The month that this holiday occurs in

ACE OF

THE ARTS

The Merionite (TM): How are you involved in the arts at LM? Amanda Tonsey (AT): I’m currently enrolled in AP Art. I also contribute graphics for the Merionite occasionally and I’m the Graphic Designer for PLAYERS’ winter show, Radium Girls.

TM: What is the first time you started making digital art? AT: When I was in third or fourth grade, I had a little iPod, and I downloaded a drawing app and drew with my finger. When I got an iPad in fifth grade, I kept drawing digitally and I’ve been creating art ever since.

“Take A Walk”

Graphic by Amanda Tonsey ’21

TM: What have you done to foster your love of digital art over the years? AT: I mainly make art for myself and keep it in a folder on my iPad. I’ve done many shows in PLAYERS on the art mini-crew in publicity. This show I created all of the graphics from the poster to the button design. Additionally, last year I took the Communication Design Art Class LM offers and I enjoyed being able to do my own thing and be mainly in charge of the kind of art I was creating.

TM: This summer you volunteered at Main Line Arts Center as a Counselor In Training–tell us about your experience. AT: I was a CIT for preteen artists who attended the camp. I would follow them to their class stations and help them out with their pieces. A lot of the times I was helping kids out in the pottery and jewelry classes. TM: What have you done in PLAYERS? AT: Freshman year in PLAYERS I was always in the art team in publicity so I did a lot of little designs for shows. This show as Graphic Designer, I made the poster and played around with changing the poster for the PLAYBILL and ticket design. I’ve created sticker and button designs and made a Newsletter cover. TM: Where does your inspiration come from? AT: I follow a lot of artists on Twitter and Instagram, and read a lot of graphic novels. I take a lot of pictures on my phone of random things, so every- TM: What’s your favorite piece of art you’ve ever made? AT: Over the summer, I had to make some pieces for AP Art. I created a piece that was supposed to reflect someone listening to the song “Take a Walk” by Passion Pit without revealing what the song was. I liked making this piece because I got to experiment with features I usually didn’t include in my pieces. I like how it turned out. TM: Do you plan on continuing your love of art in college and after high school? AT: Definitely! I’m aiming to go to art school and have a career centered around art. I’m not sure what exactly that career would be focued on, or what exactly I want to do with my art yet, though. “Queen of Hearts” Graphic by Amanda Tonsey ’21