Magic Toaster Response

Tiff just had her class write responses to the Magic Toaster creative writing prompt.  Pretty much all of the stories were fantastic but there were a few stand out illustrations that I wanted to share with you.

Sock Monkey Toaster is totally rocking.

This is an amazingly well put together (and legible) comic for a 5th grader.  Betrayal!

And this Rainbow Toaster makes me laugh.  Probably because I hear a slide whistle sound effect in my mind when I look at the second panel.

Tiff's class is getting really good at this.  They've had a lot of practice.

Will Strong Recommends - Bookie Woogie

A blog you should know about:  http://bookiewoogie.blogspot.com/

The Bookie Woogie blog is one of the most clued in reviewers of children's lit around.  Why is that?  Because the reviews are done by actual children (with some assistance from their illustrator father.)  Isaac, Gracie, Lily and Elijah (assisted by Aaron Zenz) post conversational reviews that give some fantastic insight into what kids really like in their books.

If you create stories or illustrations for children I highly recommend their site.

Also check out Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty for some fantastic art created by these kids.  Super creative and fun stuff there.  Honestly it's one of my very favorite blogs.

New Creative Writing Prompt: Best Tree House Ever

This week's Creative Writing Prompt:

Preliminary reports from Tiff's Classroom show that the kids really like this one.  I have photographic evidence.

Note the intense concentration on the faces of the kids that hadn't yet realized that the camera had been taken out.  It's the look of someone deciding between putting in a water slide, rope ladder or elevator in that spot.  That intense look of concentration is the mark of a quality product, though it is short lived.  Most 5th Graders go all cheese ball as soon as they realize they are being photographed and that just can't be helped.

I'm really digging this writing prompt thing.  It's so much fun.  More to come.

Will Strong Recommends Danny The Champion of the World

The book that Tiff assigned to her 5th grade class as summer reading this year is Danny the Champion of the World.  I hadn't ever read it so I picked it up.  And this book is fantastic.  One of Roald Dahl's many great works, I think Danny gets overshadowed by James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which is a shame.

There aren't any giants or special powers or magic of any kind in this book.  All this book really is, is a simple story of a boy and his father.  They are simple folk.  It's a simple story.  But it's so well written that it's incredibly endearing and heartwarming without being preachy at all.

One of the assignments that Tiff had her class do was to draw a picture of Danny's home.  One kid in the class, Mary, told Tiff, "I don't think I did the assignment right.  I painted it."  Well let me tell you Mary, that you did it more than right.  You rocked it.

Keep up the good work kids.

Crayons

At my art show last week (pictures coming soon) I had a special kid's table.  On the table I had a bunch of coloring pages set out for the kids to draw on and a box of Crayola Crayons (48 colors.)  I made the pages to match my artwork that was hanging on the walls.  It was a pretty big hit with the kids.  At the end of the night there were some pages left behind so I figure I should show everybody.

I think those kids did a great job.  Maybe I should make more coloring pages and post them on my website.  Would anybody download those and use them?

First Graders are Fun

Since I graduated from BYU just a bit ago I've been trying to start up my illustration career.  But on the days that I don't have illustration jobs (which is quite a few because I don't have an art rep yet) I moonlight as substitute teacher.  Today I subbed for a class full of first graders which was really fun and way different than subbing for 5th and 6th graders.  

Throughout the day we read a bunch of different stories about space, astronauts and the solar system.  At the end of the day every kid got to make a planet of their very own and paint said planet with good ol' Crayola watercolors.  On the back of the planet each kid wrote a description of their planet.

Here's mine:

6th Grade Vocabulary Comics

Last week I visited my wife's 6th grade class to teach them about how comics work.  We talked about juxtaposition and the power of closure and audience participation.  They understood it all pretty well.  Then each kid made their own short comic using their vocabulary words.  (You might notice a lot of repeating words like chameleon and dehydrated.)

I think they did a pretty good job.

Korean Hamsters in Various Costumes

A couple of days ago I visited my wife's 6th grade class to help out a bit and listen to a really cool lecture on space by Dr. Ed Gholdston of NASA (but that's another story.)  After the lecture I was sitting in the back of the class drawing zombies as I sometimes do.  While drawing I was being watched by a student named Skyler.  He told me that he likes to draw hamsters.  I asked him to draw one for me.  So he did.  

I give you "Hamster in a Santa Suit."

Skyler first saw this hamster on some Korean stationary that his brother (currently residing in Korea) sent to him.  Skyler likes to dress up the hamster in all kinds of costumes.

Add a sombrero and a maraca and you have "Hamster South of the Border, Down Portugal Way."

I love it.