Jax Pike, an NWA freshman, has always loved creating art. This passion has taken the form of character illustration, inspired by pieces of media and Pike’s own imagination.
“I’ve always had these stories in my head that I’ve wanted to illustrate,” said Pike. “Ever since I was really little I [have drawn] characters. It’s a hobby I haven’t been able to put down ever since.”
A passion for storytelling has led Pike to combine their art with writing, by drawing various characters from their work. They are currently working on a long form writing project, with the support of their friends and those around them.
These days, Pike primarily creates digital art on an iPad using the illustration app Procreate, due to its practicality and versatility. However, they still enjoy playing around with traditional mediums such as watercolor painting.
“I like the convenience of digital art and all the things you can do with it that you can’t do in [other creative mediums],” they said.
Pike is inspired to work on honing and improving their skills by seeing other artists’ work, especially on online platforms such as YouTube and Tumblr. They are grateful for the encouragement of their friends and family.
“I have a hard time writing unless I have [people tell me] it’s cool,” said Pike. “But [I’m] especially [inspired] when I see artists out in the wild, I suppose.”
While they have mostly pursued art as a hobby outside of school, Pike cites the benefits of formal instruction when it comes to learning new techniques and honing skills.
“I had an art class in middle school that wasn’t the best,” said Pike, “but I’ve been [taking] a drawing class [at NWA] which has been really helpful [in] developing skills I’m not as familiar with, like life drawing and perspective drawing.”
Pike would ultimately like to seek out a career in illustration, but doubts that it would be a realistic path to follow.
“In a perfect world, I would pursue [art] as a career, but I don’t think that’s something I can easily make a living off of,” said Pike. “[But] if I could support myself off of [it], I would.”
