What inspired this award-winning work?
It was inspired by my relationship with my sister, Stephanie. My family moved from Virginia to Texas when I started high school, but my sister stayed behind to attend college. This was really difficult for me. My sister is one of my closest friends, and I miss her a lot. She still gives me advice and I still see her, but it’s not the same.
What story did you want to tell?
I wanted to tell the story of my connection to my sister and show how it remains strong despite the distance between us. I drew my sister at her present age of 23 and myself as a young child. My sister looks back at me in the past as I celebrate my sixth birthday. This reflects how she continues to watch over me today, just as she did when I was younger. I used color to show our connection. I added a yellowish hue to both our skin tones and chose a similar pink and white color palette for our clothing. The colors provide a visual link between us.
What was your working process?
I did preliminary sketches on paper to work out the composition. Then I created a digital illustration using Photoshop. I worked on the characters and skin tones first. Creating the skin was the hardest part. Photoshop has an eyedropper tool, so I keyed it onto my pen and created a gradient of color for the skin by using a golden yellow as my mid-tone, lighter yellows on top, and then pinks as my reflecting colors. I also used a hard, round brush to perfect the skin. For the background, I experimented with the many brushes available in Photoshop.
What advice do you have for other young artists?
Enjoy the process. My friends always tell me I look so happy when I’m working on my art—and it’s true. Make sure you’re having fun!