Ken Thomas, junior

What are you most proud of when considering this artwork?

I like how I managed to make the skull look symmetrical, even though I had never used the prismacolor medium before and had never drawn a skull before. It took a lot of time.

Where do you find inspiration as an artist?

I love Italian renaissance art, ancient greek art, and vintage magazine advertisements from the 50’s. Seeing those styles always inspires me to draw. 

When did you begin drawing? What made you begin?

I began in 4th grade after watching anime for the first time. I loved that entire shows could be made from animation and wanted to design my own characters and stories. 

What’s your favorite piece of art made by another person?

I don’t have a single favorite piece of art, but I love the social realism used in Soviet communist propaganda posters during the Cold War.

How have you progressed throughout your life as an artist? (e.g. mediums, style, inspiration)

I started off only doing pencil and notebook paper drawings, since that was all I had available. When I was in middle school, I saved enough money to buy a drawing tablet and started doing digital work. That has been my favorite medium for the last few years, though I have lots of opportunities to try new things in art classes at school. I still prefer to draw characters, but I’ve also found I like to draw landscapes and animal portraits.