Josh Cisneros gets around. You've seen him on shirts, on posters, on billboards and just lying around school. Or rather, you've seen his artwork. Cisneros is one of the most well-recognized artists at W.F. West. His work has been used in many different club and promotional activities. Remember the "Hacking Mr.Nice" poster? Remember the gorrila on the Oktoberfest poster? Those were done by Cisneros.

Cisneros, currently a W.F. West senior, attended Mossyrock High School his freshman year, was homeschooled his sophomore year, and transferred to W.F. West his junior year. His artistic talents have made him something of a celebrity here, though he seems to want to ignore the attention.

Cisneros can draw just about anything, although his preference now is "mostly spies and robots," he said. His subject matter has changed over the years. "First it was airplanes," explained Cisneros, "then it was hot rods, then it was superheros."

His drawing style, mostly black ink, line drawings, is vaguely reminiscent of the "Japanimation" style familiar to Akira and Speed Racer fans.

Cisneros did not always want to be a cartoonist. "In first grade I wanted to be a airplane test pilot," he said. But his artistic interests soon blossomed. "I know that in 3rd grade I wanted to design cars, in 4th and 5th grade I wanted to do T-shirt designs for surf board companies, in 7th and 8th grade I wanted to be a comic book artist."

As he got older, Cisneros had several experiences which piqued his interest in drawing. "I went to San Francisco a couple years ago to the Academy of Art College. They have a communications summer art experience," he said. While in San Francisco, Cisneros met Frank Kozik a San Francisco poster artist. "[He] was a great influence. He showed me I could do that and make money off of it," Cisneros explained.

Cisneros appreciates a variety of artistic genres. He has acted in several plays, most recently the W.F. West production of Cinderella. "I [also] played Mercutio in 8th grade; not a big production, but we had real fencing swords, like you could stab someone and kill them," he said.

Some day, Cisneros would like to try his hand at other artistic projects. "I wanted to sing in a band but I really need to concentrate on my drawing. I'd be interested in directing movies, but first I have to figure out acting." He also has received offers to draw tattoos on several people.

Many people wonder how somebody can become so good at what they do. "I used to not believe in talent," Cisneros said, "but you know, there are things I see people do that I attribute to talent. Maybe it is just beginner's luck becoming skill."

For some examples of Josh's work, please look at the CyberText, Inc. website, where some of his work is on display.