Gallery • 4 Photos

Liam Kelly (9) draws an oil pastel cityscape with lots of intricate details. “It's really nice. I’m pretty proud,” Kelly said. This is Kelly’s favorite piece out of the many he has created.

Imagine returning home after a long school day and deciding to just unwind and start drawing. Well this is a reality for many students including Liam Kelly (9).

“Ever since I was very little, I just really enjoyed drawing things even though it wasn’t good because I was five,” Kelly said.

Kelly has slowly improved over the years and he is now at a level that surprises a lot of people. 

“People all the time, I’m drawing something and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, how’d you get that good?’ I never know what to say,” Kelly said. “You just gotta do it a lot.” 

The entire art process can be pretty grueling, and Kelly said it’s kind of like a marathon.

“It’s gonna be hard and it’s gonna feel slow during the process, but once you finish it and you know you’re done with it, then it feels very rewarding,” Kelly said. 

 Kelly finds inspiration from all over the place. Some pieces are inspired by shows and games that he really enjoys, while others are inspired by some of his closest friends.

“I see a drawing of something from a game or show that I like and then I think, ‘Oh that’s cool.’ And then I want to do something like that too,” Kelly said. “I take inspiration from them, and then I try to get to that level.”

Kelly also draws his friend. He said it’s really fun trying to replicate their personalities and express them in a drawing. 

“That’s what drawing is really about, it’s not about replicating things…” Kelly said. “I think it’s really better to think of the personality of that person and just exaggerate it.”

Over the years, Kelly has created lots of different pieces, all of them unique in their own way, so he has trouble choosing a favorite.

“It’s a city street oil pastel with reflections of rain puddles and stuff. It’s really nice. I’m pretty proud of that one,” Kelly said. “Also a self portrait of me that I did that’s a parody of Van Gogh.” 

Kelly really does enjoy art and he hopes to one day have a career in the entertainment industry. 

“To all the kids at home, my lesson for today,” Kelly said, “if you wanna get good at something, you’ve just gotta do it.”