Sophomore Vanessa Barlow has enjoyed creating art ever since she was a kid and now excels in her art courses at school.  She has worked on numerous art projects throughout her years. However, there is one in particular that is her clear favorite.

“Probably my charcoal drawing of my brother on a swing,” Barlow said.

Creating this masterpiece required dedicated time and effort, and the process was tedious and took many steps.

“I drew out my proportions cause it was a full body drawing, so I had to do that. That took so long,” Barlow said. “And then I just went in with charcoal and just built it up by layer.”

While Barlow feels most comfortable drawing with graphite and charcoal, she is also currently experimenting with other mediums in her art class.

“Right now we are doing a book, so we’re making and binding our own book, and then we’re taking an Exacto knife and carving out each page to almost make it look like 3D,” Barlow said.

Experimenting in new and foreign mediums can seem daunting, but luckily Barlow has people supporting and inspiring her in her art career.

“Probably my art teachers,” Barlow said. “They’ve motivated me and helped me improve on my techniques.”

Whereas Barlow continues to draw inspiration from her art teachers, they also admire her work ethic, skill and dedication.

“She asks questions when she needs so that she can practice the best technique and then she’ll add it onto her artwork,” art teacher Ruth Osborn said.

Barlow hopes to one day blend her passion for art and career goals.

Barlow said, “I want to be a high school art teacher.”