I Love Being an Illustrator...

I LOVE what I do...

Today was a wonderful reminder of why I love being a creative soul who makes pictures for her job.  It was an early morning and somewhat dicey weather as I left Moncton just after 6:30 to drive up to Chipman, New Brunswick for two days of school visits through our Provincial Writers In The Schools Program.  It  had begun to snow just as I got on the highway and roads got slippery about halfway there, but I took my time.  The scenery into rural New Brunswick was amazing as I drove past farm fields or forests of trees draped in snow.  Logging trucks coming the other way made me keep my eyes on the road.

I arrived at the school safely just after O Canada and had time before the scheduled class visits to do an enrichment session with a dozen of the children at the school who love to draw. What a treat to get them to practice using their imaginations with 8 different exercises.  I also swore them to secrecy about how tall I was...

When the first class came in, I was sitting down in front of the Smartboard on a chair and they arranged themselves on the carpet in the middle of the room.  I welcomed them, told them who I was and what I did for my job.  I explained that illustrators often have to draw things that don’t exist... like purple cows wearing roller skates... or a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a tutu.. or a hippo making a snow angel.  At that point, I explain how an illustrator needs to use their imagination and think about how things look.  I choose the smallest child in the class and ask them to come to the front of the world.

“Suppose a squirrel makes a snow angel...” I explain and I ask the child how they make snow angels.  I get them to stand with their arms out wide, ready to make a snow angel.  I explain that the squirrel’s tail would also make another part of the snow angel that humans don’t have in theirs.  Then I smile.  “I would be more of a GIRAFFE making a snow angel!” I say as I stand up from my chair....way up!  I am 6’5” without the heels and 6’8” with them.  I wave my long arms and legs about with a smile as the children gasp and the little victim.. er... volunteer stares up at me in amazement.  I send my “squirrel” back to their place and begin to ask them about hippos.  I explain that I can’t borrow a real hippo from the zoo, so I need to think about what makes hippos different as an animal.  Basically, they have tiny arms and legs, big noses and big bums.... so they make DEEP snow angels.  Then I show them the painting I did for my grandmother who loved hippos (I’ll add it to this blog once I get home).

The rest of the session is spend talking about how illustrators and authors come up with ideas by asking “What If?” and then, after the power point talk, I use my tablet to draw a quick, interactive doodle with each class where I give the kids crazy choices and they vote by raising their hands to guide what our picture turns out to be.

I save each class file as a .jpg and once I get home, I will redraw each class picture then resend it to the school to play with.

I really, really. REALLY love my job!

Tomorrow, I get to go speak to Middle and High school students about what is it like having a “nontraditional” career.... I can’t wait!

Saying Goodbye to A Year... and My Dad.

In my other blogs, I posted my thoughts and goodbyes to my Dad, but while cleaning off the hard drive as part of my year’s end activities this morning, I found a few of the illustrations that I’d made for a Father’s Day iPhoto book for my father a few years ago.  Since this blog is supposed to be the place to share my drawings, I thought I’d tuck them here.

Sing or Talk to your Kids at Bedtime...

One of my earliest memories is my Dad singing me a lullaby at night, a tradition I carried on with my own girls.  Reading, talking, praying or spending time with your children as often as you can before they go to sleep is something that will give them roots and love as they grow.  This is becoming a bit more of a challenge as they hit their tweens and teens and like to read in bed on their own, but I will eventually find the new balance that keeps us close but respects their changing desires for more independence.

Always Reach For Your Dreams...

My Dad was the ultimate, impulsive dreamer.  I learned that spark of believing that almost nothing is impossible from him, but thankfully also got  the practical planning necessary to accomplish goals from my Mom!  Encourage your kids to follow their dreams!  Too often, grownups explain in very practical terms why certain impossible dreams could never work.  Instead, why not give them the tools or help they need to try to see if they could make their dreams a reality (within reason and budget of course) because they just may surprise you!

Happy New Year Everyone! Keep Dreaming and Doodling!

Trying to give back when you were given to...

Sometimes... I have to draw it instead of say it.  I tied this into my Inhaling Creativity blog, but when I heard the sad news yesterday, I thought in pictures first.

This song was one of the first recordings I remember listening to where I understood the words.  It also was the fist song that made me want to create something so that I could re-work an ending to a story.

When I was little, I thought that Puff was sparkly blue or pink until I realized that people always seem to associate those colours with gender, which this dragon has never needed.

Goodbye Mary.  I am thankful that your creativity and music made a difference in my life... and that is really what Art is all about.

Learning From Kids...

Part of the Grade 4 and 5 curriculum is a component in Health where the kids have to fill out sheets about themselves.  I have seen several variations on this theme and blogged about it on Friday in my Inhaling Creativity blog.  

Since this blog is a place where I can show off my doodles, I thought it was worth posting here too...

Luckily, this page turned out better than the cooking adventure I wrote about there.  Maybe I can turn that into a children’s book idea someday... I will be able to picture the grimaces on my family’s faces for quite some time!