Artists

 Artists in Teen Fiction

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 

• Melinda uses art to deal with an emotional trauma

Shark Girl by  Kelly Binghm

• Jane must learn to use her left hand to draw after her right arm is amputated.

Total Constant Order by Crissa Jean Chappell

• Art: Graffiti
• See also: Mother-Daughter Relationship, Medication/Therapy
• Fin meets up with Thayer, a graffiti artist, who is also on medication.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

• Alice has always been interested in art, but she discovers glass blowing after taking a workshop.

A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

• Pub Date: 2008
• High school interest
• See also: Long Lost Parents, BFF Trouble, Mother-Daughter Relationships
• Art: Photography
• Ruby gets interested in photography when her mom gives her an old Polaroid camera.

Harley Like a Person by Cat Bauer

• Harley searches for her birth father and connects with art.

Better Than Running at Night by Hilary Frank

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

• Art: Photography

I am J by Cris Beam

• Art: Photography

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

• Pub Date: 2015
• High school interest
• Art: Drawing & Graffiti 
• See also: Losing Virginity, Long Lost Parent 
• Two teen artists meet & fall in love.

You're Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner

• Pub Date: 2017
• Diversity: Deaf South Asian-American protagonist with two moms
• Art: Graffiti  
• See also: LGBT Parents 
• I wrote about it: Frame and Canvas 
• Teen graffiti artist gets into a tag war.

Crazy Messy Beautiful by Carrie Arcos

• Pub Date: 2017
• Diversity: Latino protagonist
• I wrote about it: Frame and Canvas 
• Teen artist learns about love and friendship while working on a mural project.

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

• Pub Date: 2017
• Diversity: African-American protagonist
• Middle and high school interest 
• Art: Collage 
• I wrote about it: Frame and Canvas
• See also: Coaches/Mentors 
• A teen collage artist explores race and her place in the world through art.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

• Pub Date: 2009
• Art: Collage
• Middle and high school interest 
• See also: Beauty/Self Image 

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

• Pub Date: 2017
• High School Interest
• Art: Comic book art 
• Diversity: Indian-American characters
• See also: Post-High School, Marriage, Multiple Narrators, Post High School, Competition, Goal Oriented Girls
• Rishi plans to be an engineer, but his passion is comic book art.

Mad Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

• Pub Date: 2014
• High school interest 
• See also: Historical, Goal Oriented Girls, Marriage, Forbidden Romance
• Victoria Darling is determined to pursue an art career and be independent at a time when this wasn't typical for women. 

Hole in the Middle by Kendra Fortmeyer

• Pub Date: 2018
• High school interest
• Morgan uses art to express her uneasiness with her unique body. 

The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena

• Pub Date: 2019
• High school interest
• Susan loves art, but her parents don't want her to pursue it as anything but a hobby.