Eli Whitney spotted in NYC!

It's true! During a recent visit to NYC for the really cool Kids Comic Con (more about that in a minute) I spotted 'ol Eli Whitney himself...well, sort of. Kids Comic Con was being held on the campus of Bronx Community College, home of this country's first Hall of Fame, The Hall of Fame for Great Americans- which includes a bust of Eli Whitney himself. He is right next to Alexander Graham Bell in this unique display of bronze busts mounted inside beautiful arches. Visit this site for more info about the Hall of Fame: http://www.bcc.cuny.edu/hallofFame/
I snapped some pictures as you can see here; but had to hurry in to set up my table for the 3rd annual Kids Comic Con- http://kidscomiccon.com/
The day-long event featured a host of All-Ages comics creators, publishers, and lots of kids! It is nice to see an event that focuses on comics for KIDS. The only people wearing spandex at this event were...KIDS! I met many great folks who became instant fans of Hamster Sam, and I handed out lots of free "Hamster Samplers", a 2-page preview of the book. Kudos to event organizer Alex Simmons, Archie comics writer/playwrite/man of many talents. Check out their website to see what you missed. I also enjoyed meeting other creators, writers and artists; and traded books with them. Among them were Marc Tauss, who created "Superhero", a beautifully designed book from Scholastic featuring photographic image treatments composited with miniature models, and coincidentally featured- Time Travel! He and I compared notes on how our time traveling machines were powered. Isn't it fun when science and comics collide? Then there was Mark Mariano, creator of "Happyloo", a collection of cute stories featuring colorful characters who communicate through "icons", similar to Andy Runton's 'Owly'. His book also features educational pages after each story. Fiona Robinson was a pleasure to meet as well; her book "The 3-2-3 Detective Agency" from Amulet Books is a cleverly written tale about a group of animals who meet on a train and form a detective agency. Great characters, whimsical illustration style and funny dialogue...and she and I share something in common as well...we both have a rodent character who does good deeds in our stories! Writing and creating comics is often times a solitary affair; and to suddenly be put in a room full of so many talented people who share the common goal of making readers out of kids through comics- was such a thrill!

Joseph Beth Books Event

This past Saturday was a perfect day to be indoors; it was unusually cold & rainy. But inside at Joseph Beth Books in Charlotte, groups of young cartoonists were heating things up at the drawing board! Family Fun Day is an annual event at this gem of a bookstore near the Southpark Mall, and tons of parents and kids came out to enjoy the activities. I held cartooning demonstrations and signed books during the event, and in the pictures you can see some future cartoonists hard at work! Among them, to my left; were brother and sister Max and Sophie, who seemed to enjoy drawing Miles the inchworm. Their dad Steve is a talented cartoonist in his own right, and he took these pictures- thanks Steve! It was great to see Steve and meet his wife and children, if for no other reason than to verify that artists like us can actually have normal families! :) Many thanks to marketing manager Caroline Crownover, who organized the event; and to children's manager Julie Foster for bringing Hamster Sam to the shelves of Joseph Beth!

Conference & Wren Elementary visit

This past week I was a presenter at the state conference for school librarians (SCASL) in Greenville, SC. I had a blast in my session with a group of media specialists; demonstrating how to draw cartoons and discussing ways to incorporate comics into the classroom. I also had a nice visit in the exhibit hall with the always cheerful and ever-helpful Randa Edmunds and her husband & genuine nice guy Sam. Sam even joined us in our cartooning and comics session; and he had so much fun, I think he just may be inspired to create his own book!



But the coolest part of the whole day was my visit to Barbara Wagher's 4th grade social studies class at nearby Wren Elementary School! Barbara Wagher had attended my "Hamster Sam: Using comics to bring SC Standards to Life" Teacher Workshop last summer, and has really put the principles into motion in her classroom. As Hamster Sam puts it- she "Thinks outside the cage!" Her students and Team Teacher Kim Brock's students had recently created comics that told various stories of the American Revolution, including that of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. You can see in the photo, that the wall outside of her classroom is filled with 54 students' works. I was thrilled when a few of the students were able to take some time and share their comics with me personally! They were so proud of their work; and they should be- They used great storytelling elements such as narration boxes, dialogue balloons, sound effects and one young girl even incorporated primary source images into her comic- Fantastic!!! I wish I could showcase all of their artwork here; but here are just a few of the wonderful comics that I got to enjoy(sorry- a bit fuzzy). I could tell right away that they knew the material; they were very familiar with the history that they spoke of as they talked me through each panel of their comics. This just validates for me that comics can be a great tool for learning. After our group photo, they presented me with a very thoughtful gift and a very sweet handcrafted Hamster Sam 'Thank you' card for stopping by. I was very impressed with Wren Elementary; these students demonstrated great manners, asked very good questions, listened well and couldn't have been nicer! I hope they keep drawing, writing and creating comics, and I am very thankful for their hospitality.

