This project was special for Sequoia High student Alexa Gonzalez. When her CTE Art 1 teacher Maya Lo gave her class the opportunity to draw a portrait of a family member or themselves, Gonzalez knew she wanted to draw her mom.

 

“My mother has always been there for me, even when no one else has been,” Gonzalez said, “I could talk to her about anything. She's like my best friend. I feel like she really deserves this.”

 

Gonzalez has meticulously been working on the portrait drawing of her mom for weeks. She wants to make sure every strand of hair matches the photo she’s using as a reference. She’s concentrated on shapes, lighting, anatomy, colors and shading, trying to get everything just right. 

 

Gonzales plans to give the drawing to her mom when it’s finished. “It’s going to mean a lot to give this to her,” Gonzalez said. “She’s critical but I think she’s going to like this one.”

 

Most of the students in Lo’s art class came to her as beginners without much of an art background. So when Lo went over what the class would do during the semester some of the students got nervous. They had doubts that they would be able to tackle the challenges she had waiting for them.

 

“I know a lot of them say I can't do that, that's not possible,” Lo said. “I tell them it's possible. You can do it. We're going to take little baby steps, and I'll show you how to do it.”

 

Lo starts with students drawing an egg so they can learn how light hits an object and they begin to learn how to shade and blend. Then they advance to draw a nose and later an eye. After that the students are ready to draw a portrait.

 

“In the past I allowed the students to choose a famous person,” Lo said. “But this year I decided to change it up. I’m going to let them draw themselves or a family member. I thought it would make it more personal. I see a big difference because now they're putting more effort into it because they're going to give it to their family member or keep it for themselves.”

 

Jonah Siong chose to draw his grandmother. He’s been working to capture every detail of the photo he’s using, even down to the pores just under her eyes. “It’s going to mean a lot to give this to my grandmother,” Siong said. “She’s always given me things but I haven’t been able to give her anything yet.”

 

Like many of the other students, Daisy Piceno didn’t have an art background coming into this class. Now she’s working on a self portrait that will eventually hang in her room. 

 

“I’m really proud of myself,” Piceno said. “To be able to do this is amazing. I was always interested in art, but I didn’t know where to start.”

 

Lo can only beam with pride as she sees her students working on their projects. “I’m just so proud,” Lo said. “They’re proud, I can see the smiles on their faces.”

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org