Sophomore Ashton Baker has grown up drawing with her inspiring grandparents. In sixth grade she started taking art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute. Drawing has become her favorite medium of art and something Baker wants to pursue a career in.
Q: How did you get into art?
A: It runs in the family. My grandpa is a really good artist and my grandma is a really good artist. I grew up doing artistic things. My grandparents have always been like, “hey lets draw together.” Then in sixth and seventh grade, I started taking classes like water colors and other beginner stuff at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Q: What are your main mediums, why do you like them the most?
A: My favorite is graphite and charcoal because they look the best. I do photo realism, so doing a picture that looks like a photo is more satisfying than just taking a photo.
Q: What are your biggest inspirations, why?
A: My grandma, because when I was younger she pushed me to draw instead of watching TV. She always got me to do something artistic. She was into jewelry and went to school for that, and makes jewelry to this day.
Q: How do you get in the zone and what’s your favorite project?
A: When I am alone, I’ll get bored and just start drawing. If I see a picture I like, I’ll draw that too. I like close-ups of peoples’ faces, the hyper-realistic. I just did a drawing of five people that looked really good as well as a drawing called the “Leaf Spectacle” that got second place in the SMSD art show. My favorite class at East has been Drawing Two with Mr. Rowland. In the future I want to take the Independent Study and Art Portfolio.
Q: Do you see yourself drawing in the future, or projects the rest of your life?
A: I would like to be a studio artist, but that’s scary for me because not everyone makes it. My grandpa tried to be a studio artist and didn’t make it, and has told me not to do that. I want to go into animation or something like that. I want to go to college for art. I am looking at the Chicago Art Institute, Cooper Union and Slade in the United Kingdom. I want to do animation because I have my parents have friend in animation and it has always interested me. I also love drawing cartoons. I want to do the signature program for animation next year to learn more about it.