ON BREAK:

Eight-year old Anthony Silva holds a dinosaur in the palm of his right hand. It’s one of his favorite subjects to draw.

“I like to draw animals and all kinds of stuff,” he said.

Drawing is Anthony’s passion, so it’s appropriate that he recently beat out 41 other finalists to win the Daily Pilot’s weather drawing contest. His drawing depicts a surfer on the crest of a wave during a bright and sunny day at the beach.

“I felt like a king,” he said after finding out he had won.

“I’m obviously very proud and happy,” Silva’s father, Craig said. “He really likes it, and he does have some talent.”

Anthony, who is going into the third grade at Newport Elementary School, is diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Drawing helps him overcome his autism without much trouble.

“I like to draw faces, shapes and everything,” Anthony said. “Because I think it’s fun.”

“He’s always been interested in art,” Anthony’s mother, Stacy, said. “It’s a good outlet for him. It’s a good way for him to connect with other people.”

Anthony has created somewhere between “dozens and hundreds” of picture books, often detailing scenes of animals and nature, his mother said. He often makes them for his close friends or other people he knows.

“He uses [his drawings] as a starting block,” Stacy said.

He’s also looking forward to taking after-school classes to further his art skills — he wants to learn how to sculpt clay now.

Though autism can be an obstacle for Anthony at times, it’s something he and his family are able to manage. Anthony’s lighthearted nature helps in the process, too.

“It’s a challenge,” his mother said. “And the kid’s got a heart of gold. If you’re his friend, you’re his friend for life.”

Autistic or not, nothing can hide the smile on Anthony’s face — he was beaming about a piece of candy he received from an employee at the Pilot’s office.

Anthony will be changing schools in the coming weeks, going from Lincoln Elementary in Costa Mesa to Newport Elementary, near the beach. However, he’s not worried about the change; he’s simply looking forward to his new school and the endless opportunities he’ll have to continue his drawing.

“I’m gonna stay at the beach after school,” Anthony said. “I’m gonna make lots of stuff.”