digital art
sketches
paintings
prints
Author Maddy T
Graveyard GoreHer life seemed to begin at the graveyard. Every day she would walk after school to meet her family who tended to the landscaping in the cemetery, where she first sensed a state of serenity. Having been raised by two immigrants, Erie became accustomed to the sounds of lawnmowers, the scent of just-cut grass, the squeak of her pencil against paper, and whispers of “ ghosts”.Despite her love of ghosts and gore, her art has become more and more gruesome. A few of her favorite things she loves to draw are ghosts, blood, and bandages, which you can recognize within her elaborate drawings. Another influence is scary movies. When Erie was younger, for Christmas and other celebrations they would drive up to her cousin's house, where they would always watch Hispanic “gore” movies. Since her family could not afford to purchase gifts during the holidays, she watched with wide-open eyes as her cousins opened their gifts, and she received nothing.Because of her family's financial struggles, Erie preferred original pencil and paper, which she would often doodle with during class. “The regular pencils are always the best pencils” She offers advice. However, now she has adopted to use an iPad and Apple Pencil, as a result of which she has been able to learn more advanced skills and has enabled her to expand her competencies. Now, she is frequently complimented on the intricate nature of her work. However, it wasn’t always that way.Throughout her life, she struggled with acceptance “Art really is not really a career to the older generations” said Erie. “Being a daughter in an immigrant family there is a lot of pressure to pursue higher education” Even her mother doubted her ability or even liked her art. “My mom told me I wasn’t good enough, which sent me into a depressive era. I didn’t draw that much” she said. “It broke my heart until one teacher who often critiqued my art told me I could make a career of this”To start her career, Erie has an Instagram under the alias “Eriekou”, alongside her Tik Tok account, Which has gained over 900 followers and has continued to grow since. Throughout her videos, Erie posts digital time-lapses, that feature “portraits” of some of her work.Erie has since enrolled in ------- Community College but hopes to transfer to a bigger university to pursue a degree in Fine Arts. Ultimately, she wishes to create illustrations for a comic or a webtoon, however, she wishes to make improvements to her style and develop it further. “If I can’t draw my own webtoon, I’d love to work for others.”In spite of her difficulties, Erie offers more advice, “You just have to draw every day, even just really bad doodles, art is muscle memory” Which holds true based on her sketches. Erie hopes to one day “haunt” her audience, and hopes to give them a feeling of peace, within the chaos she once experienced.Works CitedM, Erie. Personal interview. 20 Feb. 2022..