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!

SHAPES #142

Hello there!

Are you ready to create fun, new characters this month with your child? Download a new Create A Character Activity sheet here! Be sure to give your characters a name!

Check back on Friday, March 31st, to see my inspiration. If you’d like to be included in my post, send your completed Activity sheet my way by March 21st!

Enjoy! I can’t wait to see what you make!

RESULTS #141

It is Results Day!

How did your characters turn out this month? Did you have fun or did you get stuck? One shape was especially tough for me to crack (I’ll share why a bit later)!

For now, let’s talk about shape inspiration! Since February is Black History Month, I really wanted to learn about a person we don’t hear about often. If I could discover a place or piece of artwork created by a Black artist new to me, that means YOU could learn about them too!

This month’s inspiration comes from the work of Charles McGee. Charles was a devoted artist who lived in Detroit for more than 80 years. His body of work includes dynamic murals and abstract sculptures you can find sprinkled throughout Detroit. Not only did Charles make art, he supported other Black artists too (he opened his own gallery to showcase their work in 1970). The more and more I learned about him, the more his committment to being an artist resonated with me. Here are 3 facts that struck me…

  • He did not go to school until he was 10 years old.

  • He opened the Charles McGee Art School and gave free lessons to students.

  • He valued community: “The community aspect of it (art) drives my work. If you look at my imagery, it talks about connectivity, how all of these elements come together.”

You can learn more about Charles McGee here (he’s a recipient of the Kresge Foundation Eminent Artist Award too!). And if you live in Michigan you can find his work at the DIA, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Beaumont Hospital (to name just a few!).

Once I discovered Charles McGee, I made a list of places his sculptures and murals reside today. We used a Sunday afternoon to track down as much as possible. It felt like we were on a scavenger hunt and I loved it! If your family is craving an art adventure, I recommend curating your own field trip! You could even search for the artwork featured below. Can you spot Activity #141’s shapes?

TOP LEFT: “United We Stand,” TOP RIGHT: “Unity”, BOTTOM LEFT: untitled mural at 234 W. Larned Street, BOTTOM RIGHT, “Progression” Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak

On to characters! Here is a Before and After peek at my activity sheet…

I changed up my approach this month and used a…brush pen!

My theme (being February) was finding or spreading…love. Let’s take a closer look!

Shape 1…

Shape 2 was a challenge! Was it tough for you too? I had to add some parts for my character to make sense. Can you come up with a name for this mysterious creature?

Shape 3…

and Shape 4! What do you think this furry, winged creature is planting?

Thanks for checking out today’s post! I hope you enjoyed creating characters with your child or on your own! A new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet will be available to download Monday, March 6th.

See you then!

SHAPES #141

Welcome!

Ready to create characters this month? I hope you’ll join me!

Download a new Activity sheet here. If you would like to be included in my post this month, send completed sheets my way by Monday, February 20th (or share using #createacharacteractivity). I’ll share my results and reveal inspiration on Friday, February 24th. Enjoy!

RESULTS #140

Welcome friends!

Thanks for stopping by. If you’re new to the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity, this is my first batch of results since 2021. I took a short break last year to work on my 2022 picture book, MY NAME IS NOT ED TUG.

It felt great to jump back in and experiment with characters this week! Did you and your child give Activity sheet #140 a try this month? Or did you create characters on your own? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

This week, I worked on all of my character designs versus breaking them up throughout the month (pencil sketches, pen sketches, draft post, etc.). And on Tuesday, I received a delightful surprise! A local artist shared his character designs with me!

Please welcome Ken Eaton! Ken is not only a freelance illustrator but also, an automotive engineer! We met at a summer sketching event hosted by our local SCBWI chapter this year. Ken shared his watercolor sketchbook with us and we were in awe of his nature studies. Every sketch was stunning and looked so effortless. Learn about Ken and his work here. Check out his completed Activity sheet below. Thank you Ken for sharing your characters on the blog this month! I hope you had fun!

Ken’s Activity sheet!

Before we zoom in on results, let’s talk about inspiration!

Where did this month’s shapes come from? Here are clues I shared in my last post…

  • We visited a building in Detroit.

  • It opened for service in 1825.

  • This popular gathering space has a cozy section just for kids!

We collected shapes from…the Detroit Public Library!

Can you spot the shapes below?

Top left: sculpture titled “Exploration”, Top right: ornate ceiling tile, Bottom left: Mosaic for Literary and Learning artwork titled “Music” created by Burton International Academy Students, 1919 Pewabic fireplace designed by Mary Chase Perry Stratton and Horace Caulkins.

Have you been to the Detroit Public Library before? There is so much to see, especially in the children’s section. The Mosaics for Literacy and Learning Project is on display. These bold and colorful murals were created by Detroit Public School students and reflect different themes (i.e. Music, Read, STEM). Maybe you’ll find the mosaic that inspired Shape #3?

Let’s move on to character designs! Introducing Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

and our final Shape 4…

Thanks for stopping by! Download a new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet on Monday, February 6th. Until then…keep creating!

SHAPES #140

Happy New Year!

We are kicking off 2023 with a brand new Create a Character Activity sheet!

Last weekend, on a rainy Friday night, we explored a special building in Detroit. It opened for service in 1825…almost 200 years ago! This popular gathering space has a cozy section just for kids! Any ideas on where we collected shapes? I’ll reveal my inspiration on Friday, January 27th, along with my characters. Will you be sharing results too?

