RESULTS SHAPE #135

Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by! Did you try creating characters this month? If so, I’d love to hear what you came up with! Please share your experience in the comments!

Let’s begin with some inspiration…

I did not travel far to find my batch of shapes. In fact, last month our household was so busy I decided to just…look around. June is a big birthday month for our family and there were multiple celebrations. One, was extra, extra special. Whenever there is a birthday in our house, we decorate most of the 1st floor the night before (or early morning)! How do you celebrate your family’s birthday?

Instead of traveling outside of the city to collect shapes, I used my festive surroundings. Scroll to see how the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity #135 sheet developed…

Let’s move on to pencil sketches! Below is a BEFORE and AFTER look at my Activity sheet…

Since my inspiration derived from birthday decorations, most of my characters were…celebrating their birthday too!

The pen time-lapse drawing below shows how the initial pencil sketch designs continued to evolve…

Let’s take a closer look at each design…

GILDA THE BABY CROC came from two shapes. Whenever I get stuck on one shape, I zoom out to see if I can combine two shapes together. That’s what happened with GILDA! She is celebrating her birthday and can’t wait to open her first gift. What do you think she received?

Here is my second character…

My ELIZABETHAN CAT changed quite a bit from my pencil sketch. I wanted to push her character so I experimented with her facial features. Maybe it’s her birthday too? How do you think she would like to celebrate?

And the last character is…

…BIRTHDAY BOY WITH GIANT BALLOON DOG!

After I did a pencil sketch of this pair, I experimented with the boy’s reaction. Instead of feeling shocked (like the original sketch shows), I searched for a story nugget. I decided the boy really wanted an animal balloon for his birthday…but after searching and searching he could not find the local animal-making balloonist. His only option? To make one himself! My illustration shows his failed attempts along with the result: the biggest animal balloon yet! I can relate to his failed attempts! It took me many, many years before my first picture book was published!

If you could make an animal balloon, what would it be?

I hope you enjoyed this month’s characters! Thanks for checking in. A new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet will be posted on Monday, August 2nd. Be sure to share your designs on social media using #createacharacteractivity!

Happy Creating!

SHAPES #135

Thanks for stopping by! Download this month’s CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet here! Share on social media using #createacharacteractivity. Enjoy!

#134 RESULTS

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!

#133 RESULTS

Thanks for stopping by! It is Results Day. Did you create characters this month too?

I am thrilled to share new designs that landed in my email box from Evan (age 6). Check them out!

Evan has been creating characters with me since February! I love how action-packed his activity sheet is! AND he experimented with color too this month. Great job Evan! Thank you for creating characters with me! Let’s zoom in on the bonus characters he added at the top of the page…

They are my favorite!

If you’d like to be included in next month’s post, send your designs to me by June 26th: amy[at]amynielander.com. Include your name, age and character names. I’d love to see what you create!

On to inspiration….

Shapes #133 came from a quick trip to “America’s Largest Home”: Biltmore Estate.

This was my second visit to Biltmore. I was excited to see it again now with my kids! This French Renaissance chateau is so grand on the exterior, my visual appetite was filled before we even went inside. It spans 175,000 square feet and has 250 rooms, including 43 bathrooms! Would you like to live in a house with that many rooms?

Before we went inside the house, we visited the gardens and Conservatory.

A botanical model train runs through the plants and lush gardens inside!

I found most of my shapes outside. Take a look…

The ceiling reminded me of a Meadow Brook Hall detail!

Next up was character creating! First, I did some pencil sketches…

The ideas for my characters came to life in these loose sketches. As I was brainstorming, each shape wanted to connect in some way to the other. It felt like I had a super rough story on my hands. I developed my characters with pen sketches. Here is a time-lapse.

Did you spot a story forming? Something was taking shape. But, with a new picture book on the way, I didn’t have time to flesh it out (for now!). The best way for me to capture this particular story was by using a literature tool: the limerick! If you are new to limericks, they are poems that follow a 5 sentence rhyming structure. The last word in lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme while the last words in line 3 and 4 rhyme. The pattern looks like this: AABBA. Limericks are all about having fun with nonsense! There is no pressure to build a flawless story. Phew! The main goal is to laugh, chuckle or maybe even say, “How absurd!”. You can find examples here.

I merged my limerick with a comic-style delivery and out came a….POMIC (poem + comic)!

See the full transformation below…

The next shape became a special object in this rough story…

My third (and favorite) character…

And last characters…

Here is the full POMIC in one piece…

I hope you enjoyed this new style! Did you like reading a POMIC? Maybe you’ll feel inspired to take a fun break and write a limerick too.

A new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet will be available to download on Monday, June 7th.

Until then, keep creating! Thanks for stopping by!

SHAPES #133

Happy Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Will you be creating characters with me this month? I hope so! Find a new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet here.

#132 RESULTS

It is Results Day! Thank you for stopping by! Did you create characters this month? I’d love to hear about your experience! Please share thoughts in the comments.

So, where did Shapes #132 come from?

Corrado Parducci.

He was an Italian-American sculptor who contributed to Detroit’s architectural landscape in the 1920s (and beyond). If you are a Michigander you may have spotted his work (without knowing it!), at the Detroit Zoo. I first learned about Corrado Parducci in last month’s CREATE A CHARACTER adventure, at Meadow Brook Hall.

He designed and made the remarkable carved plaster ceiling in the dining room. Have you seen it yet?

When it was time for me to build my #132 Activity sheet this month, I decided to search for more of Corrado Parducci’s work (I couldn’t forget the beautiful floral details he created at Meadow Brook!). After picking up a book from our favorite indie bookstore, The Book Beat, we headed to Detroit.

My research led me to three buildings: the Bankers Trust Company Building, the Greater Penobscot Building and Art Deco gem, the Guardian Building.

