featured young adult artist: Michelle Willard

By: Michelle Willard

Describe yourself in one word.

Punny

How did you get involved with the library?

I had a friend with connections.

What inspires you?

Raw emotion and the stories behind them. I don't tend to get very emotional about anything. I am a cold fish. But I think of stories. I find that the characters wield extreme amounts of emotion. I record their contorted faces onto paper. I see them in stories and situations. most of my art has a twisted background, but it never has anything to do with my life. My life is boring, so I use the art to liven it up...

What are your hobbies?

Take a guess.

Other than drawing, I spend my free time watching cartoons, reading fantasy books, drinking cranberry juice, and playing with puppets. I spend much of my day in the basement where my lair of destruction is. Much of my life is spent sitting at one desk or another, whether it's at school, in front of the computer, or at my drawing table. I take walks often. I play the violin. I like making pillow forts, lego castles, and play-dough monsters. No one's too old for that.

If you were to tell a teen from across the world who you were in five sentences... what would you say?

Hallo. My name is Mickey. I like to draw. School is stinky. I honestly don't have much to say about my life.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I plan on going to college. I have no idea what good it'll do me, but I certainly wish to go. After that, art is the only thing I want to do. I work best independently. I want to illustrate graphic stories and make graphic novels.