Catherine Lewis is a senior at THS with her gift in life being drawing. Her love for drawing heightened around fourth and fifth grade. She began drawing by simply doodling and sketching in class in her free time.

For Lewis, drawing acts as a way to deal and manage stress, especially throughout her senior year.

“I can go from not feeling well to being calm in seconds,” Lewis said.

Her fondness for drawing had no specific influence during her earlier years, but she had a great support base. Her parents, family, and friends act as a motivation for her through their constructive criticism.

“At first you’re really not going to be happy with what you start off with, but focus on one small thing at a time because you might get overwhelmed if you don’t,” Lewis said.

As she has grown physically and mentally, her drawings have grown alongside her, too. She enjoys drawing local historical landmarks and older spots throughout Danville, VA. Some local and historical landmarks that she has recently drawn are Roadies Soda Shop, Dan River Mills, and the Sutherlin Mansion. She also enjoys drawing self portraits and portraits of her friends and family.

One of Lewis’ most unique forms of drawing is beginning the process by initially writing a short story and then following by drawing pictures of the characters that are in the story. The stories written help her and others who are viewing the drawings have a background understanding of the characters.

Throughout the years, Lewis has begun to take a more digital approach to her drawings by using the app ProCreate. Most of her drawings are digitally drawn now because the ease of not having to mix colors makes the drawing process a lot faster. 

“Unfortunately many perceive digital art as “fake drawing,” but from my experience, digital art is just as difficult as traditional drawing (or drawing on pen and paper), and requires similar amounts of skill,” Lewis said,

Lewis plans on attending Danville Community College in the fall for two years and then transferring to Radford University to major in Biology. She is undecided on what minor she wants to pursue, but she knows she wants to minor in something creative. Although she is not majoring in art, throughout college she plans on taking commissions and joining an art club to continue her passion for drawing.

When Lewis does not have pencil or an Apple pen in her hand, she enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and cooking.

“I have been experimenting with more savory dishes, but I mostly like baking sweet foods,” Lewis said.

“I’d like to think that I can make people happy by drawing. Whether it’s drawing old family photos for grandparents, or get well cards. I want to make a difference, even if it’s a small one for now,” Lewis said.

“God put me on this Earth for a reason,” Catherine Lewis said.