SHAPES #151

Happy March! Thanks for visiting. Download Activity #151 here!

If you/your child would like to be included in my RESULTS post, please send your completed activity sheet by Monday, March 25th (be sure to include your name + age along with a name for each character). Check back on Friday, March 29th to learn where these shapes came from!

RESULTS #150

Happy Friday, friends! Thank you for visiting. How did character creating go for you this month? Did you sketch on your own or with family/friends?

Let’s talk about inspiration! Where did February’s shapes come from?

Detroit’s Murals in the Market (rebranded as Murals in Islandview)!

This month, we wanted to learn about local artists. So, I did some research and had no idea this colorful block existed in Detroit. These paintings are part of an annual mural festival that moved from Eastern Market to Islandview last year (do you have murals in your town?).

Thirty artists participated and were asked to color up the exterior walls of the new DTE substation (an electric system facility) located on this corner. We drove to Beaufait Street on a Sunday afternoon and zoomed in on four different paintings after circling the block many times (because all of the artwork was a treat to see!).

This first piece is by Painter and Installation Artist, Mieyoshi Ragernoir. This artist creates paintings that celebrate “the connections of people, heritage, and joy; predominantly portraits highlighting the radiance of Black femininity.”

The second is by Illustrator, Jabriel Najjar, who specializes in vector art. “He executes all his pieces with meticulously clean and intentional line work. He pushes his work further by being mindful of not getting stuck in one place and continues to explore other creative options.”

Next, is Artist and Designer, Tony Whlgn who has a background in Digital and Fine Art. I learned that Tony created a mural last summer for Neiman Marcus’s “Leading with Love” campaign at Somerset.

Last, is Detroit-based abstract Visual Artist, India Solomon. “India paints as a means of wayfinding, releasing, and channeling a more grounded version of the present.”

Now, for shapes! I focused on specific areas first…

…then selected shapes that interested me. Do you see them? Look for the white patches.

This month was especially exciting because I received an activity sheet from Audry! Thank you for sharing your characters with me! Here is a before and after look at her sheet…

I love how Audrey experimented with all kinds of designs! Each drawing is thoughtful and vibrant. She also added some wonderful details. Not only do we see how the third shape becomes Ariel, but she’s also holding a flower in her hand. Thank you for sharing your activity sheet with us, Audrey! I hope you had fun drawing!

Let’s take a closer look at each design so we can really appreciate Audrey’s work!

Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

And Shape 4…

Sending big high-fives to you, Audrey!

Sharing my pencil doodles for this month below...

I hope you enjoyed today’s post! A new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet will be available to download on Monday, March 4th. If you’d like your designs to be included in my RESULTS post next month, send them my way by Monday, March 25th. See you then!

SHAPES #150

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! Download February’s CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet here.

If you would like your characters to be included in my RESULTS post, please send a completed activity sheet by Monday, February 19th. Be sure to give each character a name! Happy Creating!

RESULTS #149

Happy Friday!

Thank you for stopping by on RESULTS day! Did you create characters this month?

Let’s begin with inspiration. Where did these shapes come from? Did they look familiar to you?

I collected each shape during a September trip to Milkwood Farm! You can learn about this magical creative retreat founded by author-illustrator, Sophie Blackall here.

Being at Milkwood felt rejuvinating. Each room was filled with inspiration, from the collection of sketchbooks in the dining room (featuring horses drawn by visitors) to the spunky kidpool-loving-ducks outside. I knew shapes for this activity would be easy to find during my stay.

So let’s take a look…

Top Left: Collection of artwork made by Sophie Blackall, Top Right: Painted duck on my room door, Bottom Left: View from the porch, Bottom Right, Painted petals by Sophie at the top of the staircase.

Here’s what that painted staircase petal looked like in context…

One of my favorite Milkwood experiences was noticing how every surface served as a home to something else. Each room brimmed with thoughtfulness and made the space feel extra cozy. Have you ever visited a place that felt that way to you?

This week I received activity sheets from my spectaculor character-creating team, Barb and her 9-old son, Evan! Thank you for sharing your designs with me, friends! Aren’t they amazing? I love how Evan created actual scenes around his characters! Notice how the 4th character is using the shape as monkey bars. How clever! He even added a few more climbing shapes to the right. It feels like a story is in the works!

Let’s zoom in. Click on the image below to see each character.

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

and Shape 4…

What did you think? If you created characters this month, were your designs similiar to ours or completley different?

I hope you join us next month! Download Activity sheet #150 Monday, February 5th. Thanks for stopping by today!

SHAPES #149

Happy New Year, friends!

