Lunch Box Extravaganza

This weekend I was invited to visit the lovely Portland, Maine for the Lunch Box series, a monthly event that brings authors and illustrators to the city to speak with kids about their work. The event is organized by Curious City, a fabulous company that comes up with creative ways to get books in kid's hands. They were a pleasure to work with and orchestrated the event like real pros!



My presentation covered a little about where I grew up and why I became an artist, then showed the kids some art and talked about technique. The event really focused on process (these kids know a LOT about books!)... after my talk everyone took part in an art activity based around how I make my illustrations. See below a kiddo's gorgeous version of Francine, from my book Francine's Day. Note the very sophisticated "cross-hatching" technique used on the shirt!



The kid below is the cutest. After I did a demonstration of how I draw Francine, the kids were invited to come up and color her in. This one could barely reach but was very creative!



All in all a great event, and a needed break from my deadline inspired hibernation!