“Honestly, the amount of sketches required for an art project is unbelievable. That, and the many eraser shavings,” said the very talented junior, Elizabeth Grijalva. Like many of us, she would draw occasionally as a kid, but she didn’t really take it seriously until her freshman year, when she took Mr. Long’s art class.

Originally, she had only taken Beginning Art because a Fine arts credit is required for graduation. But as time went on and she completed her first piece in the class, this painting of a Chinese dragon, it opened the door to a talent that she wasn’t even aware she had.

This year, Elizabeth is in AP Art and she absolutely loves it. She says that she has learned so much and enjoys being able to spend an hour each day working on different pieces. She is also grateful for having access to the many expensive tools and materials in her classroom, since she wouldn’t have been able to afford them otherwise. Looking through all of the resources available to her and planning out her next piece is one of her favorite parts of sketching and painting.

If she ever gets frustrated with her work, she will start practicing the lines she is having trouble with or sets it aside and comes back to the project later on. She says it’s important for her to remember to stay motivated and keep creating new pictures and redrawing the ones that she isn’t happy with. One of her favorite tricks is to change the piece slightly to make a mistake look like it belongs there.

Elizabeth hopes to one day open her own art gallery and share all of her art with the world and one day inspire someone else to follow their dreams and pursue their artistic career.