Download Activity Sheet #140 here! If you would like your characters included in my post, send your completed sheet to me via email, amy(at)amynielander.com, by Monday, January 23rd. I hope you have fun creating characters this month with family or on your own!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #21 RESULTS

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you are staying warm, wherever you are! It is a chilly morning here and I’m thankful that we don’t have to travel today. How about you?

Today, we’re revisiting character results that were posted a few years ago when my kids were in elementary school. Thank you to Evan and his mom, Barb, for sharing their designs with us this month! I love the word bubbles Evan added to his characters!

Here we go! Introducing Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

and Shape 4…

Thanks for checking in! Did you create characters too?

I hope you’ve enjoyed 2022’s posts and they’ve inspired you to experiment with your own creativity! I am grateful for your time and wish you a wonderful holiday season with family and friends!

Download a Create A Character Activity sheet on Monday, January 9th!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #21

Thanks for stopping by!

This month we are revisiting Activity sheet #21! Back then, my shapes were not based off of objects. They were completely random! Does a specific shape from this batch stand out to you?

Download an Activity sheet here. Return on Friday, December 30th to see results! I hope you’ll share your results too! Send me your characters by Monday, December 19th, and I’ll include them in my post.

Happy Creating friends!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #37 RESULTS

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Thank you for stopping by to see our results! This year I’ve been sharing archived Activity sheets from years ago. Back then (when my kids were in elementary school), we were creating characters every week. It was a quick little drawing activity we did together, usually on Monday mornings after breakfast, that lasted about 5 minutes. It has been so fun digging through our results and resharing them on the blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing designs too! Did you create characters this month?

When we worked on Activity #37, my kids were 8 and 9 years old. Their characters still make me smile. This month, we received designs from the amazing mom + son team, Evan and Barb! Thank you for sharing your characters this month!

Click the drawing below to see a slideshow of Shape #1 designs…

Shape #2…

Shape #3…

and the final set: Shape #4

What did you think? Did you come up with similiar characters or were they completley different? Please share in the comments!

Thanks again for visiting the CREATE A CHARACTER blog on RESULTS Day. Check back on Monday, December 5th, to download the last Activity sheet for 2022. Until then, Happy Creating!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #26 RESULTS

Happy Friday!

Thanks for checking in! Today I’m posting designs from 2015. Back then, my kids and I were creating characters every week! We had so much fun drawing together. Do you like creating characters on your own or with friends/family?

This month I’m including designs from our favorite mom and son duo! Welcome back Evan and Barb! Thank you for sharing your characters with us. I love the variety! I hope you enjoyed drawing together this month.

Check out the slideshows for each shape below.

Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

And Shape 4…

Thank you for checking out our characters. Did you create some too? If so, please share in the comments below!

This month I had my picture book launch!

This story has been on such a long journey! It felt great to finally celebrate with friends and family at Sidetrack Bookshop. You can learn about MY NAME IS NOT ED TUG here. Now that my book is out, I plan on uploading new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheets in 2023. Until then, we’ll highlight two more archived posts for November and December. Check back on Monday, November 7th, to download an updated CREATE A CHARACTER sheet.

Thanks for joining me this month!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #46 RESULTS

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you had fun creating characters this month!

Today, I’m reposting our results from 2015! Did you come up with similar characters? There are no right answers with the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity! It’s all about using your imagination and having fun!

SHAPE 1…

SHAPE 2…

SHAPE 3…

and SHAPE 4…

Thanks for checking characters out!

October’s CREATE A CHARACTER Activity will be posted Monday, October 3rd.

See you then!


REVISITING ACTIVITY #46

Happy Monday! I hope your school year is off to a great start!

Today I’m sharing an updated Activity #46 sheet. This was a post from summer of 2015! My first picture book, THE LADYBUG RACE, released that month and my kids were in elementary school.

I hope these shapes inspire you to create characters this month! Please share your designs using #createacharacteractivity.

Results will be posted on Friday, September 30th.

REVISITING ACTIVITY #47 RESULTS

Happy Friday! Thanks for stopping by! Did you create characters this month? I hope you had fun if you did!

Results are from an archived post from 2015. My kids were 8 and 10. I loved when we created characters together!

Here are our results!

Shape 1…

Shape 2…

Shape 3…

Shape 4…

And here is a bonus pair…

Thanks for stopping by! A new sheet will be posted September 12th!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #47

Welcome! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your summer and fitting lots of fun activities in!

Today I’m sharing Activity #47, first posted in July 2015. What characters do you see?

Download an updated sheet here and share your characters using #createacharacteractivity!

Thanks for stopping by!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #19 RESULTS

Welcome!

Today I’m posting results from characters we created…8 years ago! It was November 2014 and the 19th time we tried this activity! Did you create characters this month?

Scroll to see a slideshow of each shape below.

SHAPE 1…

SHAPE 2…

SHAPE 3

SHAPE 4

Thank you for checking in!

I’ll be taking a break in July due to book launch planning! Check back on Monday, August 1st to download an Activity sheet! Thanks for visiting!

REVISITING ACTIVITY #19

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by! This month we are highlighting CREATE A CHARACTER post #19. Download an updated Activity sheet here. I hope you’ll create a new batch of characters with your family or friends!

Stop in on Friday, June 24th for results. Happy Creating!