Doing the Impossible

[Big Skyz]

Okay, I'm this kid's father and his art teacher. With that said, I still absolutely can not figure out how he does what he does. Composing a picture in your mind, then finding reference photos, then free handing (meaning zero tracing) the entire composition is difficult even for professional artists. The fact that he is 11 years old makes this seem virtually impossible, and I'm honestly stunned by his level of ability. I hope I'm not burning you guys out on his artwork, but dang, I just can't help but be more than a little proud of him, and amazed at the same time.

15"x20"
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/Huntzz/HunterAdamsAge11LionandLamb_zps7befbf4d.jpg

[Big Muddy]

Absolutely awesome, Sky !!!!!....not only the talent, but the message of the "Lion Laying with the Lamb."

[LJ3]

Eleven? ELEVEN?!?!?!? Holy moly.

I'll never get bored of that stuff man, keep it coming.

I have a question. When looking at another picture as a reference, does he look at the reference more, or his own drawing more? Does he look at the reference while drawing his rendition?

[Big Skyz]

Len, in answer to your question it's about 50/50 back and fourth.

[DeputyDog]

Wow, what amazing talent!

[Cards01]

absolutely amazing

[Thumper]

Every time you post his work, I can only come back with the same tired old one-word response .... WOW!

Question. I've known kids while growing up who were (what I considered) great artists, but to my knowledge, not one of them made a career of it. Does your son have any career aspirations yet? I know he's only 11, but is art generally considered a sideline "hobby"? Maybe a "side job" where you'd sell a few pieces at art fairs or on-line? I know being an art teacher is a possibility, but is it looked at as a career choice? Does natural artistic ability transfer over into something like computer graphics? Or are they even remotely related? Excuse my ignorance on the subject ... as I've stated many times, I can barely draw a stick-man, so I simply don't know what the natural progression is for a young person with artistic talent. It seems like being able to make decent money at a career in art would be like the odds of a kid who's a local h/s football star making it to the NFL. Or am I total moron and completely clueless? What career path do today's artistic genius' normally follow?

[Buckrub]

I have fairly good agent talents.

I do.

Honest.

[Chicken Dinner]

I've got an 11 year old and know a bunch of them through coaching and Scouts. I just can't imagine. Your son is truly gifted.

[Big Skyz]

Thumper, he is very serious about his art and becoming a self sustaining professional artist. I've taught somewhere around 3000+ students in my career, plus seen the work of thousands more in art competitions and visiting other schools. Not to mention what I've seen on the internet. I have never seen his equal when it comes to drawing and imagination. There is one young lady that has some videos on Youtube that paints things of a religious themes, and she is outstanding, but she is pretty much one dimensional in subject matter. However, for day in and day out creativity, my son is still the best I've seen. He can draw realistically, draw cartoons from something as simple as Charlie Brown to Walt Disney, then turn around and draw hyper realistic comic book characters like Batman, Spiderman, or what have you. Not only can he draw them, he can create original characters of his own imagination that are just as good. He also rapidly learning to paint. It's almost like there isn't a subject or media he can't master. He would like to become a computer animator. However, I'm pretty sure he could make it as a fine artist, a computer animator, or a comic book artist. It will all just depend on what venue he pursues once he is an adult. Now with that said, he is talented and we recognized it when he was only a year old. He could replicate simple shapes clear back then. By the time he was two he could draw people as well as most kids that were in first grade. He draws or paints every single day, and has done so since he was about a year old. Some days he will draw for hours and hours. Other days just for an hour or two. For him it's a labor of love and not a burden or a drudgery. He just flat out enjoys it. If I were half as productive as he is I would be very wealthy. All this to say, while he is gifted and talented he also pays his dues to be that way. If other kids put in the same amount of time he does, they would be exceptional as well.

[Niner]

Amazing, just absolutely amazing.
Thanks so much for sharing his work with us.
:thumbsup

[Big Skyz]

On a side note; this is the first piece he has sold for real money. Well, real money when you are 11 years old. A doctor's wife saw his drawing and just had to have it. She paid him $100.00 for it. I believe they both got a really good deal. My son is literally still riding on Cloud 9 over it. Most kids his age and even up through the first couple years of college have a hard time parting with their art work. He didn't hesitate and is grateful to make some money off his talent. As many of you know money is a fantastic motivator. I guarandarntee Thumper wouldn't be hitting up yard sales if all he was doing was collecting and not selling on ebay. It's pretty cool when a guy can find a nitch in life to make a few bucks. :)

[Thumper]

Better delete that post or he may end up learning what the IRS is all about! :D

That's really cool. It sounds like he actually enjoys what he's doing. When I was starting my career, my goal in life was to have a job (making decent money), doing something I loved to do. I loved the outdoors and decided in the 9th grade (I think?) that I wanted to be a Game Warden. I quickly changed my mind after actually talking to a wildlife officer and finding out they ALL have to work through hunting season. I guess that should have been one of those common sense things, but I'd never really thought about it. Obviously, I didn't pursue that career goal.

[Arty]

I don't have words to explain how awesome I think that is...

[HideHunter]

Wow... just.. wow.

[Bwana]

Simply and utterly amazing!!