Venezuelan teenager sells drawings on Twitter to buy food

Mendoza looks at a picture of a Pokemon on his computer before drawing it, at his home in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. The 14-year-old has been selling his drawings on his Twitter account to help the family get by. Photo: AP

Samuel Andrés Medina carefully chooses from dozens of coloured pencils spread out on his kitchen table, humming a reggaeton song as he deftly applies contrast to the Dragon Ball anime character taking shape on his sketch pad.

It is not just a pastime anymore for the 14-year-old. Without his mother's knowledge, he began selling his drawings on his Twitter page to help the family get by and to pay for a special diet doctors say he needs in Venezuela's troubled economy.