In Mrs. Boyd’s 6th and 7th hour art classes, students created portraits of someone who inspires and influences their life by using the grid method. Students were instructed to bring in a picture of their person of influence and from there they used a ruler to create a grid on their picture that they could later transfer onto a larger grid on a bigger piece of paper. Elements of shading and highlights had to be utilized by students in order to make a photo accurate portrait of their hero. The grid method helps lead to more photo accurate drawings due to the process of working on each section or “box” at a time. Sophomore Kylee Marshall commented, “Using the grid method made it easier because instead of working on the whole thing all at once you can work on one square at a time.”

Students also had to write a paragraph on why this individual or individuals influenced their lives. Many students chose close friends or family members, and some chose to do church leaders or significant others.

“I chose my best friend Lillyan Bryant for my hero project because, through thick and thin, good and bad, at our worst and best, she has stuck by me through everything and has helped me become the person I am today. I would not be who I am now if she was not in my life. I will forever value her friendship and appreciate her no matter what comes our way,” says Sophomore Ambria Parr.

Maddison Chizk, who chose her sister Paige Chizk, says, “I chose Paige because she is my best friend.” The art classes plan to display their portraits to the public sometime this year and gift their portraits to their loved ones to show their appreciation. “I’m looking forward to gifting my portrait to my youth pastor Jake and his wife, Hannah, because it is a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Now, I’ve been able to complete it and express my appreciation of all they do for me,” says senior McKayla Reynolds.