The students, Tyndell Ahrens and Abigail Hartis, both received Best in Category ribbons for their pieces. Their art teacher, Toni Thomas, attended a reception for the show, which featured students from schools around the area.
Ahrens used watercolor pencils, alcohol-based markers, and Sharpie markers to create a portrait study to improve her skills related to proportions, shadows, and color gradients.
“When I noticed that the drawing was turning out well, I decided to use alcohol-based markers for most of the base color,” Ahrens said. “I then went back over that with watercolor pencils and allowed them to create a layer over the markers.”
From left: Queen’s Grant student artists Tyndell Ahrens and Abigail Hartis with their pieces at the Mint Hill Art student show.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ahrens doesn’t usually stop until everything looks just right.
“Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and my art is often influenced by the Japanese culture,” she said.
Hartis used pencil to create her portrait of late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. Her love of music influences her art heavily and she enjoys drawing portraits of her favorite artists.
“The photo of Kurt Cobain was especially challenging to get the features and the angle correct in my drawing,” Hartis said. “I took a class where the focus was on the Anime technique, which allowed me to improve my skills in proportion and shading.
Congratulations on your accomplishments, girls!
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About Queen's Grant Community School
Queen's Grant Community School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Mint Hill, North Carolina, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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