NEW ORLEANS — If you ask 16-year-old Donald Soniat what sparked his love of sketching, he’ll tell you it was Saturday morning cartoons.
At Cohen College Prep, this soon-to-be junior says it was his love for shows like Dragon Ball Z and Sonic the Hedgehog that helped jump start his love of art.
“I sketch everyday to have fun, to get away from things. It’s like sleeping. It’s what I do every morning. I can’t go a day without doing it,” says Soniat.
With just a pencil and an eraser, he can do what he does best, which is sketch.
It’s a hobby he’s honed his skills on everyday since he was six years old.
His dad also played a role in helping Soniat learn the techniques of sketching.
“People used to say, ‘Oh you copied that. Oh, you must’ve printed that or something,’ and I would be like… ‘Am I that good?” says Soniat.
Soniat says his specialty is people or comic book characters.
After flipping through his sketch book we saw look-alikes of the famed rappers, like Lil Wayne and Ice Cube.
We also got a glimpse of the infamous, horrific clown Pennywise from the movie, IT.
At Soniat’s school, he’s won numerous awards for his talents, like art student of the year.
His goal in life is to create content for comic books.
Then, Soniat hopes to teach students who have the same dream as him.
The kind of dream that starts with just a blank sheet of paper and ends with a new masterpiece every time.