Young artist creates 700 characters as she makes way in digital art world
What started as a few doodles has turned into a career aspiration for Ren Peters of Moncton.
The 18-year-old, who spent her childhood on Elsipogtog First Nation, hopes to become a digital artist and would like to eventually create a comic book.
"It's definitely something exciting," she said.
Peters said she started getting serious about digital art after a friend showed her how to use an art app five years ago.
She started out with pony art but soon broadened her style.
"It's because at that time I was watching anime, and I would draw anime characters, and I would try to mimic the style that they're doing because, I didn't know how to draw humans," Peters said. "But later on in the years, I kind of tried my best to branch off a little bit and try to make my own style."
She's created 700 different characters and thrives on variety.
"I love making cutesy art, but I also like making creepy art, so sometimes I like mixing it together, where I make a cute-type character but they have an awful personality. It's just your imagination and being able to let it out through art is amazing."
Peters recently showed her work at the East Coast Comic Expo in Moncton, where she sold some of her pieces.
"It was a great experience, especially being an artist-vendor and being able to interact with people or seeing people happy about seeing what you've drawn, so I enjoyed it a lot," she said.
Peters's mother, former Elsipogtog chief Susan Levi-Peters, said her daughter showed a love of art at an early age.
"I remember as a little girl she would colour," Levi-Peters said. "I would draw something for her and then she would colour it in and then eventually she just bloomed."
She hopes her daughter will be a role model for Indigenous youth.
"When I talked to her I told her 'You're going to inspire other kids from the First Nations because we have a lot of talented young children that love to draw.' So I'm hoping that her coming out is going to inspire a lot of First Nations children to come out and show their work, be proud of their work.
"I can't wait until she starts drawing First Nation or aboriginal characters. I think that's eventually going to come out."
For now, Ren Peters is focusing on her future.
"I would love to do comics to bring my characters out there and show their back story and their life and just generally character designs. I would love to do character designs for, like, games and shows and all that," she said.
