Sophomore Jovan Lucas Lambert sketches drawings all around school. To teachers and friends, Jovan has become known for his popcorn themed drawings. This month, he’s featured on the Theogony comics page.
Q: What art classes at ACHS do you take?
A: I am currently taking Art I at Minnie Howard with Ms. Pierson.
Q: Is this your first time taking an art class at school?
A: Last year in middle school I took art for a semester, I took drama the semester before that.
Q: Have you always been interested in being a creative person?
A: Yeah, I vary with talents. Sometimes I sing when I’m alone. Acting is fun! I almost starred in a musical but I got sick.
Q: When did you first become interested in art?
A: When I was in elementary school. I really liked drawing or coloring the little pictures. I have a memory of drawing in one of those large coloring books my grandma got me. Surprisingly, none of the pictures are ruined from three year old me going wild.
Q: Do you mostly focus on performance art or visual art? I know you mentioned acting and singing.
A: I mean, it varies. Usually it’s ‘art’ art. But I have thought about voice acting when I get older. I have pretty good range with my voice, it’s unsettling! Singing is nice though. I don’t have the best singing voice, but I like to make up fun little jingles here and there.
Q: What draws you to voice acting?
A: The way it brings life to a character. It would be fun to bring life to someone else’s character or a character of mine.
Q: Do you use any specific types of mediums when you draw?
A: It’s really just pencil. I don’t do anything too special, just a bit of pencil, sometimes I’ll fine line it later.
Q: What makes you choose pencil?
A: If you use something everyone has seen before and knows, they can picture how it looks colored themselves. When I do simple drawings, people still understand and fill in the rest.
Q: What influenced your style?
A: The whole ‘popcorn art’ stuff came from a doodle I made all the way back in middle school. My uncles gave me some sketchbook they just had lying around. I drew some random, inanimate popcorn, and thought, ‘I can work with this!’. From there, I just started doodling different versions of it, and it just hasn’t left me.
Q: Tell me more about your popcorn character.
A: The first picture was just a simple, sentient piece of popcorn. It did not at all look as good as my recent ones. Then I made a picture for some classmates, and just continued adding on to it. Then I started making movie themed ones for my teachers. Ms. Pierson told me her friend downstairs likes mothman, so I drew a popcorn mothman.
Q: How have your teachers reacted to your art?
A: They all enjoy it and ask for a piece here and there. My history teacher Mr. Hodkin usually dresses up as King Henry for Halloween, and I was like, I might as well make him one! There was a great side profile of King Henry that I used. My English teacher asked for a Frankenstein piece. I made a dog for Ms. Lawson, and a rabbit for Ms. Pierson. They all enjoy my art and encourage me when I make something new.
Q: Is there any story behind the popcorn? Is it all the same character in different outfits, or different characters every time?
A: In a way, it’s like those MAD magazines with the picture of the kid you always see.
Q: Is art still a hobby to you? Or would you ever be interested in pursuing it professionally?
A: Drawing professionally? Probably. I do hope at some point I get better at drawing people. Right now it’s mainly popcorn because I don’t know how to draw people.
Q: Have you always made up stories and characters?
A: Somewhat. When I was younger I made some comics called ‘Mr. Frown and Smiley’.
Q: How do you decide what you want to draw?
A: It’s just a let the pen flow type of situation. I’ll do the base sketch, and add anything else from there.
Q: Are there any specific artists that have inspired you?
A: There are some artists I do like. One was Vincent Van Gogh, who is very famous. Another is Joseph Deudecrex, he’s a painter from the 1700s, his whole thing was painting funny portraits of himself.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to other artists?
A: Every mistake could be your next work of art.
Q: Is there anywhere we could find you?
A: Yeah! I’m @snackharlow7 on Instagram, though I don’t post that much.
Q: Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: If you want a drawing just come find me. I like to draw for people!
Additional Artwork provided by Jovan Lucas Lambert:
