Mark Crilley Visits NJ! Part Two

So the wheels were in motion to have artist and author Mark Crilley visit with the help of our local PTA. Unfortunately it was too late in the school year to plan for a program, so they suggested that we try for the following school year. This was great news and all went ahead smoothly, even surviving a change in the PTA president. She and the media specialist made plans and room in the budget for a day of author presentations and a drawing workshop at one of the middle schools. 

Success! Right? Well almost. You see, this plan began with my private students who ranged from elementary through high school, and who attended public and parochial schools. And of the students who signed the petition at the one middle school, many of those moved up to the high school the next year. So what about students who didn't necessarily attend the one school that did accept our request? My daughter and I were so happy to be getting Mark Crilley to come see us, but we really wanted one more appearance where anyone who was a fan could come see him locally.

Mark Crilley draws as he talks about his career in the visual arts.

Students attend the drawing workshop.

I had one more idea up my sleeve, and went and asked for help. We are customers and fans of our local comic shop, A Little Shop of Comics right here in town, and the owners are fantastic. Their shop has a room they use for gaming and events, and I asked if they would help host a local Mark Crilley appearance for anyone in town to attend. They agreed and so did Mark. We were set! The shop had its biggest turnout for a comic artist paying a visit, and lots of fans and art students came out to hear him speak and sign autographs.

Mark Crilley and my family at A Little Shop of Comics.

Mark Crilley with Steve and Lena at A Little Shop of Comics.

Mark Crilley titles at A Little Shop of Comics.

Signing autographs.

I hope this helps anyone who may be thinking about or actually in the middle of efforts to have a visiting author or artist come to their town. My students, and my daughter especially proved to me that persistence, flexibility and a positive attitude can make things happen. And I have to say thank you again to Mark Crilley for his communication, his visit and amazing presentations, drawing workshops, and personal attention to his fans. It was indeed a pleasure having him spend the day with us!

My autographed copy of Mastering Manga.

 

One other thing I have to mention. Mr. Crilley was so appreciative of our efforts, 

and particularly the efforts of my daughter who had sought out her media specialist, 

and circulated petitions to fellow students to sign in favor of having this author visit. 

He gave her a very special gift: one of his pencil drawings featured on his Youtube channel. Thanks again Mark Crilley!

 

A lovely gift!

Mark Crilley Visits NJ! Part One

For over a year I have been working to have a wonderful artist and author visit my students here in NJ. His name is Mark Crilley, and if you don't know who he is, I bet your students do. He is a graphic novelist with lots of titles for children and young adults, a series of How to Draw Manga books, not to mention his YouTube channel which has over one million subscribers who visit to see his many how-to-draw videos.
 
So it all began with my private students who were joining me for Manga Club. I had run quite a few of these classes and they were very popular. As we went along I decided to show a tutorial or two from Mr. Crilley's YouTube channel on my computer in the studio. The kids loved his style and we began reading his series Miki Falls, Brody's Ghost, and Akiko. I also purchased his How to Draw books for the lending library in the studio.

During one of his videos he discussed his visiting author presentations, and how from time to time students worked with their local library or school to arrange one. My students were excited and determined to give it their all, so I said I would help them. How hard could it be? Libraries and schools have visiting authors and educational programs all the time, right? To say our efforts were not immediately rewarded is an understatement. Our first step was a letter writing campaign. We wrote to all of our local libraries, and to the principal and media specialist of every school that my students were attending. All of my students signed them with me and off they went in the mail. Nothing. After a few weeks we tried again, all of the kids signing and helping me to mail our requests for a second round. No response.




A few days later I stopped at the local library to return some books, and decided to ask for the director. She saw me only to tell me that she never gets her mail and that she didn't have any money. Frankly I was shocked. I said it was unfortunate that she never gets any mail, because her youngest patrons took the time to write and sign letters addressed to her on two different occasions. I asked her if she would be willing to let us have a fundraiser, or would she at least let us use the library as the venue if and when we were able to arrange the visit on our own. She declined. Unfortunately we did not pursue the public library route any further. This particular library even had copies of Mark Crilley's works on the shelves! It was so disheartening, and I wasn't sure what more I could do to make this happen for the kids.

My oldest daughter and two school media specialists finally gave us the power and direction we needed! One media specialist let me know that our local PTA usually fund programs like the one we were hoping for and suggested that we contact them. My daughter who attends middle school had mentioned to some classmates that she was trying to get Mark Crilley to visit our town, and was surprised to find out how many kids knew who he was and that they wanted the same thing! A few days later, she had a petition with a couple of hundred signatures on it requesting that he visit! She submitted it to her media specialist who was excited to give it a try! Hurray! The wheels were in motion! 

Did we manage a visit from Mark Crilley? 
Look for my next entry to read the rest of the story!

Manga Club Final Projects

The most recent session of Manga Club was a blast! We studied the kawaii style and for a change of pace, we created a 3-D project using model magic and recycled vegetable trays to create our own kawaii bento boxes. All of the students finished a one page manga this time around as well. Usually when we do a one-page assignment, I have copies made so each student has one copy of each work. Then for last class we read each others stories, critique and color the black and white designs for fun.
Great work everyone!

One-page Manga Stories

During the summer session of Manga Club, the kids and I learned about the 4-panel gag manga style called yonkoma. They used this genre as a starting point to create a simple one-page manga of their own. First they brainstormed ideas and did preliminary sketches in their sketchbooks. Drawings were then transferred using the light box or redrawn onto final art board. Copies of each one page work were made and bound together to create a class project.

I could not have been more impressed with their ideas, attention to detail, and time and effort put into these projects! Even though yonkoma are generally a simpler style of manga, we still had to consider a multitude of elements: character design, panels, dialogue, environments, continuity and more. I also emphasized that their work should include areas of white, black, mid-tones and texture. It was a jam-packed super lesson, and they all ran with it. Great job all of my junior mangakas!

Bubble Writing Review!

Laurence King Publishing contacted me and asked me to check out some of their upcoming books for use on my blog. The first I received was How to be the Best Bubble Writer in the World Ever! This is a brilliant workbook style book that introduces us to and guides us through the world of the bubble writer!

It is great for kids and adults alike. It can also be quite addicting! Author Linda Scott suggests minimal materials and a fun attitude to begin you on your journey. Oh, and she reminds you that there are no rules when it comes to bubble letters and creativity! The first three types of bubble letters are the foundation, so to speak, and then you can venture on to the more complex.

Use this workbook to create fun doodles, complete pieces of sketchbook art, or even design your own alphabets! Typography and design, pattern, color, composition—all of these themes are inherent in art lessons designed for children, when using this book as a guide. Here are some things we tried in class at the studio, using just pencil, black sharpies, and crayola markers:

Name Assignment: the students and I  went over the 3 basic bubble alphabets (freestyle, block, and shaded block) and created an art piece based on our first names.

Typeface Design: we designed our own bubble alphabets using our favorite animals as inspiration.

Comic Words: and for my manga/comic students, we used Scott's alphabets to illustrate examples of emotional dialogue.

Check out this video of Linda Scott demonstrating her genius! Thanks to Linda for such a wonderful book, and to Debra at Laurence King Publishing for sharing it with me and my students.

How to be the Best Bubble Writer in the World Ever! on Vimeo