By Alexis Johnson, staff writer

Realism, surrealism, with a cartoon touch. Alivia Ayers has made a style all her own.

Ayers’ passion for art started through her father. Her dad is a realism artist and when she was younger he would draw and paint her pictures. Whenever she would bring home artwork he would always tell her it was amazing. He is her favorite artist and he is what inspires her to keep creating and pursuing art.

She became very serious about art when she entered high school and realized it could be a career and not just a hobby.

“I love seeing others’ pieces and hearing others’ views on a piece because they are always different,” said Ayers.

Other students have noticed her work as well.

“I love the ideas she comes up with and how creative she is in her work; she’s really great to work around,” Dana Plyley ‘17 said.

Her art style tends to be more realistic and she says it’s aesthetically pleasing, she usually sticks with colored pencils. Ayers gets many of her ideas from her surroundings and likes to just find random objects and build of them as she goes. She prefers not to plan,  just to do.

“I think her style is definitely realism with some surrealism and has sort of a whimsical touch,” Lindsey Deviser ‘19 said.  

“Her style is whatever she is feeling and finds important,” Gabrielle Evans ‘19 said.

Ayers tend to use pencils more often then any medium, and says they’re easier and not a big problem if she messes up.

“I hate charcoal because it’s messy and makes your work look blurry and unkempt when you use it incorrectly,” Ayers said.

Although she really wants to practice her skills at paint and watercolor for future projects.

“She is a very outspoken and creative artist; she has a lot of rebellion in her too,” art teacher Regina Beltowski said.

She spends a lot of time and effort on her art and Beltowski believes her skills are growing.

Next year Ayers plans to dual enroll in Kendall College of Art and Design and hopes to take her skills further.

“I’m really looking forward to next year; I really think it’s going to be good for me and will really help me in the future,” Ayers said.

Ayers may be only a sophomore but she has already put great thought into her plans after high school. She is looking into either Western Michigan University or Savannah College of Art and Design for 2D animation. Ayers eventually wants to work for Cartoon Network or Frederator.

“When I graduate I want to be able to have confidence and high self esteem when I look at my art,” Ayers said.

“Keep the passion for creating and don’t lose motivation,” Beltowski said to Ayers.

Outside of school Ayers puts creativity into her everyday life. She believes her clothing style is similar to art style. Pleasing to the eye and light. She loves vintage things, like mom jeans and oversized sweaters with floral designs.

She also loves to write horror and adventure stories, and experiment with photography. Photography has always been something she loved and it was another way to express herself with little effort.

“She is a very fun person to work with for photos because she has a unique style,” said Maya Buck ‘17.

Recently she has applied for a modeling job at her favorite store; So Aesthetic Shop. She thought modeling was fun and was always something she was comfortable doing. She often volunteers for photography students if they need a model.