Presentations

The Animal Parts presentation takes the beginning reader and inspires them to look at books and illustration in a whole new way. By demonstrating drawing, encouraged by the students' suggestions, I draw different animals combined with other animals to create new life forms on the page. I also like to show a little bit of the creative process for illustrations.

The creative process is emphasized in this grade level program.  By using visual aids such as original thumbnail sketches, pencil sketches and finished art, the students then begin to see how a book is created from text to printed book.

They always like to see the process of drawing, so I introduce them to basic drawing skills with

shapes and concepts for an illustrated page.

 Since students in these grade levels are more interested in the process of art, my presentation differs a bit from the younger students' activities. In this presentation, we discuss illustration as a visual storytelling medium. By showing illustrations from concept to finish, the students observe a broader view of illustration and how it can enhance a picture book's qualities. Please read my blog about a graphic novel residency.  I think those lessons would work well for this age group. 

I taught illustration at Mississippi State University for nine years.  My students worked with techniques and concepts on a very finished level. The program I have in mind for an artist-in-residence program is to take the students from a written text, sketch out ideas for the illustrated page and to proceed to finished art. Through this exercise, the students gain the experience of taking a written concept such as a narrative and creating a visual world where the characters can exist.

Library science university presentations are a favorite of mine because the students love books. This presentation invites students into the creative process of the book. It includes working with various media to expose the students to the artistic approach to illustration.

Over the years, I've given presentations and was the keynote speaker at several SCBWI conferences and children't book festivals. These are some of my favorite because there a folks there who love children's books as much as I do.