This is Bernard.

There are students who carry around more than one cell phone (so I’ve heard); he carries around more than one computer. He has his ASUS notebook for coursework, and his Samsung Galaxy S6 lite Tablet, complete with stylus, for art.

Bernard started drawing when he was first introduced to the show Pokémon at the age of 6, after which he was inspired to draw his favourite Steel Dragon, the dark-blue sauropod-like Dialga. Today, he finds motivation in supportive friends and a shared love of action-packed anime. His favourite subjects are characters like Izuku Midorya from Boku no Hero Academia, in full cowling poses.

Bernard has been working on a sketch. Without breaks, it would probably have taken him a week to finish in ibispaintX. The hardest parts to get right are the proportions of the head and the posture of the arms in motion. But it’s this, sketching out the image from his head, that remains his favourite part of the process.

Are you going to go into animation, I asked. “Yes and no; I want to do animations, but it will be more of a hobby.”

In the minutes before Block D starts, his peers gather around to watch his strokes bring definition to the figure. “It’s Hogwarts,” Aiden says to Varsha. “Look at this wizardry…” 💥