Connor Yung sits on the steps of the high school’s quad, his friends chatting around him. He stares down at the tablet shining in his lap during his lunch break, his hand moving gracefully as he sketches one of his friends.

For Yung, a junior at the high school, this was a typical lunch. Starting in sixth grade, Yung has used real-life experiences as inspiration to sketch characters from fictional worlds that he’s encountered through comics and shows. Within the last year, he has begun to take his artwork to another level digitally.

Yung uses his own life to shape his artwork and make it more accurate through both encounters he has had and places he has been.

“A lot of the stories are centered around what I’ve experienced in school, almost like I’m walking to school like in this character’s shoes,” Yung said. “Most of my scenarios are directly centered around Brookline. In San Francisco or New York, I’d have to go there and see how people would react with each other. But, in Brookline, it’s more grounded, and I can actually imagine the stories more.”

According to Yung, his artistic process includes multiple steps and starts with him sketching the character on paper in his drawing notebook. Last year, he began to explore incorporating a digital aspect to his art.

“It’s sort of like in class when you want to just start taking notes. So, whenever I have an idea, I’ll start drawing it down. Maybe I won’t finish it, but at least it’s there. I will remember if I want to continue drawing, or I don’t like the idea and I won’t continue it,” Yung said.

Junior Stephanie Wong, Yung’s friend, said that all of Yung’s dedication has made his art flourish.

“I think he’s successful because he practices. I remember he took some classes like animation. He also just does it a lot, out of school and during school. I think it’s from the practice that he had built up these skills to be able to make these cool pieces,” Wong said.

Another friend of Yung, junior Jiayi Guo predicts that he will bring digital art with him throughout the rest of his artistic journey.

“I think he really likes animation and digital art in general. He’ll definitely develop more in that area and progress more into the different skills that are needed for animation and digital artwork,” Guo said.

Yung said he has noticed his art increase in depth and intricacy with his usage of digital art.

“On a digital canvas, I’m still learning how to do shadings and add detail so if you look at my past drawings, you wouldn’t see shadows,” Yung said. “And then the newer ones you’ll see I have shading and I’ll have an actual shadow.”

Guo said that Yung’s artwork has developed significantly since he began, especially with his transition to digital art.

“Through Instagram, you can see the timeline of his drawings and you can definitely see the development from pencil sketches of random people to more defined sketches where he knows what he’s doing, and he has an idea or theme. It’s cool to see that development and that he’s found his own style. He’s more confident in what he draws,” Guo said.

Yung said that his art helps to harness his imagination and creativity.

“I’d say art is an escape for myself where I can plan, write, or think of my own stories and imagine how something could be,” Yung said. “Even though these stories are very fake, they’re still fun to think about.”