Welcome to the CREATE A CHARACTER blog, where you can download a monthly activity sheet for your family! Since this creativity exercise will be 10 years old this year (June!), I’ve redesigned the logo and monthly activity sheet!

These two characters represent how this activity began: me (a parent) drawing characters with my kids nearly every week.

Even though we were working with the same shapes, our individual designs were always different! Which was the best part! The CREATE A CHARACTER Activity celebrates creativity, originality and the safe, supportive spaces ideas are shared in.

I hope you’ll create characters with your child (and me!) this month! Download Activity sheet #149 here. Check back on Friday, January 26th, to learn where these shapes came from! I’ll be sharing my results too! Send your completed sheet my way by Monday, January 22nd if you’d like to be included in my RESULTS post. Until then, Happy Creating!

RESULTS #148

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by today. If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a delightful weekend. Did you squeeze in some character creating with your child this month? If so, I hope you enjoyed the experience!

It was a busy month for us. Our family was on the go after Christmas, so I sketched designs…on the road! I experimented with this month’s activity using Procreate (which I’m still learning!).

Before characters are revealed, let’s talk about inspiration. If you are new to the CREATE A CHARACTER blog, I’ve been pulling shapes from our summer trip to France since September. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about our stops along the way! Next month, I’m moving on to a new source of inspiration and can’t wait to share that experience with you (newsletter subscribers learned about it this month).

Scroll through the images to spot shapes from this month’s activity sheet…

TOP LEFT: A ceramic store in Montmartre, TOP RIGHT: an accordian player and his cat! BOTTOM LEFT: a purse from the Christian Dior Gallery display, BOTTOM RIGHT: Stained glass windows from The Church of Saint Joan of Arc in Rouen.

Here is a before and after look at my Activity sheet…

My theme was “Anything goes!”

My first shape is…a small DOG.

Shape 2 is…a pink CAT.

Shape 3 is…a white-beaked BIRD.

And Shape 4 is a….I’m not sure! What does this creature look like to you?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had fun creating characters this month. Check back on January 8th, to download Activity sheet #149.

Until then, keep creating together!

RESULTS #147

Welcome to RESULTS DAY!

If you’re new to the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity, shapes from September - November’s sheets originated from our family trip to France this summer.

We soaked up as much as we possibly could in Paris. Every day we walked/took the metro to at least 2-3 major sites. The shapes from Activity sheet #147 came from objects/places we saw during the first few days of our trip. Let’s take a closer look…

Top left: I enjoyed our “Le petit déjeuner” (petite breakfast) each morning. My very favorite part was the miniature wrapped sugar cubes I used in my coffee. It was a refreshing break from the loose sugar I would normally add to my mug at home! Top right: Arc de Triomphe. Lower left: brick wall from our hotel. Lower right: 18th century painting in the Louvre by Jacques-Louis David titled, Madame de Verninac.

This is what my Activity sheet looked like before and after my designs…

Can you tell what my theme was?

Turtlenecks!

When I looked at the first shape it made me think of someone trying to pull down a tall turtleneck sweater. So, that became my approach for the remaining shapes! This was the question I asked myself before each sketch: What kind of turtleneck-wearing character can I create from this shape? Let’s take a closer look at Shape 1. Click on the image to see my design…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

And Shape 4. This one was tough! I experimented with two designs and thought the last one looked much better. Which one is your favorite?

I hope you enjoyed this month’s Activity sheet! Download a new set of shapes on Monday, December 4th. Happy Creating!

RESULTS #146

Welcome to Results Day! Did you create characters with your child this month? If so, I hope it fostered a few fun conversations and lots of connection.

Let’s begin with inspiration. My favorite part! Last month you learned about our big summer trip to France. I pulled shapes from our first stop, Annecy, in last month’s Activity sheet.

This month, the shape collecting continues with the next leg of our trip…Paris! We took a train from Annecy to Paris (just under 4 hours) and arrived on a cool but sunny, Sunday afternoon. We used our Paris Pass for the first time on this popular attraction…the Eiffel Tower!

Clockwise from top left: Eiffel Tower, view from the 2nd Level: Champ-de-Mars Arena (where the 2024 Paris Olympics will be!), pattern from a quilt in our hotel room, a Haussmann style building (popular type of architecture in Paris)

This month I waited until the last week to create characters! You’ll find out where most of my time went on November 1st, if you follow me on Instagram. Just pencil sketches to share today.

