Don't Let Go, by Mike Ciccotello

Do you have a special memory from childhood that you hold dear? Is it your first solo bike ride? Is it playing on a long summer day? Or maybe that time you got hurt while doing something your parents told you not to? Take a minute to think about your memory and the emotion tied to it. 

This year's SCBWI, Tomie dePaola competition, has a beautiful prompt that spoke to me immediately.

... cast yourself, as a child, in a picture book. Show your autobiographical character in a scene and make sure to convey the emotion of your character. The viewer should be able to read the emotion of the character immediately and clearly.

  After I read that, the timeline of my life flashed back to 1981, directly to "my moment."

My mother and father divorced in 1978(ish). My brother was six and I was four. Our mom didn't have much money, she ran her own flower shop in Lindenwold, NJ. She did the best she could with the money she had. She has always been a creative influence, and taught us to respect others and never give up on our dreams.

The setting was a concrete parking area, behind my mother's flower shop. It was our play area while she worked. In the piece, I was dreaming of flying. I was convinced if I had the right positioning and strong enough gust, I would lift off the ground. Of course, I didn't want to leave my mother and brother, but I was curious of exploring the sky. I would have been sure to be home by dinner.

Recently, a friend asked why I didn't take flight in the piece. In situations I am not too sure about, I tend to play it safe. I hold myself back. In a sense, I come back to the safety of my mother, and wait until the time is right. My mother has always said I do everything late, but when I finally decide to move on something, I do it with determination and all of my heart. I am getting into children's literature a little late in the game, but I'm following my dream and I'm not letting go.

Whether you take the time to enter the Tomie dePaola competition or not, I think it's an idea worth exploring for all of us. It was such a meaningful process for me, and who knows, it may be for you too.

Website:  Ciccotello.com 

Facebook:  The Art of Mike Ciccotello 

Twitter: @ciccotello 

Instagram: @ciccotello 

The effect of a picture... By Barbara DiLorenzo

"Girl With A Balloon" By Banksy

Many people begin drawing at an early age because making a mark–whether in mud, on paper, or for the rascally few–on walls, gives such a sense of pleasure. Dragging a bright purple crayon across a white sheet of paper changes the paper forever. Young children, unburdened by realism, see art as the joy of making marks in different colors. This early form of picture making is the first step on the road to becoming creative adults. (Which, I believe we are all capable of becoming, though some plot a course to other passions in life.) Though the marks carry no representational meaning to the audience, the young artist may tell a complex story about who the characters are, and their saga.

As a young person grows, there is a struggle between this joy of simple mark making, and the desire to represent reality. Initially there is delight in drawing something recognizable, even if the figures are stick people. Everyone's path is unique, but many young artists doggedly study how to improve their drafting skills as a primary goal in improving their art.

Somewhere along the line, when an artist has achieved some mastery over drawing, the focus shifts from HOW to draw, to the more meaningful, WHAT to draw. And in this question, we see art become more than a pretty picture. Artists begin to express their personal views–whether funny or dramatic. When the desire to draw something specific falls short of skill, the artist returns to studying the medium again. This balance between technique and concept is important–something all working artists live with regularly.

So why do we have this drive? What is the use of these skills, especially after years and years of struggle? From my experience, my best guess is that pictorial communication was the earliest form of written communication–and is one of the tools we humans have for more efficient survival. Perhaps this is ingrained in us from thousands of years of depending on information derived soley from pictures. I've never been to the caves in Lascaux, France, but I did get to see pictographs by the ancient Puebloans in the Southwest of the United States. Rock paintings of animals were left to communicate with others on the same route, as to where to find food and water. While people must have had a drive to learn how to create these images for communication, people also must have learned to keep their eyes alert for these images.

Art making, then, originated to communicate. Today, fine art is under no obligation to communicate a specific message to everyone. And we have accepted this. But illustration remains obliged to communicate–at least a main message. Subtleties and nuances can be included for some to discover and some to miss, but illustration remains the form of pictorial communication began by our ancient ancestors.

So why bring this up now? After a week where the political climate has been highly charged, and folks are eager to support their causes, I think about pictorial communication and how art-makers can effect change through imagery. For years artists have made posters protesting wars or unfair treatment of people. Artists have also been commissioned to make art for logos and campaigns to sway customers and voters. And of course, in the past designers had the darker purpose of creating graphic design for the Third Reich. This imagery really does what the cliché suggests–replace a thousand words. For better or worse.

Without taking a political stand, I encourage the communicative arts community to make work that expresses their views. My hope, of course, that it is with kindness and love and inclusion. Right now we are walking down the trail with our eyes alert to signs of what's ahead. Unlike our ancient ancestors, we aren't just looking for food and water, but the depth and breadth of our humanity.

