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!

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!

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!