DIGITAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Visions of a Dreamer

Mythical Realms, Whimsical Fantasy & Character Design

August | 2026

Carley Bridge

12 GRADE:

Capstone Completer

IM LEVEL:

PREFERRED DIGITAL MEDIA:

Adobe Photoshop

CREATIVE DIRECTION:

Digital Illustration & Graphic Design

WORDS FROM THE INSTRUCTOR:

It has been an absolute privilege watching Carley grow throughout her four levels of interactive media. She has an fantastic imagination, and throughout her years in interactive media, she has demonstrated incredible dedication to developing her digital media skills, pushing through technical challenges, and maintaining her unique originality, style, attention to detail and sheer artistry. Beyond her work, she is kind and friendly, possesses a professional attitude in working with others, and has been a true leader in our little studio setting.

Mrs. Maria Cook

Something about vibrant colors, unique shapes and fancy line work draws me in like no other creative form of expression. And that's how it all began."

About Carley

THE SPARK | What inspires you as an artist?

Throughout my entire life, whether it be from the internet, the shows and movies I've watched, or my own observations, I have always felt a little 'spark' inside me. A drive to create. I couldn't just let this spark fizzle out. I had to express it and art just pulled me in the most. Something about vibrant colors, unique shapes and fancy line work draws me in like no other creative form of expression. And that's how it all began. Though countless things inspired me as a child, 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' was the beginning. It was my favorite show and all I wanted to draw. Even today, I get comments on my art from people telling me it reminds them of 'My Little Pony'. Another inspiration for me is Glitch Productions. They are an indie animation studio that makes popular web series like 'Murder Drones' and 'The Amazing Digital Circus.' It is not just their art that inspires me, but it is their dedication and philosophy. They never limit the creative freedom of their artists like so many corporate studios do. I appreciate that and their work inspires me.

THE SANDBOX | How would you describe your creative process?

My process when making art, whether it's traditional or digital, stays the same. I first think about what I want to make then begin sketching it on paper. After my sketch, I move to a more formal drawing using the medium of my choice, and sometimes that's digital (Photoshop & Wacom tablet). I begin with base colors then move to shading. In Photoshop, this happens in layers. Once these are complete, I add final details necessary to make my art stand out. I usually don't stray from this process as I am typically working on a timeline. There are times though that I do make adaptations to my process that help me finish my art and improve its outcome.

THE STYLE | How would you describe your style of art?

My style of art is very much an amalgamation of other art styles that I've soaked up over the years. My most prominent influence is definitely 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. The eye style of many of my character illustrations and animations is based on the My Little Pony character. And though I never watched anime as a child or even now, the look of anime characters is mixed into my personal melting pot of creative ideas as well. The anime character style is something you see online regardless of whether you watch animations and I suppose I liked the look and it stuck with me subconsciously as I began creating my own original characters and drawings. It has been brought to my attention that my style is similar to that of Vivienne Medrano also known as Vivziepop, an illustrator and animator. While I see some small resemblance to the artist's work, I find the coincidence to be funny since I had no idea who Vivziepop was until two years ago.

THE HORIZON | How do you see art in your future?

When I was young, my biggest dream was to bring my characters and stories to life. And honestly, I still do today. But as I've gotten older and experienced aspects of what this might mean as a career, I know that the cons of of the actual work required to achieve the full scope of this dream outweighs the pros. I will for sure try my best to bring my stories to life, but maybe this dream can be a comic side project as opposed to a full on film or movie series that I pour my whole life into. I think that I'd like to focus more on graphic design. I feel that it would be fun to work on posters, UI design, and commercial art. And I'd get a good balance of both worlds.