Who's BEHIND THE BOOK? by Patricia Keeler

                                                                                                                               © patriciakeeler, Lee and Low Books, 2006

Sagrado Corazón de Dienstag
©Myra Hernandez 2006

It's a good thing Myra Hernandez started her life journey in the mountains of Peru working with a witch doctor, because it takes a kind of magic to put free books in the hands of hundreds of kids below the poverty line.



Last week Myra and I walked into the classroom and every child was holding Julio Leitao's and my book DRUMBEAT IN OUR FEET! I've done school talks before, but seeing that each child was gifted their own book, made the visit unique.

Myra and I helped the students make a water circle where we stepped into a puddle of river water and called out to our ancestors. We painted a dot on every child's wrist in memory of a lost relative. The children acted out a tale from the life of Nzinga, a famous African queen.

                                           Ms. Ramirez's 3rd grade class at PS 46, Edward C. Blum School                        © patriciakeeler

Next week Myra and I are returning to the classroom for a Draw-A-Thon. We are sketching side by side two different images. The children are guessing from our drawings:

1. Which elephant is from Africa? I am sketching an African elephant. Myra is sketching an Asian elephant. (Hint: The little ears are a giveaway.)

                                                                                                                                                                           © patriciakeeler

2. How many types of instruments below are made from gourds? 

                                                                                                                                                                           © patriciakeeler

3. Which animal is a REAL African animal? (Hint: A trick question, but can you name this unique animal?)

                                                                                                                                                                           © patriciakeeler

Answers:
1. Number 1 is an African elephant 

2. Three instruments are made from gourds – shaker, xylophone, and a stringed instrument called a kora or lute

3. Both 1 and 2 are animals found in Africa; animal number 2 is an opaki, a member of the giraffe family

You don't need to be published to help out in New York Public Schools with BEHIND THE BOOK. Volunteers are needed for research or writing or art coaches. Here is a link for more information on BEHIND THE BOOK. www.behindthebook.org 

And if you do a picture book presentation or volunteer, Myra might take you out to lunch!

                                                                                                                                                                           © patriciakeeler Website: www.patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

Facebook:  PatriciaKeelerBooks

Twitter: @patriciakeeler
Instagram: @patriciakeeler

represented by Liza Royce Agency www.lizaroyce.com

The Eleventh Month by Diana Ting Delosh

It's that time to rally one last huge effort before times up. Tick... tick... tick...BOOM! It's November, the eleventh month and a few of us, myself included are prepping for a few final Reviews, Illustrator contests, Events etc. of the year. And to add to the stress there is a major holiday at the end of this month. The clock is definitely ticking. So what to do or not to do?

FRIGHT © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor digital.

Don't try and hide. Feeling overwhelmed and procrastinating only prolongs the inevitable. While I have been inspired by things I see on TV and Twitter, sooner or later you need to sit down and face the work.  It's the fear that it may not come out the way you want or whatever that's making you uncomfortable but the only way to conquer the fear is by working through it.

ZEN RAM © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, watercolor

Find your Zen Mode. When I feel like I'm in a time crunch I make a list. Cross things off the list that aren't MUST DOs. Do I really need a brand new shiny postcard? Do I need to make a real dinner or can we have whatever? Can it wait until after the deadlines?  Simplify the list and breathe easier.

HOT DOG © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor

Juggle or not. Some of us are better than others with multitasking. I'm not. I like to wear blinders and focus.  However I still use a trick from my student days, before I fall asleep I tell myself to dream/or think a solution for whatever I need to be working on next whether it's how to tie up loose ends in the story or how to layout the hand lettering on the current illustration spread. 99% of the time I wake up with a solution of sorts and I'm energized to see if it works.

JESTER PIG © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, watercolor

Dig in and do the work. Sketch, sketch, sketch. Ink, ink, ink. Paint, paint, paint. Write, write write. Pixel by pixel it will get done. If I need to do 16 sketches by (pick an almost impossible date) I divide the number of of sketches that need to be done by the REAL days/hours I have to work with and that's what must be done before I sleep, within reason of course. Allowing that some days will be naturally more prolific than others. Pass the caffeine and chocolate.

DIGGING DOG © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor

And that's all folks. Now back to the studio and drawing board for me.

In case you missed it, I was recently interviewed by Dana Carey on the SUB IT CLUB. Take a peek and read  The Postcard Post: Diana Ting Delosh.

Web: dianadelosh.com

blog: dtdelosh.blogspot.com

twitter: @dtdelosh

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