“Let’s paint the picture of the perfect place. They’ve got it better then anyone’s told ya.” I place my Headphones into my ears, and I turn up the volume blocking out the distractions of reality with One Republic’s song, All the Right Moves. My pencil carefully laced into my figures, like a vine growing on an old Victorian brick home, as the sketch book sprawls itself across the table.

“Where shall I go?” I ask myself teeming with multiple solutions, until one thought brandished itself more than all the others. Within that seconded my pencil leaped to life and began dancing across the page. With every twirl a branch extended its long arms out toward the sky, and with every leap created the stones in the dirt path below the grove of trees. Thumb. Bump. Thumb. Bump. My heart laughing with jubilance to the masterpiece I was creating.

“How long ago did I realize my true passion?” I pondered with every stroke as a smile hugged my face at the thought. I remember when I was a young girl in grade school, and my drawing skills consisted of lollypop trees, and stick figures for people. In the corner of every work I sketched was the sun, a deep orange or a lemon yellow. It was that type of drawing that every parent would considered laudable and hang on the fringe. However, every child at that age seems to possess the same drawing style. As children grow and mature into adults, we branch off in pursuit of different endeavors, developing our own personalities and character traits. As I branched off in pursuit of my individuality, I stumbled into a style of cartoon known as Anime.

“Why was I so fascinated?” I ask myself, as I ingrained texture of the trees with genital touch of the pencil’s tip. The paper is a new born, and the pencil is the mother. She must have to possess a careful and confident touch to insure the child is not harmed. Continuing on in my work, I thought about the first anime I viewed.

“Hack: // The Legend of Twilight” is what it’s called,” said my friend Jake.

“What is it about?” I asked eyes sparkling with wonder and integument.

“It is about this brother and sister who enter in a virtual reality game called the world. They win their characters in a contest, what is special about their characters is they are legendary heroes in the world. As the story carries on the two protagonist begin to encounter glitches in the game. The main conflict encountered do to the glitch is that when people die in the game they die in reality. So the two siblings work together to figure out the mystery behind who has hacked the system.” Said Jake as he places the DVD into the DVD player.

As the show began to play, warmth flooded within my body. Welcoming the feeling, it was as though I was sprawled out in the warm summer sun. Butterflies wings batted at the lining within my heart, and my smile was bright as a rose. Intrigued I wanted to learn to draw this style of cartoon so I began to

practice. However, I only practiced every once in a blue moon. The most I did was print out pictures of characters and backgrounds in admiration. When I did practice they appeared with big heads and small bodies.

“When did I really begin to take drawing seriously?” I said under my breath.

“I’m your biggest fan won’t stop until you love me. Papa paparazzi.” Sings Lady Gaga into my ear as I pull out the color pencils. The first pencil I grasped was a deep pine green, and slowly filled each leaf. Flashing back to sixth grade was when was when began to take drawing more serious.

“Hey Craig, throw me the ball!” Vinnie yelled from across the room. My class and I had gotten out of gym class, and the smell of sweaty gym socks filled the room, and my nose was screaming in agony. Sitting two seats down from me was my crush Cody. His eyes were the color of the baby blue sky out the window, and his curly hair was a rich blonde with patches of light golden brown. In his rough yet graceful hands was his pencil dancing on his paper. All of the steps the pencil had taken created a drawing of a skull with roses shaded and crafted to perfection.

“Wow!” I said not realizing I was thinking out loud.

“Do you like it?” said Cody as I drew my eyes from his masterpiece to his handsome lightly freckled face. His lips curved into a perfect smile with his white gleaming teeth showing. My face felt as if it was on fire I was so embarrass. I would soon have to call 911 just to put me out.

“It’s… um….really beautiful,” I shuddered out my reply. Looking at the ground avoiding any eye contact, focused at the gray sandy carpet below my feet. I wasn’t looking, but I could hear my pencil in my hand taping on the desk. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

“Thanks,” he said still smiling at me.

“I wish I could draw that well,” I said in admiration. “My drawings look awful.”

“I practice a lot, it’s something I really enjoy doing. I bet you are a great artist, and I love to see one of yours sometime,” he said as the bell rang.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! We both stood up and made are way to the door heading to lunch. Since that one conversation, I practiced everyday right before bed so I could draw just as well as Cody. I pulled out the pictures and backgrounds I had printed I began to practice, and learn. In other attempts to practice, I watched videos on YouTube. The more I practiced I seem to feel a sense of relief, almost like a wave of clarity splashed over me. I no longer felt my heart in the grasp of stress that squeezed so tight on my heart that the fiery red transformed into a deep purple. Drawing has become my outlet. Besides creating new realms I would also create new people, which create a new me.

“Who have I become?” The blue eyes of a young women stare back at me from the page questioning me. I have given my life to protect his majesty from those who threaten the throne. Traveled across mountains, fields, valleys, rivers, deserts, time, and space in search of crystal gems to stop the evil wizard; who planned to demolish my lush green home of Alora. I have been a princess of a royal court, a werewolf, a girl who found herself in a high school that was deep down in the fiery depths of hell, and in love with a demon. With every character comes a new life and a new story. In reality drawing has made me into a strong, proud, in depended women.

I now look down at my work that lays before me like a tired kitten, and the colors splash out of the page like water. A young women appears through a cluster of leaves, her cloak draped over her face for protection from the early morning chill. The sun rising over the horizon, and kissed the early morning sky. Concealed from the world by the timber she insufflated the musk of the forest as she waited, eyes dead set on the trail below. Bow rested against the hardwood waiting for his master’s signal to strike. Birds sang their quiet early morning songs, and squirrels rustle in the leaves below. All the tranquil sounds of the forest suddenly were interrupted by horses whinnies, and galloping feet. With one swift movement the adolescent readied her bow with an arrow.

“My mind is a gate way, and my pencil is the key.” I thought as I flip the page.