Welcome to this week’s Gators Eye artist feature! Each week, we highlight a different student artist and their unique and beautiful work. Today, that student is Olivia Catron.

Olivia is a sophomore at Green Level. Although she loves to draw and paint, she loves gaming just as much. “That’s all I seem to do now,” she jokes. Currently, some of her favorite video games include Apex Legends, Overwatch, and the Yakuza series. She also loves Animal Crossing!

Olivia has been an artist since fifth grade. “To be honest, I would say that my progress has been pretty slow since then,” she admits. “I’m just now getting back into the rhythm of drawing and finishing artworks.” Despite her slower speed, she’s got her own art style and developed her skills over the years. She’s spending her time trying out a lot of different things to find what she likes most.

Olivia’s a multimedia artist who doesn’t limit herself to any specific supplies. “Pencil, clay, and regular acrylic paint are my favorite mediums,” she says. She also makes gorgeous themed collages with stickers, printouts, and washi tape. Olivia dabbles in different subjects, such as people and places, but she doesn’t have a set favorite thing to draw. She has a great understanding of color and composition and an adorable art style to show off!

Olivia says that her top piece of advice is to be kind to your art. Beating yourself up because you’re comparing your work to another person only hurts you. “Everyone has their unique style, so it’s gonna be hard to replicate someone else’s–just like it’s gonna be hard to replicate yours,” she explains. Loving your style and wanting to improve it doesn’t mean you should be so harsh on yourself that you stop enjoying art. “Also, please practice anatomy,” she adds afterward, “I promise you it makes life so much easier!”

Thank you to Olivia Catron for her interview! If you would like to recommend yourself or a student for our artist spotlight, please email [email protected]!

Gallery • 2 Photos