Her finger glides across the iPad screen. She meticulously draws out her sketch. Then she
traces over the sketch and starts to color in the lines. Finally she adds the final shading. Her
new masterpiece is complete. 

 “Whenever I finish the latest piece I’ve been working on, I feel this sense of
accomplishment,” sophomore Zoe Silva said.

Silva has been drawing since she was a little girl. It is the hobby she is most passionate
about.

 “I used to draw in all my books during class,” Silva said. “Then suddenly in 4th grade it hit
me that I wanted to be an artist.”

Currently, Silva is not in any of the art classes here at school. She said that they were not
really her thing.

“In art class, you have to do things a certain way,” Silva said. “Just drawing in my free time
allows me to have my own art style and express myself better.”
There are lots of people who inspire Silva, especially on social media.

“I follow lots of different artists on Twitter,” Silva said. “They really push me and motivate me
to draw more and to better my skills and technique.”

Drawing is more than just a hobby for Silva. It is a way for her to relax and destress.

“At the end of the day or after a stressful assignment in a class, I like to get out my iPad and
just let my thoughts flow with what I want to create next,” Silva said.

After high school, Silva plans to continue to pursue art. She said that she hopes to go to
college in Washington D.C. and major in graphic design or animation.

“When I graduate, I also want to start an online business doing artwork and commissions,”
Silva said.

Silva doesn’t just support fellow artists, she has some encouragement as well. Silva said
that her family is always there to fall back on.

“They are the number 1 people who care,” Silva said. “They don’t just take care of me, they
really care about my love of drawing too.”