Kaisley Alvarez picked up a pencil to draw when she was just two years old. In some ways, she never put it down. When she was in high school, she was always excited to get to art class. She enjoyed being able to “wind down” and experiment with different styles of art there.

Kaisley has been a resident of the Lake Nona area for about 10 years. She loves the sense of community and activities in Lake Nona. She graduated from Lake Nona High School in 2016. She took advantage of dual enrollment while in high school and is currently a Valencia student. Once she attains her AA degree, she plans to move to UCF via DirectConnect to pursue a business degree. She will continue to study art and is hoping to attend an art school.

Leonardo DaVinci’s style has always been inspiring to Kaisley. While taking a class on Western civilization, she found herself fascinated by his sketches. In particular, the way he was able to capture reality on paper stood out to her. This led Kaisley to explore the style of realism. She finds joy in mimicking the reality of life. By employing one or more photo references, she can blend reality into art and make it her own.

Pencil and paper remains her medium of choice to this day. She has dabbled in other mediums such as digital art, painting and watercolor. She continues to challenge herself by experimenting with new mediums and more ambitious projects. By doing so, she hopes to become a more well-rounded artist.

Kaisley’s most challenging work to date was a large commission piece. It was a portrait of a family of four that was 18″ by 24″; it took about a year to complete. Most of her work up to that point was on a much smaller scale. Scaling her work up to a larger size meant adding a lot more detail and a lot more work. By pushing herself to complete the project, she grew as an artist.

One of Kaisley’s favorite pieces embodies the concept of hope. Through darkness, there is always light. She drew a close-up rendition of an eye with a single tear. The eye is looking toward a reflection of light.

Kaisley is already finding ways to turn her art into a business. She sells prints on Society 6, a website that sells art prints and merchandise. She also creates custom artwork on commission. Her dream is to one day own a studio or gallery or to be an animator for Disney.

If you would like to follow Kaisley or request a commission, connect with her via Instagram at @dream2draw.