When Tyler Powers was in 10th grade, his high school art teacher assigned a portrait project. Powers, now 21, had been a big fan of drawing ever since he was a kid, but had never really expanded on his talent. When Powers effortlessly produced the best portrait in the class, he realized that he might be onto something. Though the ability to replicate an image from his head onto the page came naturally, he knew that simply drawing people would not be enough motivation.
It wasn’t long after he drew the portrait that Powers came across his true talent. “I eventually expanded to drawing artists”, Powers recalls, “Being passionate about the subjects of my drawings makes all the difference in the world to me.” Powers was very self-critical of his early work. Though others would praise his artwork, it wasn’t until sophomore year of college that Powers created a piece that he truly admired.
“When I finished my drawing of Chance the Rapper, I stepped back and thought, ‘damn, that’s dope’. It was the first time that I was really able to appreciate one of my drawings”, Powers said. When he began showing his friends, the feedback was remarkable. He was getting offers left and right for the purchase of the drawing, none of which he considered at all. It was at this point that Powers realized he could take this art thing to the next level.
Since then, Powers, who is now a senior here at Florida, has been working relentlessly at his craft. This summer he opened up his website, Tylersean.com, and currently has dozens of prints of different drawings for sale. All of his prints are based off of his original pieces, both paintings and drawings. This selection includes Biggie Smalls, Kanye West, Drake, A$AP Rocky, Marilyn Monroe, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Chance the Rapper, Lionel Messi, and many more. Powers prefers to paint iconic figures, because he believes paint more effectively represents their presence.
To Powers, this is much more a hobby than a job. As he puts it, “I am just pushed to create, I can’t sit still”.
Be sure to check out the website Tylersean.com as well as Tyler’s instagram: @TylerSean13.
