Schools
Junior high selfie becomes national award winner for UCS student artist
The drawing - A Flattering Angle – has earned a national silver medal in this year's Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
From small things big things come.
A selfie from one of her friends that she converted into a drawing has resulted in Shelby Junior High School 9th grader Ellie Miloian earning national honors.
The drawing - A Flattering Angle – has earned a national silver medal in this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Over 110,000 students entered more than 355,000 original works of art in the national competition. Less than two percent are awarded medals.
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“I didn’t think I was going to win going into it, so I was surprised. It was something I was doing for fun, but when it won I thought ‘wow, I did that’,” Miloian said. “It’s awesome.”
The piece has its origins in a selfie that one of her best friends, Natalie Wells, took at the end of last school year.
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“We originally were looking to do a piece that had really deep meaning to it, but it really wasn’t working out,” she said. “So I liked the photo and thought: ‘why don’t I just draw this picture?'”
She converted the picture into a pencil drawing, using graphite to add shading and depth. The photo was entered into a regional scholastics competition where it earned a top rating – the Gold Key. The work was then evaluated by a national panel of professional artists, where is was selected for the Silver Medal and will be featured in Scholastic’s online gallery.
The work will also be featured at the UCS student art fair, which will be held May 12th through 14th at the Sterling Heights Community Center.
Miloian’s teacher, Christopher Brunson, said Wells worked hard for several months on a drawing that consisted of three different layers.
“It is such an honor to get a national award, and I'm so proud of Ellie for having received this recognition,” he said.
Art has been a part of Miloian’s life since an early age. Her mother owns a cookie design company – named after her – where she helps provide designs for customers.
“I think art is so important for your mental health,” she said. “It’s a way to unwind while still doing something important.”
Http://www.uticak12.org
Superintendent Robert S. Monroe
Source: Utica Community Schools
