With a graphic designer for a father, magnet freshman Olivia Dawson’s home heavily influenced her interest in art. Her father exposed Dawson to realistic drawings as early as six-years-old. She recalls that as she watched TV with her father he would doodle the individuals that popped up on screen. Starry-eyed and curious, Dawson followed in his footsteps with her dad helping her along the way. Her weekends rapidly filled with simple art lessons from her father, and Dawson’s creative skills began to blossom.
“[My dad] would often talk to me about [art]. He would tell me how he got better at art over time. He would explain what I should work on when he looked at my art. We would really talk about it a lot because I wanted to grow as an artist. A lot of [his advice] was shading, he taught me how to shade, and anatomy because he was more of a realistic artist,” Dawson said.
As any other impactful artist, Dawson’s original style took years to fully develop.
Throughout elementary school, the aspiring creator toyed with shapes and colors, trying to fully comprehend what paired well with each design choice. This observing nature continued up until Dawson’s fifth-grade year, when she took an interest in manga, Japanese comic books. Dawson’s sketchbooks overflowed with expressive eyes and whimsical pictures as she replicated the style for two years.
Throughout middle school, with hours to spare due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Dawson trained her eye to notice what art she enjoyed viewing on social media and referenced similar pieces when she created her own pieces. The online world later exposed her to Renaissance-era artwork, from which Dawson currently draws inspiration. Today, Dawson prefers to work in the medium of graphite, which she uses to design fashion preferences and clothing details of those she draws. Regarding other artists, Dawson remains influenced by other artists, specifically Frida Kahlo.
“I love Frida Kahlo. I guess her art was so impactful for me because of how her art was so different for its time. I like how it was so unique and how she combined weird things together into one art piece,” Dawson said.
Outside of her historical interests regarding the Renaissance, Dawson enjoys learning about different cultures and identities, which she expresses through her art. This interest in art also pushed her to apply to NC’s International Studies Magnet program (NCSIS). When Dawson enrolled at NC, she recognized the opportunities present in her high school, so she researched the extracurricular activities that could interest her. At the beginning of ninth grade, she joined the National Art Honors Society (NAHS), where she met friends and dove deeper into her passion. Dawson also attends art classes outside of school: she actively attends classes offered at the Acworth Art Alliance. At this art house, she works on unusual projects such as fashion design and anatomy outside of her comfort zone, continuously growing her skills as a young artist.
As she ends her first year of high school, the artist plans to continue working on her artistic skills with grit and determination. She plans to begin posting her art online to gather an audience and grow as a brand soon. After high school, she hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to major in animation and work at Disney.
The Chant congratulates Dawson on her achievements and wishes her luck in her future endeavors!
