Anime inspires Symmya

Mythical beings are of great interest to Symmya Hyde.

The Holy Saviour Curepe Anglican Primary School student has an eye for detail and she should, as she loves to draw animae. Her drawings are worth having a look.

Anime is a style of animation originating in Japan. Animators use stark, colourful graphics with vibrant characters in action-filled plots. The shows are often with fantastic or futuristic themes.

Symmya began drawing when she was three. “I started by drawing stick people and my sister helped me a lot with the proportions of the drawings as I got more interested...On YouTube I learned how to shade. It’s mostly my favourite part of the drawing.”

Her mother Shayla Caesar-Hayde, who paints landscapes and sketches people, and sister Simone inspire the 12-year-old. “My sister also draws and does semi-realistic drawings. She adds more creativity to my pieces,” Symmya told Newsday Kids. Her father Simeon doesn’t draw but supports her art. The family lives in Brazil in east Trinidad.

Symmya has had a lot of free time to draw since she wrote the SEA exam on August 20, and has done more than 20 pieces. The collection is yet to be counted as she has scores of drawings to complete. “I don’t know how many I have drawn. I just draw.”

Symmya isn’t sure how long it takes her to complete one but she did give some timelines.

“When I draw, I draw mythical things like elves and Taurus (video game) people. I like mystical drawings. I like the creativity of it and the colours. So, to finish one drawing depends on how large it is or how tired I am. Sometimes it would take 30 minutes for sketches. To line it out and to get a perfect line out with colour pencil, a very long time. To colour scheme, about 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes, I go all the way through until I finish and other times, I would continue the following day.”

Symmya isn’t shy about her challenges and gives adding colour to the hair of the anime as an example.

“I have to take a very long time do to it. I do have some difficulty colouring the hair. The reason I want to learn painting is so that I can put it up on eBay and sell it. Sometimes I use a testing page to learn. I used this page to learn how to draw eyes and I also use YouTube. I get inspired by artistes on Tik Tok. I want to become a digital artiste as well.”

She said watching animae shows and Pinterest motivate her when she does not feel creative.

“An episode (of animae) is 24 minutes. So, I can watch six to seven shows in a row if I like it. Sometimes I get sad and I’ll keep trying until it goes. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll watch other artists draw and learn new things. I also listen to music and sing. I like slow music. I like Bazzi (an American singer). He sings mellow music.”

When the SEA results are released on Thursday, Symmya hopes she will pass for St George’s College in Barataria. She believes the people there are friendly since some of her close friends attend the school.

As she gets set to start secondary school, Symmya said she will continue to draw.

“For now I plan to save what I have for memories. To look back and see how I used to draw before.”