Digital Portraits by 8th Grader Cybille I. Celebrate 2019 Graduates!

8^th grader Cybille I. is a talented artist who has already begun to develop a unique artistic vision that can be seen in her striking work.

Throughout her time at INTL*, Cybille’s talent has shown through – in the art room, at our annual Arts Night, and with her pieces that have been featured in our printed Inside INTL newsletter.

This year, Cybille used her talent to celebrate her 8^th grade class, by creating digital portraits of each of her classmates. This was a huge undertaking that Cybille dedicated countless hours to outside of school. The project originated as an idea for the INT'L yearbook, when M. Cabanal suggested Cybille create a page dedicated to her art.

Cybille created each digital portrait on the iPad, in a style inspired by the aesthetics of K-Pop, a pop genre originating in South Korea but popular throughout the world. Cybille explains, “My art was inspired by my interest in K-Pop, which gave me a vision of how to do the portraits. The Korean idols look very similar to Manga (Anime), and that is the style I have drawn in since 4^th grade. I love the visuals, the songs, and the K-Pop dances – I even learned how to read in Korean and am going to take classes this summer to learn how to speak it.” Cybille's passion for other languages and cultures is something we strive to cultivate in all our students, so it is inspiring to see her express these values with her art.

In addition to her personal work, Cybille has also extended her passion for art into her academics. This spring, for her FlexTime Community Project, Cybille focused on how art can help develop global communities, and how art can help raise awareness for global issues like climate change.

Cybille’s talent speaks for itself in her portraits, and her classmates have been incredibly excited to see how they were portrayed. An original portrait of each graduate is an incredibly special gift to receive, and the 8^th grade students and teachers are grateful for Cybille’s hard work.

Naturally, Cybille plans to continue to pursue art in high school, and to continue to improve and refine her work.  

Thank you Cybille, for the talent and hard work you have contributed to the INTL community!

*In 2020, the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) formally changed its name to Silicon Valley International School (INTL) to better reflect its bilingual programs, location, and international values.