These shapes were tough! Do you agree? I began with the 1st one, which looked like the top view of a person flying. It reminded me of Wendy in Peter Pan, when the kids traveled to Neverland. Click the image below to see my sketch…

I wondered if I could use “flying” as my theme for the rest of the characters. I tried to apply that approach to the other shapes…but, it just didn’t work out.

So, I kept trying. The discovery I made during that exploration was thinking about parts of the sky, instead. Maybe these characters could be dressed up in sky-inspired Halloween costumes? After that, the rest of my characters came together. Check out my UFO character below…

I know. That one was a stretch. But, this activity is all about having fun and not getting hung up on ideas that aren’t perfect. I do adore the next characters though! These three siblings are dressed up like a…cumulous cloud for Halloween!

I changed the shape quite a bit for that costume to work! Which is absolutely okay!

I’ll give you a few clues on my last costume. It is something in the sky that is warm, bright and helps us form vitamin D3!

The sun!

Did you enjoy this month’s characters? Were you able to come up with a theme to tie all of your designs in? Or did they not relate at all? There is no right way to create characters with this activity!

Thanks again for stopping by, friends! A new Activity sheet will be available to download on Monday, November 6th. Until then, keep creating!

SHAPES #146

Happy October 2nd!

A new batch of shapes are ready for you and your child to draw on! Use pencils, crayons, markers or any other fun medium and create characters (along with me!) this month. If you’d like your designs to be included in my RESULTS post, send your completed Activity sheet to me by Monday, October 23rd. Check back on Friday, October 27th, to learn where these shapes came from!

Download Activity #146 here.

Happy Creating!

RESULTS #145

Happy Friday! It is Results Day!

If you are new to this blog, Results Day does not mean “answer” day. When you complete an Activity sheet on your own…your designs are the answers! That is the best part about this monthly practice.

I share my results because I have a hard time coming up with characters too sometimes! It’s more important to TRY versus give up on idea-making though : ) If you don’t love your characters, it’s still okay to share.

Did you have fun with Activity sheet #145 this month? Did your characters relate in some way? Or were they completley different? My theme was MAMA MONSTERS & TOTS: First Day of School (find them below).

Before designs are unveiled, let’s talk about inspiration first. Where did these four shapes come from? Our big family vacation to…France! It was our 20th anniversary this summer and our son was leaving for college in the fall (for the first time!).

I wanted to share a few of the sites we visited so pulled particular shapes from places along the way. I’ll be referencing our trip in October and November as well.

This month we’re taking a closer look at Annecy, also known as the “Venice of the Alps”. It is located in the southeast corner of France, about 50 mts from Geneva (we actually landed there and took a bus to Annecy). The pictures below focus on details that make this historic city feel charming and tranquil.

We found radiating cobblestone streets everywhere, spotted the French Alps tucked between buildings every corner we turned, gazed up at cathedrals with vaulted ceilings and strolled alongside (and over), calming canals.

Joining me today, is mom + son duo, Barb and Evan! Thank you for sharing your Activity sheets with me!

Here’s a look at our completed sheets…

Evan (age 9), Barb, Amy

Let’s zoom in on each Shape #1…(click the image to scroll through)

Shape #2…

Shape #3…

and Shape #4…

What did you think of our characters? Were they similiar to yours?

I hope you enjoyed this month’s CREATE A CHARACTER Activity results! Download a new set of shapes Monday, October 2nd and create characters with your kids! Thanks for visiting today!

SHAPES #145

Welcome! Thank you for visiting this month!

I’m excited to be back. If your child has returned to school (best wishes to your family during this busy time!), the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity is a fun way to stay connected. Getting verbal downloads may be tough if you’re asking your child questions about their day. However, more insight may trickle in during drawing time together.

Download Activity #145 here.

What characters do you see? Happy Creating!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #104

Thank you for stopping by and trying out an archived CREATE A CHARACTER activity sheet this month. Was it easy or tough for you/your child to come up with characters? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

You can read my detailed post and find colored designs here.

On a personal note, our family went through a sad loss recently. I’m stepping away from the blog in July and August to gain some downtime. You can print previously published Activity sheets in the “Archive” section. Or create characters alongside past Guest Artists, like Steve Light or Debbie Ridpath Ohi. I’ll check back in on Monday, September 4th with an update.

Until then, take care friends and keep creating.

REVISITING SHAPES #104

Happy Shape Day!

Thank you for visiting! This month we are revisiting Activity sheet #104. You can download it here. What do you see?

If you’d like to share your characters, send me your completed Activity sheet (with character names!) by Monday, June 26th. Results will be posted Friday, June 30th.

Enjoy!

RESULTS #144

Happy Friday! It is RESULTS Day. I’m so glad you stopped by.

