Another project that was well worth the effort: A book created with the children who participated in my illustration classes this past year.
The ideas for this class started coming to me last year, when I was working with a different group of students. They were older (from 8 to 11 years), and were very vocal with the complaint that they couldn't draw "the way you're supposed to". I explained that there was not one way of drawing, and we spent several afternoons trying out different ways to illustrate the characters for the Seven Families card game that we were creating. Then we worked on the calligraphy we needed in a similar way.* Even the most recalcitrant of the students became enthusiastic participants. What started out as a challenge turned into a great time!
This year, I had three groups of smaller children (from 2 to 5 years). For a certain number of them, it was difficult even to hold a crayon! And many of them were already saying that they couldn't draw, though they were but 4/5 years old. The challenge was somewhat greater than the year before, it would seem.
I searched and dug around and tested ideas... And the courses that resulted convinced me that the result was worth much more than the effort. The children's joyful squeals (when, for example, a scribble turned into a dog before their very eyes) convinced me, week after week, to keep on trucking'.
This book is the product of the series of illustration classes that I proposed over this last year. If you'd like a PDF or paper version (though the series is limited, so there aren't many of the latter), my contact information is in the upper left-hand corner of this page.
I searched and dug around and tested ideas... And the courses that resulted convinced me that the result was worth much more than the effort. The children's joyful squeals (when, for example, a scribble turned into a dog before their very eyes) convinced me, week after week, to keep on trucking'.
This book is the product of the series of illustration classes that I proposed over this last year. If you'd like a PDF or paper version (though the series is limited, so there aren't many of the latter), my contact information is in the upper left-hand corner of this page.
* I was extremely fortunate to have paricipated in the calligraphy classes of the magnificent master calligrapher, Glen Epstein. Many of his ideas - æsthetic and otherwise - helped me to create the courses I gave over the past two school years. I also owe alot to the illustrator Ed Emberley, who has helped several decades' worth of children around the world to realise that they, too, can illustrate!
A couple of pages from the book:
