing and I was like, you know what, I really want to be as good as her,” says Cindy. “I always looked up to her in that aspect.” Once Cindy became passionte about art, nothing could stop her from achieving great things. In seventh grade, Cindy opened an art account on Instagram that has now attracted over 200 followers, and won an award a year later in eighth grade for her amazing artistic ability. Cindy really enjoys using her cartoonish art style to the best when she draws. “I have my own characters and I like to draw a lot so that’s really fun, like making up my own stories and comics.” At the moment Cindy isn’t taking any art classes, but she is a member of the Grant Art Club. In the future, Cindy definitely has plans to take several art classes such as ceramics, drawing and painting. For all the beginning artists, Cindy would like to say one thing to them, “You just gotta practice and do your best. It sounds cliche but it’s true, and if you get down hearted seeing other people that are more experienced than you, just tell yourself that you can do that too if you keep going.”