Artist Spotlight: Thea Yang
Thea Yang is a sophomore at OHS, and is a dedicated artist. Pixel Journal contributor Geeta Shankar learns more about Thea and her art in the interview below.
Pixel Journal: When did you start art?
Thea Yang: I’ve loved doing art since I was very little, but in 6th grade I received a “How to Draw Anime” book for Christmas and things just went from there. I discovered art videos and tutorials on youtube, which further inspired me to improve my skills. I would say 6th grade was when I really started getting serious about art. Back then I had a lot of time, so I would spend hours on drawing. (Can’t say the same now at OHS).
PJ: What are some of your works that you are most proud of?
TY: The works I’m most proud of are often the ones where I experiment with something new. For example the digital landscape painting I did was to practice drawing backgrounds (from reference), and I used the piece of the girl holding the balloon to practice a new digital painting style.
PJ: Do you do any sort of art during your spare time?
TY: Digital art is my go to medium when it comes to finished pieces. Unfortunately I don’t have as much time as I used to, so these days I stick to drawing in my sketchbook. I would like to do more traditional art however, I really enjoy using watercolor.
PJ: What is your favorite type of art?
TY: Honestly it’s hard to say. I like art from all sorts of categorizes and it can be really subjective. But in general, I enjoy art with clean and distinctive styles.
PJ: Who is your favorite artist?
TY: Once again, there are so many artists I look up to that I can’t choose one. I could probably give a whole book of names, but I’m guessing you don’t want to read that haha.
PJ: What is the role of art in your life?
TY:When I was younger, art was a quiet and calming activity for me to do. I used to hole up in my room and draw for 6 hours straight. Nowadays art is less calming than it used to be. With so many influences and inspiration, it can be stressful when your art isn’t as good. I want to keep improving and finding my own style but it takes a really long time. Instead art these days is an outlet for me to tell stories. It’s nice to be able to take a character in your head and draw it on a piece of paper.
PJ: Do you see art as a medium for connecting with other people or helping others? If yes, how so?
TY: I definitely see art as a medium for connecting with other people. Some of my friendships started through a mutual love of art. And my favorite thing to do is to collaborate with other artists. It’s fun to share ideas and learn from each other. I get really happy whenever my friends share their art with me. The online community of artists is also a huge inspiration for me, and in that way I think it can also be a medium for helping others. After all, if it weren’t for those art videos on youtube, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
PJ: Do you have any advice for young, budding artists?
TY: Practice makes perfect doesn’t apply to art. Yes, practice is the most crucial thing to improving your skills and I recommend doing it as much as possible. But no matter how much you practice, you’re never going to be perfect. There’s always going to be someone better than you, always something about your art you’re going to want to fix. And I think it’s important that you come to terms with this. Your art is always going to be under a state of “can be improved” and that’s okay. When you look back at your old art, it’s rewarding to see how much has changed.
