| Two of my twelve-year-old daughter's project | | | | her skill and portfolio, I may find a professional |
| choices dovetail perfectly together, even though | | | | artist who would be willing to spend a couple of |
| they are completely different disciplines. She | | | | hours with my daughter to help her fine tune her |
| wants to write short stories, and she wants to | | | | craft and style. |
| learn to draw. | | | | In the meantime, she will study the life and works |
| I am a writing teacher and taught the writing of | | | | of Beatrix Potter. Although she will develop her |
| short stories just last year. I couldn't draw a thing | | | | own unique style, I will first have her copy Beatrix |
| if my life depended on it. When I draw on the | | | | Potter's sketches as closely as possible. She will |
| board, my students laugh. However, I do know | | | | then create a Squidoo Lens on Beatrix Potter and |
| how to teach and how to create a meaningful | | | | her work. This will be the "reading and writing" |
| learning experience for a child to understand and | | | | portion of her project. |
| follow. | | | | Proportion is a significant part of good drawing - |
| To start, I will go to Barnes and Nobles and look | | | | sufficient for "figuring and graphing." |
| through the various "Learn to Draw" books, both | | | | She will study briefly the history of animal |
| for adults and for children. Some guides will be | | | | sketching, both in natural science (Audubon, etc.) |
| easier to follow than others. I will buy two that | | | | and in story art. |
| are different in approach, but that complement | | | | She will study and take notes on the science of |
| each other. | | | | color, of light, of the composition of the various |
| My daughter will follow what the books teach. | | | | colors a natural artist uses. |
| I will also purchase for her a well-equipped drawing | | | | Finally, as her children's book project nears |
| kit with the various tools of the trade. I will | | | | completion, she will learn to fit all of it into Adobe |
| acquire whatever other tools she needs over | | | | InDesign, and using Adobe Photoshop. I will help |
| time. | | | | her with this. |
| For this project, she will produce two products. | | | | She will combine her artwork and her story into a |
| The first will be a portfolio of her work. This | | | | real - hard copy children's book which she will |
| portfolio will show her learning of the art of | | | | offer for sell online. The sky is then the limit on |
| drawing, and the particular development of a | | | | the prospects of publishing. |
| series of sketches that are her personal style or | | | | I will not require a lot of journal writing about this |
| repertoire. Her art will focus on story book | | | | project, her portfolio is her journal. She will need |
| animals in general and cutesy rabbits in particular. | | | | to clock around 100 hours in her project account |
| Her second project will be a series of finalized | | | | book. |
| sketches that she will fit into her children's | | | | In the end, her portfolio and her illustrated |
| picture-book story about rabbits. | | | | children's book will be treasures to keep a lifetime. |
| At some point further on in the development of | | | | |