This sophomore is an artist who is working to become skilled in drawing in a comic book style, with the intent of working in comic book art or animation in the future.

What do you think your inspiration was to start drawing?
“Well, I started drawing in seventh grade, and I loved, and still love the style I saw in comic books, and I looked up to people like Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, some of the original Marvel artists and writers. Someone who got me started in working on art was our old babysitter. She got me some art supplies a while ago and I started drawing and I got really invested in it, and I’ve been doing that since.”

When you leave high school, is this something you want to use in your potential career someday? If so, how will you get there?
“Yes, I want to use these skills in my future career, and I want to get there by doing what I do every day, by drawing as much as I can, because even if you aren’t specifically focusing on practicing one art skill, subconsciously you still grow more skilled the more you draw. I also intend on going to an art school for college, so I can get a more traditional education and find connections through my teachers and fellow students that will help me in my future career.”

What is your dream job?
“My dream job is probably working on concept art and keyframes and other design jobs for big companies like Marvel, DC Comics or Disney.”

What challenges do you think will make it difficult to get there?
“Because of the number of talented people already working with them, I think finding positions in these companies will be difficult, as thousands of people are fighting for similar positions.”

What would an entry-level position look like when it comes to the field you want to enter?
“I think I would start as an intern or something, but I know that Marvel often has auditions of sorts where you can show off your skills and perhaps get a chance to work on covers or small pieces of Marvel content. From there I can get the sort of connections necessary to get a good foothold in that industry. Most if not all of the people working as concept artists on Marvel content today started as comic book artists the same way I intend to.”

What drawing that you’ve done do you think best captures the style you want to become talented at?
“There are two styles I really want to focus on, I’ve been learning a more realistic style, but I mainly focus on the more stylized comic book art I’ve been practicing. I’ve gotten pretty good at the detail in clothing, and at different angles, and I think my drawing of Doctor Strange captures that very well.”