Smooth the wrinkles from the small square of printer paper. Sketch curved lines and rounded corners with the soft grey of a pencil. Ink the design over with a thin ballpoint pen. Carefully shade in a texture of vibrant colors and bold contrasts to produce a piece of art anyone would be willing to pay for. This is a reality for Shannon McCauley, a Mountain View High School sophomore, who crafts Disney and animated drawings for students on campus for a small fee.

McCauley has been drawing ever since she could remember and claims that her artistic nature stems from her family.

“My grandma is a great artist, so it’s kind of in my blood,” McCauley said.

While growing up, she won multiple art competitions, inspiring her to further develop her drawing skills. Using her art, she started working to spread awareness regarding important issues in society. In a state competition, McCauley placed third in designing a poster to protect endangered species.

McCauley values working with simplicity, preferring basic sketching with a pencil and paper over other mediums.

“I feel most accurate when I use pencils, I can really see the character or whatever I’m drawing come to life,” McCauley said.

Bringing life to her drawings is a key part of what McCauley does and treasures about the whole process. Whether it is in the form of lazy doodles or an elaborate drawing, McCauley consistently appreciates the beauty that art can convey.

Given her history with art, it was only natural for McCauley to pick up a pencil and wonder if she could do more. She took her passion for drawing from the house to school and set up a new business venture.

“I started selling [the drawings] at school because my brother expressed interest in buying one when I first started drawing the pictures, so I thought, hey, maybe other people would be interested in buying too,” McCauley said, in regards to starting her drawing service.

She claims that the process has been a valuable experience so far, however not just lucratively. McCauley has gained a new level of appreciation for the complexity of animation by breaking down the cartoons in the process of drawing them. And with each drawing, she gains another opportunity to practice and strengthen her skills as an artist.

You can pick up your own design by contacting Shannon through Facebook or her email, [email protected]. Her prices vary, but for one character she typically charges $2 and for two characters $3, and so forth.