Student Spotlight: Tyler Conant
Tyler Conant is one of the many Saugus students who uses his art as a way of expression. This is his portrait of Cherster Bennington.
March 5, 2021
Many students around the Saugus High School community have a special way of expressing themselves, whether it’s through singing, sports, or art. Senior Tyler Conant is one of these talented students who uses his artistic abilities to express himself and leave an impact on his community.
After working hard for three months and over 100 hours, Conant finally finished his portrait tribute to the late Linkin Park member, Chester Bennington, in October 2020. The Prismacolor pencil illustration depicts Bennington performing on stage at the iHeartRadio Album Release Party in 2017. After proudly stating his love for the band, Conant said on his Instagram, “This is by far my biggest drawing ever, at 16×20 inches. I feel like it is also my best.”
Later that month, Conant was noticed by Mike Shinoda–a member of Linkin Park– while Shinoda was streaming live on Twitch. Shinoda chatted for a while with Conant about his dreams and his artwork while on the stream. Later, he offered Conant some words of encouragement, “If you’re this good at 18, come on, Tyler’s going to be a beast. You just wait.”
Towards the end of 2020, Conant completed yet another drawing of a Linkin Park member, Mike Shinoda. Following a two month period of hard work, Conant auctioned his illustration off for Linkin Park’s Music for Relief charity. “I got in contact with Mike. He helped spread the word of the auction. I managed to raise some money for his charity, which I am really proud of,” said Conant in a recent interview with The Scroll.
Conant first fell in love with art when he was very young. “When I draw, everything around me goes away. My parents will literally have to say my name multiple times before I even realize what they are saying.”
His artwork consists of life-like characters from franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), D.C. Comics, and Star Wars.
In the future, Conant wishes to pursue a career in art. Already, he has taken steps towards his dream as Conant described that he has connections with people who work at Marvel Studios, “…they give me help and advice all the time.”
When asked about his biggest inspirations, Conant responded with Andy Park and Ryan Meinerding. “Andy has designed Black Widow in all the MCU films, and Ryan has designed characters like Thanos, Iron Man, and Captain America. They both work at Marvel Studios and do concept art for the Marvel movies. [That] is my dream job.”
Support Tyler Conant on his Instagram art account: tyler_arts