Artist in Residence

I have just returned from a 3-day residency at a Middle-High School south of Orangeburg, SC, where I worked in the art classroom to teach drawing cartoons and creating comics. I introduced them to drawing and creating characters by starting out with simple shapes. We discussed writing as an important part of the comics creation process, and worked through some writing exercises. The students then created their own characters and developed character sheets, followed by the creation of their own comic strip. Penciling techniques, inking and hand-lettering were introduced and practiced. Even though most middle and high school students are at the age where they don't like to share their ideas out loud with adults, these students; as evidenced by their work; have highly active imaginations, and created some wild characters and story ideas. I had a blast!

3rd Grade Student Art

This past week I visited the Blue Riboon Award-Winning Pontiac Elementary School in Elgin, SC, and presented cartooning programs during their arts day celebration. Students were very excited to draw Hamster Sam, Miles the inchworm and Eli the cotton boll from the book. Then they applied what they learned to create their own characters. I am frequently presented with artwork from students who wish for me to have their creations, and this visit was no exception. Seen here is what I consider to be remarkable artwork from a young 3rd grade student. Yes, 3rd Grade! "Justin" drew his own version of Hamster Sam in a (Charlotte NBA) Bobcats uniform along with "Eli" and "Miles"; and then added his own characters. I am amazed by the control he seemed to have with his pencil, and the steadiness of the lines- especially in the oval & circle shaped eyes. Of course, I am always happy to see all of the student works- no matter what skill level they exhibit. They have grins a mile wide when proudly showing me their art; which makese me smile too! But I had to share this young boy's artwork; for someday he may employ me for his comic!

Teacher Workshops

I recently led a series of workshops in cooperation with the education team at the Gaston County Museum of Art & History in Dallas, NC. "Bringing Cartooning and Puppetry to the Classroom" was a workshop series made possible through state and local arts grants, and was attended by about 20 Gaston County educators. Participants were teachers in grades K-12, and a majority were art teachers. Quite a broad spectrum of grade levels; but we managed to explore activities and create lesson plans that focused on how to integrate the art of cartooning/comic books and puppetry into the classroom. I presented cartooning techniques, and we explored the process of creating comics, and then how to incorporate the use of primary sources into the comic, in a similar way that my Hamster Sam book combines comics and historical images. Teachers worked in groups and independently throughout the workshops to create their own comic activity, and I was blown away (as I always am) by the level of creativity that teachers possess. And the cool thing is, teachers have wonderful ways of transferring their ideas into lessons that involve the students. Program director Jeff Pruett and Educator Arlena Meek from the museum shared ideas and resources for gathering primary sources, and led the group on a tour of 2 different museum exhibits to demonstrate the potential that historic documents, photographs, and artifacts have as primary sources. From all indications, (I 've not read the feedback forms yet) the group was excited about the content of the workshops, and their seemed to be a heightened level of enthusiasm as the program came to an end. I always benefit from these workshop settings as well; the sharing of ideas and excitement for learning always makes for a creative boost of energy that I really enjoy. Museum director Elizabeth Dampier along with Arlena and Jeff are to be commended; they constantly look for innovative approaches to education, and like Hamster Sam, they "Think outside the Cage!". Visit them at: http://www.gastoncountymuseum.org/ And a final word of appreciation to all of the teachers out there; thank you for what you do!!!!!

Poster Art Tease...

In preparation for 2 statewide conferences coming up, I have been busy doing production work on a "Hamster Sam Discovers South Carolina" Poster that will be given to those who attend my sessions. I am presenting at SCIRA next month, and at SCASL in March; and those educators who are brave enough to discover their 'inner cartoonist' will be rewarded with this brand new hot-off-the-presses poster of the state of South Carolina for their classroom or media center! Here you can see some of the illustration work featuring geography and our state mammal, the whitetail deer in his natural habitat: The Ski Slopes! Yes- odd as it may seem; this is how I view the world; through cartoon-colored glasses. If you are attending either of these conferences; please come and say hello.