Thomas Pringle’s eyes gleam through his black, thick framed glasses as he carefully sketches every ridge of R2-D2’s body onto a large sheet of paper.

The 75-year-old traces over his first set of lines, but realizes the pencil is running dull. He sizes up his various drawing materials and grabs a newly sharpened pencil.

“Everything I do, I try to do as perfect as I can,” Pringle said slowly, while drawing over the same line repeatedly.

Although his eye for detail may not seem unusual, Pringle is not your ordinary studio artist. Afflicted with a mild form of cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination, Pringle sometimes has difficulty expressing himself with words.

At the Creativity Explored (CE) studio in Potrero Hill, a nonprofit visual art center for adults with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and schizophrenia, Pringle and other disabled artists are given an opportunity to communicate—what would be harder to convey with words—through art.

“I like it here because I can do my artwork,” said Pringle, whose work is being showcased in CE’s latest exhibit, “Super Heroes Super Villains.”

The gallery, which will run until Nov. 21, features images of super heroes and their foes illustrated by the disabled artists. The idea behind the exhibit came from 12 year CE volunteer and curator E. Francis Kohler, 45, who realized that most people link both heroes and disabled persons with common stereotypes.

“It is interesting to see the different portrayal of characters through [the artists’] eyes,” said Kohler.

With his two previous shows, “Revenge of Monsters” in 2003 and “Monsters Show” in 2005, efforts were focused on rehashing classic fiendish figures from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s and showcasing the artists’ interpretations of what they considered “a monster.”

“There is a historical relationship with disability and monsters,” said Kohler. “The exhibits are meant to give disabled artists a place to explore their creativity.”

Since then, the artists have spent the last two years transforming the CE studio and reinterpreting famous and infamous characters from comic book history.

“It’s nice for [the artists] to have two years to take their time,” said Kohler. “This way, it gives them time to change and enhance their work if they want to.”

Warren Jee, 36, has a more severe case of cerebral palsy than Pringle. He is unable to speak or communicate without a computer device, confined to an electronic wheelchair and his ability to draw is limited because he can’t fully extend his wrist.

“[Jee] takes a long time and is slow, but very articulate,” said Kohler.

Jee usually uses computer programs to create text and images related to his thoughts, feeling and queries. In addition to giving artists like Pringle and Jee a chance to create and exhibit their art, CE has set up a system so that the artists can sell their work too, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to artists and 50 percent to help fund the non-profit organization.

Jee’s “Batgirl,” an image of a curvaceous brunette woman dressed in a purple bodysuit with bright yellow wings, was one of the first pieces of Super Heroes Super Villians to be sold for $300 dollars. The news of the sale suddenly created a big smile across Jee’s usual, motionless face.

In addition to Jee and Pringle’s work, other images done by CE’s studio artists zoom across walls, spread along columns and floors, while character cutouts and three brightly colored capes appear in a small window display.

Cape artist Ann Yamasaki created one of the three capes entitled “Park Ranger.” Her vivid green cape was made using an appliqué technique, where one layer of fabric is placed over another layer and then sewn in place. Yamasaki sewed a potpourri of turtles, birds, and other animals onto her cape.

“I like to draw animals and work with clay,” said Yamasaki, 36, who has mild mental retardation.

But Kohler says Yamasaki always works hard on her projects, even taking her efforts beyond the studio and into her home. For the exhibit, she had assigned herself homework and created extra artwork, painting words like “WHACK!” and “CLUNK!” on circle carpets to add to the “Super Heroes Super Villains” exhibition.

“She is somewhat an over-achiever,” said Kohler.

Alongside the artwork, quotes from Franny Howes’ 35-page essay “The Superhero and The Supercrip: An Interrogation of Disability in Super Hero Discourse” were displayed in text panels to add to the comic book theme.

“The quotes address issues really specifically to the real world of disability,” said Kohler.

“It is important to recognize them for their efforts,” said Corinna Leung, a junior child and adolescent development major, 21. “[Disabled persons] are just as capable as any non-disabled, presenting their talent in their own way.”

For more information, please visit www.creativityexplored.org.