Exploring the Hero’s Gallery

Last year, I spent a day a week from November to December working with a class at Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary to help the kids contemplate, design, and illustrate heroes, setting them up for a project to write a story starring those characters.

I returned to the school last week to see the “Hero Gallery” that was put on display throughout the school. Each display consisted of a poster board that showed the process of creation and some of the different elements that went into creating the characters. I loved the fact that the project celebrated the process—not just the polished, finished work, but the messy sketches and brainstorming. In addition, it was great to see the swatch of a hero’s cape or the key that a brazen character might use to unlock the door to adventure.

It was so much fun to see the kids, who all leapt from their seats and came flooding over to see me. I felt very much missed (and loved).

I took countless photos of the exhibit, but here’s just a smattering . . .

 

 

The Art of Creating Heroes ~ the finale

Last week, I wrapped up my artist in residency at Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary. Over the course of five weeks, I helped the students design heroic characters that they can use in an upcoming writing project.

We tackled this design from many different angles. Not only did we draw the characters in different poses and with different expressions, but we built props for them and even thought about costume by choosing hair and fabric samples. I also discussed with them the “Hero’s Journey”, as first developed by the mythologist Joseph Cambell.

In the coming weeks, the students will prepare an exhibit of their heroes, so I’ll return to the school to view the gallery. I can’t wait to see those displays! In the meantime, here are some final photos of their sketchbooks . . .