Solar Prep for Girls student Elsa B. creates depiction of her dog. Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD.
A local seventh grader’s artwork is being recognized at the state level.
The art created by the Solar Preparatory School for Girls student, identified by a Dallas ISD press release as Elsa B., will be displayed for a year at Gov. Greg Abbott’s business office in the Texas State Capitol.
Elsa entered her piece “My Best Friend,” a depiction of her dog, into the annual Youth Art Month Spring Exhibition, which is coordinated by the Texas Art Education Association.
Elsa B.’s finished picture of her dog Marti Nelli Berg. Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD.
“The prompt for the class assignment was to create a scratch art drawing of your pet or other animal you happen to have photos of. I thought my dog was amazing, adorable and would be a perfect subject for the piece,” Elsa said in the press release. “My dog’s name is Marti Nelli Berg. We named him after one of my favorite soccer players, Gabriel Martinelli, who plays for Arsenal, an English soccer club.”
To create the portrait, Elsa made a sketch and then transferred an outline onto carbon paper.
“From here, I used the carbon paper to create the outline of the piece on the scratch paper. Then, it was simply a matter of analyzing the lighting and textures from the photo and translating them onto the scratch paper with the X-ACTO knife-like utensil,” she said in the press release.
Elsa B.’s artistic process for creating art piece “My Best Friend.” Photo courtesy of Dallas ISD.
Out of the over 170 artworks submitted in the exhibition, Elsa’s was one of the 14 chosen for the Governor’s Gallery, curated by the Office of First Lady Cecilia Abbott. Elsa and her family, plus her teacher and DISD representatives, will be invited to a celebration in honor of the selected students in Austin.
“I consider myself a creative person. I believe that I have big ideas and interesting thoughts. When I write or am completing a project, I believe that I can create a unique concept devoid of reused ideas,” Elsa said in the press release. “I feel proud to have an ordinary class assignment reach this level. I am excited for the opportunities presented with this accomplishment.”
Solar Prep for Girls art teacher Melissa James spoke highly of all her students, including Elsa.
“Elsa was very polite and respectful in the early days when I was getting to know her. As she worked, her talent was coming out, and she was very coachable,” James said in the press release. “She listened and added shading or made something lighter if I suggested it. Her work began to stand out among her peers. She also has great leadership qualities.”
