 | | Photo contributed by Katie Tunis | | LOOK! - Junior Katie Tunis holds up a picture that she drew of a little girl. |
It was a face she couldn’t forget. When junior Katie Tunis saw a photograph of an old Indian woman, she had to draw her to capture her unique expression and character.
There are different ways that Tunis decides on what to draw, but she says it mostly depends. "I give a lot of them to different people, so I really depends on what they like. Like I did a picture for my youth group leader, who likes eagles, so I did a picture of an eagle with its wings spread out." Tunis likes a lot of different kinds of art, but mostly she likes doing portraits.
"I like doing people, especially Indians. Certain faces that people have in pictures, I just like them," says Tunis. After Tunis decides on what to draw, she has to go through a process to develop the picture and make it how she wants it.
"First I’d find a picture or an actual object, and then do a rough sketch. I need to look at the object more than the paper though. Then I do some light lines and mark the shading," says Tunis describing the way she produces a work of art. "Then I start on the light patches and dark patches in a piece. After I’m done I can look at it, and say ‘I like it, I’m done.’ But a week later, I can look at it again and find something that I want to change. So a piece is never finished."
According to Tunis painting a picture is a lot more difficult than sketching.
"With painting you have to paint your base color, and work up from there, and you can't really change anything after you’re done," says Tunis.
Tunis says that she hasn’t really put any of her artwork in any shows outside of school.
"Mrs. Wells takes what she wants and puts them in the office and in various art shows here at school, but I haven’t really entered it anywhere."
Although she hasn’t been in many shows, Tunis did win a drawing contest at Williams Middle School. She drew a picture of the school building, which became the logo on the school stationary; it is still the logo today.
"I thought it was kind of plain, but they liked it," says Tunis.
 | | Photo contributed by Katie Tunis | | HER FAVORITE - Katie Tunis’ portrait of an old Indian woman is her favorite drawing. |
According to art teacher Mary Wells, Tunis is a very talented artist.
"Her work is of constant high quality and her demeanor and work ethic is impeccable," says Wells. "(Katie’s) work continues to become more and more skilled. She is a budding artist and already has a work displayed in our front office."
Tunis has been interested in art ever since about third grade.
"My elementary school art teacher got me into it, and I’ve just stuck with it since," says Tunis.
Still enjoying art when arriving to West, Tunis has taken almost every art class offered, including painting drawing, advanced 2-D, and sculpture. She mostly likes to do 2-D drawing and painting.
Right now, Tunis is applying for a scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis for the Portfolio Plus program, where they offer both art classes and architectural engineering classes.
"It's pretty expensive to go without a scholarship, so Mrs. Wells and Mr. DeVilbis are helping me put together a portfolio to send in," says Tunis.
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