As humans, we need art—it is a release, an escape.

This is why Natalie Bycraft draws and paints. She isn’t look­ing for fame or money; it’s just some­thing she loves to do. As a fresh­man in the pub­lic rela­tions pro­gram, she joined the Imagine More Art Association (IMAA) and found an out­let for relaxation.

“I heard this story from some­one. He loved work­ing on cars, and then he became a mechanic. He had to do it all of the time, and he got sick of it. I don’t want that to hap­pen with my art. [If I] keep it as hobby, I won’t have to lose the hobby that I’ve known for­ever,” Bycraft said.

In a sense, art is Bycraft’s old­est friend. While grow­ing up in Commerce, she didn’t inherit the tal­ent from a rel­a­tive, nor can she remem­ber when she started draw­ing. But now, at the age of 18, she remem­bers art always being a part of her.

Bycraft’s por­traits, mostly sim­ple col­ored pen­cil sketches, focus on human emo­tion through phys­i­cal expres­sions. Each work fea­tures a per­son or peo­ple in a sim­ple pose that draws atten­tion to a laugh, a sly smile, or per­haps a kiss. Each is bright and vibrant. Even her black and white pen­cil pieces are some­how colorful.

“I really love draw­ing peo­ple. There are so many dif­fer­ent details to a face that are fun to draw. Humans have cool struc­tures that make for fun draw­ings,” Bycraft said.

One piece cur­rently rests in the IMAA’s dis­play out­side of the Rankin Art Gallery, and a few more pieces are slated for a dis­play on the fourth floor of FLITE. Her art has also been fea­tured twice at show­cases dur­ing FSU Unplugged, a live music event held at Biggby Coffee every cou­ple of weeks.

Bycraft is excited about the expo­sure and recog­ni­tion, but she intends to con­cen­trate on aca­d­e­mics and her career.

Before com­ing to Ferris, Bycraft selected Kendall College to pur­sue an art career.

“But, I real­ized I wanted to do some­thing more in busi­ness, and I found pub­lic rela­tions. I found out that Ferris has a great PR pro­gram. I love it; it’s so much fun,” Bycraft said.

In the future, she hopes to sell some art work on the side, but noth­ing more. Art is her friend, not her job.

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