Curators: Diego Sepulveda
Recently, I sat with South Broward High School’s Diego Sepulveda. We talked about the senior’s craft and how word spread about his signature sketches.
If a teacher left the dry-erase board unattended for a few moments, it wouldn’t be long before Diego covered the board with his work. That could mean a large drawing of Spider-Man, Rick and Morty, or somebody like social media star, Boonk. Fortunately, these pieces weren’t limited to the board. His assignments and notebooks were covered with impromptu sketches of his teachers and classmates in startling accuracy. He could portray his subjects in a more realistic style, or with the exaggerations of a common manga, complete with comic book word bubbles.
His affinity for art developed in the 8th grade, and it aided him in tough times. “At the time I felt very confined, I needed some kind of outlet” states Sepulveda. Art “helped a lot, and it’s still helping”.
A finished piece of Diego's friends in graphite
This talent and recognition of his skill lead Sepulveda to begin selling his work online through his growing Instagram account in 2017. While he began with brick and mortar art, he has grown into an accomplished digital artist. He proudly proclaims, “I’m sticking to digital art”. When asked about the change, he was direct. “Sketches are much harder to do now” explained Diego, “it’s becoming harder to make sketches to me, the more I practice with digital it was easy, and fixed the issues you’d have with traditional art.”
While he is a growing artist, he has no plans on being the starving kind. Sepulveda plans on attending college and studying business, citing “control and management” as goals of his. With business in mind, he naturally began the process of expanding his brand in the last year. That includes cool shirts and posters with his own custom designs, the most popular of which was one with rap star, Logic, dressed as the “Black Spiderman” he so famously rapped about.
Diego's rendition of Logic's "Black Spiderman"
Diego doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. In fact, it appears that he’ll be part of the next generation of young artists that will continue to make South Florida and its numerous coastal art districts a must-see for artists and tourists alike. He envisions a future where he builds “a community that appreciates art as well as finding people that will support the stuff you make”.
His confidence is sky-high. As he puts it, “if anyone wants something to be drawn, I can do that for you, and it’ll be fun”. If you or someone you know is interested in a commissioned piece, contact Diego on Instagram at @diegoartwork.
