Grace McCormack is a senior at Shaker Heights High School, an IB Diploma Programme Candidate and, perhaps most significantly, an aspiring artist. Her artwork has won top awards (last year, her self-portrait “More Red than Blue” earned a Gold Key Award in the Scholastic Art Competition) and her comic, The Second Hour, been featured on the front page of her favorite app, WebToon. Grace speaks about the tools of her trade---Huion tablets, Toon Boom, Maya, the Adobe Suite--with the familiarity of a close friend. And in a way, they are: because these tools help Grace express herself through art in ways that are compelling, deeply personal and beautiful.
Read more about Grace McCormack.
When did you become interested in art?
I’ve been drawing and doodling since I could hold a pencil. As I got older, I started drawing as a way to cope with anxiety and then it sort of branched into something that I realized I could do something with as an adult.
How many art classes are you taking this year?
I’m taking three classes that cover four periods: portfolio, painting and multi-media.
Is art something that you want to study in college?
Since Freshman year, I’ve been preparing myself to go to college for art. Because if you’re not prepared, you’re not ahead and if you’re not ahead, then you’re not going to get a job. So for me, that means watching a lot of tutorials online instead of watching random YouTubers. I pay for Adobe Cloud at home so that I can work on art at home. Basically, if I’m not doing homework, then I’m drawing or writing. It’s funny, when I was in Middle School, I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer, but now I’m leaning more toward illustration and animation. I’d love to go into comics and storyboarding for film. And what’s cool about storyboarding is that you get to see what happens before everyone else does.
Tell us about being featured on the front page of WebToon.
That was pretty exciting because my comic, The Second Hour, has been featured on the front page as a hot series and as an up and coming series. What’s cool about WebToon is that it’s curated by a Los Angeles-based staff who are trying to find what’s going to be the next big thing. And they judge the work on the art style, and the storytelling and the synopsis, so to be selected for the front page was really cool.
Who are some artists who have influenced you?
My biggest influence right now is Mari Ham. She’s a designer, illustrator and programmer. Her drawings of eyes have really influenced my style. And because of WebToons, I come into contact with other artists like jjolee---I love the way she draws eyebrows and expressions, so I’ve learned from her. Courtney Wirth is another WebToon artist who has influenced me. And what’s really great is that I have the opportunity to talk to them on social media. They’re all really supportive and so willing to answer questions.
How have your art teachers encouraged your creativity?
Mr. Holliday has been especially encouraging. I remember that I submitted something in the Scholastic art competition my freshman year and it didn’t get in. That really hurt my self-esteem, but looking back on it, it wasn’t my best work. And last year, he encouraged me to enter in my self-portrait and I earned a Gold Key, so I really appreciated that support.
What is it about art that keeps you engaged?
Art is my one creative outlet that gets me through everything. And the fact that my teachers here really encourage me to do my own thing as an artist makes me love it that much more.