Name: Riley McClaren 

Grade: 10

Fine art: Art

Years of experience: 4

Wingspan: What or who inspired you to draw?

McClaren: “I think it was Invader Zim and one of my friends! I really loved both of the art styles and based my style on those two artists.”

Wingspan: When did you start drawing?

McClaren: “7th grade, around March 25, 2022 I believe. I was 12.”

Wingspan: Why is drawing important to you?

McClaren: “I would really like to be a comic artist one day or maybe an animator. Currently I’m taking a lot of inspiration from Daredevil and other Marvel comics, specifically David Mazzucchelli and Frank Millers run of Daredevil: Born Again.”

Wingspan: What is your typical approach to drawing?

McClaren: “I always tell myself, ‘It might look bad, but that’s how I’ll get better.’”

Wingspan: What are you looking forward to in the future with your art?

McClaren: “Looking back at my art now and thinking ‘Man…I worked my patoody off to be as good as I am now.” 

Wingspan: What have you learned when it comes to drawing?

McClaren: “Hands are really hard to draw. And bodies.”

Wingspan: What skills has drawing helped you work on in terms of the outside world or personally?

McClaren: “How to analyze people better, understand how they’re feeling through their facial expressions and not just through their tone. And also math because I was really bad at math before I started drawing and now I’m crazy good at math.”