School Visits

I love working with kids of all ages! They have a natural enthusiasm, imagination, honesty, inclusivity, and openness to try new things, and that brings me joy. My interactive visits run 30-45 minutes, and I’m happy to tweak anything to fit your needs, whether for younger or older audiences. If you invite me to your school (or library or museum or wherever), here are things I can share:

• My Illustration Process for picture books, early readers, and magazine stories from start to finish. Featuring behind-the-scenes peeks at client guidelines and feedback, messy sketches, and tips & tricks.

•Art Techniques that enhance visual storytelling. Perfect for students who get frustrated when their pictures don’t feel quite “right.” I show how an artist makes magic with a tool belt of value, color, perspective, focal points, and more to provide clarity and interest to transform any painting. Includes live demonstrations throughout.

• Using Research to influence and enhance illustration. In my career, I’ve been asked to illustrate lighthouses, flour sack dresses, squids, pirates, crabs, and so many things I had never drawn before. If your students get frustrated trying to draw something new (and always revert to whatever is familiar and easy to draw), this presentation will show them how to use research to inform how to create—not just copy—their own images. Includes live demonstrations throughout.

• Designing Characters. How do you know what to make your characters look like? And how do you draw them from more than one angle, show them doing things, make them cute, and keep them looking consistent and alive? This presentation features steps I take to create characters in my books, after which I do an interactive demonstration to create a character (or three!) in real time.

• Illustration Jobs. Your students are likely aware of book and magazine illustrators, but they might not know about other illustration work available—and how in the world to get these jobs! This presentation takes a peek into how artists create portfolios and websites to promote themselves, how and where we find publishers, and other things to break into that world. Includes a behind-the-scenes peek into what it looks like to work with publishers once you get a job. For audiences 12 and up.

• Art History. Featuring art and artists from MousterWorks, the picture book, I share fun tidbits about artist’s lives and interesting things to look for in their paintings. This presentation also covers art styles like representational art, impressionism, pointillism, and more.

For scheduling and pricing, please Contact Me with your name, name of your school, and dates you are looking at. I will do my best to work with your time and budget needs.