by Katerina Kountakis, staff reporter
The Roar talks to junior Janisah Saripada, known for her artistic abilities, calligraphy and vocal talents. Read below to find out how she manages to excel in essentially everything!
How did you get started in art?
My mom did not think I was a good artist when I was younger. I drew a bunch of stick people, and I drew a lot. I would doodle on notes all the time, and I never really got any proper lessons. I am self-taught in art. I see other people make these realistic drawings, and I was like, “Oh, can I do that”? I started working on making my drawing more life-like.
How much do you practice? Do you have a natural talent for drawing or did you have to practice a lot?
Honest confession: I only do art for projects. I make those tornado things on my notes! I never really practice, I just draw what I see. Other people would get drawing lessons, but the only thing I did for art was art class in middle school, and that did not help that much. No art lessons for me.
Do you know someone who does art that you look up to? An artist or family member that loved art and inspired you?
No. I just google stuff and I see what comes up. No, I do not have a favorite artist. I love looking at other people’s work here, like for example, Jackson Lacey, Maddie Miller, and Rebecca Curry.
What types of things do you draw? Objects, people?
It doesn’t matter to me. My style of drawing is more on the realistic side.
Do you have a favorite art supply? Like color pencils or watercolors, paints, oil pastels?
I like watercolor, pencil, and color pencils. Also, pastels are nice. I like paints, but it is not my most comfortable. I am super comfortable with pencils.
Now onto a different subject. You’re a really good singer, so how did you get into singing? Did you start drawing first or singing?
I started singing at age three and I would listen to my grandma and grandpa playing 60s songs on their radio. I wasn’t really a good speaker; I would just sing. I would sing the melody, but I didn’t even know the words. So all the words were wrong, but that’s how that started. Then my parents were like, “Oh, you can actually sing!” In the Philippines, karaoke is a big thing, so they would put me in singing contests. But when I moved here, I kind of stopped doing that. In middle school, I went and tried out for regional choir, and I got a place. I was in the high school choir, but I quit this year because I am taking three science classes, and it’s hard. So, I would audition for a lot of stuff and get into them.
What is your favorite song to sing? Why?
I really like Beyonce. A lot of Beyonce. She is very empowering. She is an activist and promotes feminism — I mean I am not a hardcore feminist; it’s just that I’m really glad that some artist today promote that. And her voice … man. Her voice has a lot of strength and power, and it’s very impressive to me.
Do you sing in the shower?
I don’t sing girl, I perform in the shower!
Do you sing all the time? Does singing or drawing help you relax?
I do sing all the time. Singing is really relaxing; it takes your nerves off sometimes when you are doing 500 physics questions and you are about to get a mental breakdown. Just take a break, play the piano, sing or something. It really helps you do get relax. Drawing in a way helps me relax, but I usually do it for projects.
On Snapchat, you always post videos of yourself singing; do you ever get nervous?
I get nervous a lot when I am singing in front of a lot of people, so that’s why Snapchat is a really good place to do because I just do it in front of a camera by myself. Usually when I get in front of people, I get really nervous. Like for choir, we have to sing in front of judges and they are staring at you and it’s like, “Oh my goodness, stop judging me … even though that is their job.
Do you want to do a profession involving singing or drawing?
No, my profession is so unrelated to that. I want to be a doctor, because I have always wanted to be that. But singing and drawing is a hobby for me. It’s something for me to do on the side, but I don’t think it would give me a career.
And who are your favorite music artists?
Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, and Michael Buble. I also listen to classical music, like Bach orVivaldi
You are also known for having great handwriting. Do you practice that? Do you have a calligraphy pens?
Not really. Whenever I do projects, I will look at them online because I stare at the photo so many times, it gets incorporated into my own. So that’s how my handwriting evolved into what it is. Sometimes I will look at old manuscripts or old documents, and I would look at the handwriting and I would try to copy that. Yes, I do have a calligraphy pen! It is really nice, and I mostly use it for projects.
To see a few examples of her art, visit her blog here.
