by Juvan Bonni

Imagine a goat with human eyes, armor, long legs, a hint of some cat-like features, and no mouth.

Senior Gleb Gritsinin draws pictures like these in a matter of minutes. He loves sketching anything, from superheroes to fantastical creatures.

“I never was short in imagination,” he said. “Sometimes I would start thinking of random things and ways to connect them.”

As he draws, Gritsinin likes to listen to music for further influence.

“I try to connect the character and the emotion of the music and show what music tries to show through my pictures.”

This is Gritisinin’s first year in Brookline. He was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, right at the beginning of the post-Soviet era, and moved to Virginia when he was in seventh grade. Since then, he has moved several times, to and from his hometown and the United States.

Gritsinin is in the Art Studio class. He said that the class “shows many aspects of art itself,” and teaches students how to work with many different types of art.

Drawing is not always easy, it requires time and effort.

“It’s a matter of practice. That’s the only thing I don’t like about drawing. It takes a lot of time. It’s very time consuming. But then it pays off,” said Gritsinin.

Art teacher Elizabeth Brennan believes that Gritsinin has been very successful in the class, and has the right attitude to develop further.

“He’s got a strong work ethic,” she said. “He is willing to try lots of new things, and that is what is going to help him come up with a stronger and more diverse portfolio.”

Gritsinsin has practiced since childhood, and though he has developed an incredible talent, he is still modest about his artwork.

“He seeks out feedback and uses it,” said Brennan. “You can see that he really sees it in his work.”

Gritsinin not only has a passion for drawing, but digital design as well. He takes Graphic Design as an elective and thinks it is a really fun class.

He has already designed some computer game characters. These prototypes, he said, include different positions and stances, as well as different actions.

Gritsinin’s passion for his work matches his talent, and according to Brennan, that is crucial.

“He has a strong personal voice. You can have a lot of skill, but if you’re not excited about what you’re working on, it can be kind of flat,” said Brennan. “I don’t find that Gleb’s work is like that because he is really invested. He likes what he is doing and you can tell.”

Juvan Bonni can be contacted at [email protected]

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