Here are some pics of the Bankers Trust Company Building (now a discotheque)…

The Greater Penobscot Building…

and the Guardian Building…

After taking an afternoon of photographs, the below details turned into #132 Shapes…

Left top corner: Meadow Brook Hall Dining room, Right top corner: National Trust Building relief detail, Left bottom corner: Penobscot elevator door motif, Right bottom corner: Guardian Building ceiling tiles

The last two are pretty tiny! Can you spot them?

This month, I received characters from my favorite mom & son duo, Evan (age 6) and Barb. Check them out!

Scroll through the Character Playground below to get a closer look at all of our designs!

The second shape…

The third shape…

And the last shape….

I hope you enjoyed this month’s post! Check back on Monday, May 3rd to download CREATE A CHARACTER Activity #133.

SHAPES #132

Happy Monday!

Thanks for stopping by! A new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet is ready to download here. I hope you’ll join me this month!

#131 RESULTS

Welcome!

Today I’m sharing the results of my March CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet. Did you come up with characters too?

Let’s kick things off by taking a look at the awesome Activity sheets I received this month.

If you stopped by in February, you met Evan and his mom, Barb. They shared their designs for March too, and I was amazed at how Evan created a scene with his characters! Notice the mini characters at the top. He used the row of shapes as character hats! How clever!

Evan (age 6) Evan’s mom, Barb

His mom’s designs are fun too! They all look water-inspired. Can you spot “Sea Creatch” coming in from the top edge of the sheet? Thank you Evan and Barb for participating in this month’s activity! It looks like you had fun drawing together!

And here’s another set of characters sent to me by a dear friend (who loves finding hearts).

Marnie

Isn’t pig-with-hat-on-a-scooter terrific? Maybe he’s off to a picnic where he’ll find this colorful fruit-filled basket…

Thank you Marnie for giving the CREATE A CHARACTER Activity a try! These are incredible!

It’s time to reveal this month’s inspiration. Did you wonder where shapes came from?

I collected them from Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester. We visited this National Historic Landmark one Sunday last month. This was my third visit.

It was the perfect place to kick off Women’s History Month because of who resided here decades ago: Matilda Wilson (and her second husband Alfred). When I first learned about Matilda, I was amazed by her resiliency and strength. She faced a few terrible family tragedies. You can learn more about her life here.

When it came time to build a CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet, it was tough selecting only four shapes from this stunning mansion. There were so many thoughtful details to gaze at. Here is what my eyes rested on…

The top left image is the carved plaster ceiling on the 2nd floor. Can you spot the two cottage roses in the shape?

The second shape came from the ceramic art tile from Alfred’s bathroom (yes - they had separate bedrooms and bathrooms). Can you spot it?

The third shape came from the fabric wrapped around Matilda’s left arm in this elegant 1927 portrait painted by Louis Betts. I found this work of art especially striking for two reasons. 1) She is the same age as me in this portrait and 2) We can spot clues about her character. Learn why storm clouds are behind her, if this dress truly existed (or if it was really just a scrap of fabric) and what the jewelry-less look reveals about her here.

The last shape came from the wood trimmed ceiling on the 1st floor.

Let’s start with my pencil sketches…

I went into sketches knowing historical women characters would come to life. The drawing you see on the right was not my first attempt! There were many sketches before this one and when I was happy with designs, they were added to my page.

After characters were locked in, I did a pen drawing…

The first shape reminded me of a double silhouette when I looked at it upside down. I saw a pair of sisters. A google search led me to Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell (1821-1910, 1826-1910). They were the first women to receive their medical degrees in the United States.

Elizabeth was the first and Emily was the third. They lived during the 19th century and founded the first hospital to be run by women in 1857 called the NY Infirmary for Women and Children. You can learn about Elizabeth here and Emily here.

Scroll below to see their transformation…

The next shape looked sculptural to me. And I wondered what historical women sculptors I could discover. After more research, I chose African-American sculptor Augusta Savage (1892-1962). She was a teacher, activist and the first African-American artist to be elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. In 1939, she was commissioned to make a sculpture for the NY World’s Fair. She was also the only black artist to participate.

The nearly 16-foot sculpture she created was titled “The Harp”. It is remarkable and radiant. Please check it out here.

Scroll to see the transformation…

I probably spent the most amount of time on the third shape. It looked like it could be the back of a small animal. Do you see it too? I spent some time learning about zoologists but my composition was just not working. I also couldn’t find an animal that matched that shape. It wasn’t until I gave my Activity sheet a spin when I noticed a covered table staring back at me. I immediately thought of chefs! Research led me to Cristeta Comerford, the White House Executive Chef.

Not only is Cristeta the first woman executive chef, but she is also the first Asian-American to hold that coveted position. I tried to find some recipes Cristeta wrote and came across this one! A Filipino dessert called Halo-Halo.

My last shape was the first character I created. It reminded me of a giant architectural model. After researching women architects from history, I discovered Sophia Hayden (1868-1953). She was the first woman admitted to the architecture program at MIT in 1886.

After graduation, she won a competition for the design of the Woman’s Building. Her Italian Renaissance styled structure was built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The building would display items that were produced and invented by women. This structure was her first and last constructed design. You can learn about her life here.

What did you think of these relentless women? I hope you feel inspired to find your own “first”!

Since there was so much research involved this month, I did not get to color all of my characters. If I revisit them in the future, I’ll be sure to update this post.

Thank you for stopping by! A new CREATE A CHARACTER sheet will be posted on Monday, April 5th.

SHAPES #131

Thanks for stopping by!

Download a new CREATE A CHARACTER Activity sheet here. Use #createacharacteractivity to share on social media.

If you’d like to be included in my March Results post, please email your designs by March 24th.