​This page features some of my favorite works that I did while in the Fall Semester at the University of Silicon Valley in 2024, taught by the insightful Isabell K. Fearnsby. All of these were done with pencils of varying hardness, and good heavy paper. One of the very first things I liked about this class was learning how to use the various pencils to create values. While I'm still getting the hang of it on paper (I can only erase so much) I feel like this experience has elevated my digital work. There are no shortcuts, undo or flood fills in traditional art, so you have to really commit to the darker strokes once you make them. While I love to draw cartoony stuff, there is something really beautiful about staring at something for a long time, and trying to make your hand behave like a printer for what your eyes are seeing. The subtle shadows and bright highlights. The way objects can be separate, yet connected once on the paper. I find myself wishing I had more time during the day to draw just so I could study the shapes, curves and angles of everyday objects, and capture them with my traveling sketch book. That all said, I'm incredibly happy that I had this opportunity, and I can't wait to see what comes next!