If you are new to the CREATE A CHARACTER blog, Welcome! This month I’m sharing a different approach to creating characters. Maybe you’ve already discovered it yourself!

Let’s begin with inspiration. Where did Activity sheet #144 shapes come from?

Quebec City!

Last summer, by daughter attended a French immersion camp. She stayed for one week, which meant there was no point in me driving 13 hours back home (and returning a few days later). Not only did I have uninterrupted quiet time to work on a new picture book idea (which I loved), but I did some exploring too! Can you spot the shapes below?

Top left: Gothic church, Top right: Old Town Quebec City, Bottom left: shop in Quartier Petit Champlain, Bottom right: a St. Roch pastry shop my daughter and I stopped in one day (and devoured a delicious chocolate treat!)

My shapes for this month’s Activity sheet!

When it was time to create characters, I gave myself a break. This month has been busy. I finally zipped up a new picture book submission (the one I worked on during this trip!). On the family front, my son is graduating from high school and my mom has been in the hospital for the past two weeks. Feeling pressed and emotionally exhausted, I modified my approach to character creating. It is similar to the way Guest Artist, Sabina Hahn, completed her sheet a few years ago. This made my monthly activity do-able, even when my creativity felt max’ed out. Let me know what you think!

I cut my shapes out.

I arranged them in a way that felt meaningful to me.

I added details to finish the scene. I call this “Visiting”. Something I’ve been doing a lot of.

That is it. Super simple characters for May. Does this approach resonate with you?

Give it a try with your child next month! Stop by on Monday, June 5th and download a new Activity sheet!

Thank you for visiting, friends.

RESULTS #143

Happy Friday!

It is RESULTS Day! Thanks for checking in. I hope you had fun creating characters this month.

Let’s begin with where Activity sheet shapes came from…Florida!

I didn’t have time to explore and collect shapes this month (still catching up on picture book making due to School Visits) so I used pictures from a trip we took last year. It was fun digging back through my photos! We spent a lot of time exploring during our trip. It rained the majority of the time which meant, no beach for us (has that happened to you before too?). We filled our days with museum visits and nature centers. And today, I get to share a few highlights with you!

I collected shapes from…the Clearwater Beach boardwalk, The Dalí Musuem in St. Petersburg, the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa and Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Have you visited any of these places before?

Top left: an amusing pelican on the Clearwater Beach boardwalk, a 1969 Picasso painting titled, The kiss, on exhibit at The Dali Museum, a ceramic flask at the Henry B. Plant Museum (1892), ceramic tiles from the Mediterranean-style mansion, El Retiro, in Bok Gardens, (built 1929).

Here’s a quick look at what the Activity sheet #143 looked like once I added shapes…

My favorite mom and son team, Barb & Evan, joined me this month! They shared their Activity sheets and I had so much fun looking at their characters. Let’s take a peek!

Barb’s Activity sheet.

Evan’s Activity sheet (age 9).

Mine!

Now, let’s zoom in!

Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

and Shape 4…

Did you like seeing all of the different characters we came up with?

You can join us next month! Download a new Activity sheet on Monday, May 1st. Thanks for stopping by today! Keep creating!

SHAPES #143

Welcome!

A new batch of shapes are ready for you and your child! What characters can you create together?

Download Activity Sheet #143 here. Check back on Friday, April 28th for my results and shape inspiration! If you’d like to be included in my post, send your completed Activity sheets my way by Monday, April 24th. Have fun!

RESULTS #142

Happy Friday!

It is Results Day! Did you create characters with your child this month? If so, I hope it was a refreshing break from your daily routine!

This month is National Reading Month and school visits have kept me quite busy. It has been such an honor visiting schools and getting to know students (find a couple pics from a visit below). With planning, prepping, printing and packing going on, I’m sharing pencil sketches only this month.

Talking about physical traits and…

…personality traits with kids!

Let’s begin with inspiration! Where did my shapes come from?

Top Left: Dog park outside of our Brooklyn hotel, Top Right: building detail in Albany, Bottom Left: The Egg!, Bottom Right: a healthy Gerber daisy we returned home to

I collected March’s shapes during a recent college visit trip. My son is a senior this year! And we spent a weekend visiting campuses in New York last month. Have you seen The Egg before?

Here is a Before and After look at my activity sheet…

Now a closer look at characters! My theme was “Looking up!” Every character is looking up at something. What do you think they see?

Here we go with Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

And Shape 4…

Thanks for reading! What characters did you discover?

A new activity sheet will be available to download on Monday, April 3rd. I hope to see you then!