Welcome to RESULTS DAY! Thanks for stopping by! Did you create characters this month? I hope you had fun if you did!
I was so excited to receive characters from mom + son team, Barb and Evan (age 6)! Thank you for participating and sharing your designs! Check out their completed Activity sheets below…
I love the variety! Evan even added a ground line to his first two shapes which creates a dynamic setting! If you look closely, you can spot lots of action. Great job Evan!
Next up- inspiration. Where on earth did the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity #134 shapes come from?
A local kite festival! Have YOU ever visited a kite festival before?
This was the first time for us. We loved supporting a local community event (especially since it was cancelled last year). We even picked up a kite from Kites and Fun Things toy shop!
The festival took place at a park and to our surprise, a trailer was busing visitors to and from the field (one of the best parts!). It reminded me of bumpy family hayrides to the pumpkin patch years and years ago.
It was the perfect day to fly a kite! The wind was mighty and there were many types zipping around above us! I searched for shapes and settled on the four below…
Since we were looking up, it was hard not to notice the clouds! I decided to use one particular cluster as inspiration for the 4th shape.
Next, I created pencil sketches. I always find my characters first in pencil then move to pen. This allows me to be as messy as I want to be! It took me about 30 minutes to come up with the below characters. I did them while waiting in the car during my son’s lesson. It felt good disconnecting from my phone and making something with the thoughts running through my mind.
That day, I was reflecting on World Ocean Day (June 8th). I saw lots of great art from artists posting on Instagram, but did not have time to contribute (is it hard for you to check everything off your ToDo list too sometimes?). Instead of feeling bad about it, I decided to honor that day…another way. I could spread the word about their mission here: “to deepen the understanding of humankind’s relationship with the ocean.” and share resources for teachers/families. I also decided to give my designs a theme: Aquatic Creatures. Can you spot them below?
Once I was happy with my characters, I recreated them in pen for this time-lapse drawing.
Below is a closer look at each transformation…
Shape #1: GIANT DOLPHIN MEETS A GIRL
This shape is pure fiction and my favorite. It was fun dreaming up a possible story for the pair’s encounter too! We watched a documentary featuring dolphins a few weeks ago and it’s clear these graceful, beautiful creatures were still on my mind!
Shape #2: FIVE-FINNED SHARK
This creature went from cartoony shark to fish robot! Before I colored my design, I wanted to figure out why it had so many fins! What was their purpose? I did some research…and was amazed at what I learned! Did you know robotic fish actually exist? One specific robot was created to help marine biologists monitor fish health in polluted areas of the ocean. How is that for inspiration!? I decided each fin on my FIVE- FINNED SHARK would house a different sensor. Maybe this robotic fish could detect various types of pollution in the water and remove them? Can you tell what FIVE-FINNED SHARK caught below?
FIVE-FINNED SHARK detected a polystyrene cup! If you’d like to learn more about how plastic pollution is harming our oceans check out this short video by Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Shape #3: MAMA OTTERS WITH THIER PUPS
I did not have time to finish a colored illustration for this design but will update when I do! Notice anything different between the pencil and pen sketches? There are TWO more otters! I decided to give this MAMA- mama friends- because I consider mine, very important!
Shape #4: MAMA PENGUIN WITH MISCHIEVOUS CHICKS
This shape was definitely the hardest to figure out! What helped me make progress was completing the shapes within the overall shape (I hope that makes sense). Once I filled in circles and curves, three characters popped out!
Which do you like better? The cartoony penguins in pen or the full colored illustration?
I hope you enjoyed seeing my characters develop! If you’d like to participate next month, a new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet will be posted Monday, July 5th.
Thanks for stopping by!