danettegile HD

Hi, I’m Sophie. Eighteen years old, first-year student, and quietly obsessed with painting.

I’ve always wanted to catch the things most people walk past — the way light sits on someone’s shoulder, the mood of an empty corridor, the small pause between one moment and the next. I work mostly with watercolours and soft pastels, trying to turn fleeting feelings into something you can look at twice. I like staying behind the work, but every now and then I catch myself wishing I could step into one of my own pictures.

University feels nothing like school. The freedom is exciting and a little terrifying at the same time. No one tells you whether to wake up before sunrise for the best light, stay up until three finishing a piece, or simply walk the city with a sketchbook until your legs hurt. Some days I feel almost adult. Other days was gently pushed out the door with the words, “Go on. Try. See what happens.”

My favourite time is early morning on campus — soft light, long shadows, people moving slowly with coffee cups in their hands. My bag is always heavy: sketchbook, a tin of watercolours, three good brushes, a small bottle of water, and a notebook full of colour notes and…