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Author, illustrator dares students in Shelton to dream and draw
Courtesy of the New Haven Register
They say good guys wear white hats, and children's author and illustrator Guy Gilchrist proved the point Thursday when he arrived at Long Hill School wearing a white cowboy hat.
Gilchrist, whose accomplishments include 44 children's books, several syndicated comic strips and poetry, addressed students in the media center throughout the day. He captivated about 125 second-, fourth- and sixth-graders during an hour-long presentation.
"You're going to do what I do," said Gilchrist, 45, who lives in northern Connecticut. "It doesn't matter if you think you draw crummy or you think you draw good."
The pupils arrived with pencil and paper in hand, ready to draw.
Gilchrist stood before an easel, black marker in hand. "We're going to draw unbelievably fast today," Gilchrist said. "You're going to make unbelievable mistakes."
He drew two circles and a head and asked what they thought it was. "Mickey Mouse!" one boy yelled.
Although he said it was a good guess, the head he had started to draw belonged to Kermit the Frog, one of the many Muppets he and his brother, Brad Gilchrist, created for "The Muppets" comic strip for the late Jim Henson.
"The Muppets" strip was published worldwide in more than 660 newspapers from 1981 to 1986.
In 1996, the brothers returned the strip "Nancy" to its legendary style. The comic appears in more than 390 newspapers worldwide.
"We start with little shapes. It's the basis of everything we draw," Gilchrist said.
He used an oval to illustrate the concept and asked students to suggest oval-shaped things. They came up with head, mirror, egg, pool, trampoline and hot dog. Gilchrist deftly incorporated all of the elements into a drawing.
"Every single thing you would ever draw is made of shapes," he said.
Gilchrist reiterated the need to draw quickly without worrying about making an error. "I draw constantly and every time I move on to something that's tougher, I make mistakes," he said.
He said he started his career in third grade, when he drew Woody Woodpecker on his classmates' notebooks for a 5-cent fee.
He described a trip to a conference of writers and artists in Hartford that he took when he was a boy. At the event he was inspired to work at drawing and writing after hearing a talk by the late children's author Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss.
Gilchrist said Geisel told them if they merely dream a dream and don't do anything about it, "all you'll get is a sad old dream and a sore rump." Years later Gilchrist wrote a poem called "Dream It Then Do It."
Fourth-grader Danielle Iorfino, 8, enjoyed the lesson. "I learned you can do anything you dream of doing by practicing," she said.
Classmate Mark Murray, 9, said Gilchrist taught him "don't be afraid to try anything."
Gilchrist's two most recent books are "Night Lights & Pillow Fights: Comics featuring Mudpie," a collection of the earliest daily Mudpie cartoons; and "Night Lights & Pillow Fights Genius Club: Let's Draw Cartoons!" including drawing lessons from the syndicated "Night Lights & Pillow Fights" newspaper feature.
http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1281&dept_id=7577&newsid=5830290&PAG=461&rfi=9
Courtesy of the New Haven Register
They say good guys wear white hats, and children's author and illustrator Guy Gilchrist proved the point Thursday when he arrived at Long Hill School wearing a white cowboy hat.
Gilchrist, whose accomplishments include 44 children's books, several syndicated comic strips and poetry, addressed students in the media center throughout the day. He captivated about 125 second-, fourth- and sixth-graders during an hour-long presentation.
"You're going to do what I do," said Gilchrist, 45, who lives in northern Connecticut. "It doesn't matter if you think you draw crummy or you think you draw good."
The pupils arrived with pencil and paper in hand, ready to draw.
Gilchrist stood before an easel, black marker in hand. "We're going to draw unbelievably fast today," Gilchrist said. "You're going to make unbelievable mistakes."
He drew two circles and a head and asked what they thought it was. "Mickey Mouse!" one boy yelled.
Although he said it was a good guess, the head he had started to draw belonged to Kermit the Frog, one of the many Muppets he and his brother, Brad Gilchrist, created for "The Muppets" comic strip for the late Jim Henson.
"The Muppets" strip was published worldwide in more than 660 newspapers from 1981 to 1986.
In 1996, the brothers returned the strip "Nancy" to its legendary style. The comic appears in more than 390 newspapers worldwide.
"We start with little shapes. It's the basis of everything we draw," Gilchrist said.
He used an oval to illustrate the concept and asked students to suggest oval-shaped things. They came up with head, mirror, egg, pool, trampoline and hot dog. Gilchrist deftly incorporated all of the elements into a drawing.
"Every single thing you would ever draw is made of shapes," he said.
Gilchrist reiterated the need to draw quickly without worrying about making an error. "I draw constantly and every time I move on to something that's tougher, I make mistakes," he said.
He said he started his career in third grade, when he drew Woody Woodpecker on his classmates' notebooks for a 5-cent fee.
He described a trip to a conference of writers and artists in Hartford that he took when he was a boy. At the event he was inspired to work at drawing and writing after hearing a talk by the late children's author Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss.
Gilchrist said Geisel told them if they merely dream a dream and don't do anything about it, "all you'll get is a sad old dream and a sore rump." Years later Gilchrist wrote a poem called "Dream It Then Do It."
Fourth-grader Danielle Iorfino, 8, enjoyed the lesson. "I learned you can do anything you dream of doing by practicing," she said.
Classmate Mark Murray, 9, said Gilchrist taught him "don't be afraid to try anything."
Gilchrist's two most recent books are "Night Lights & Pillow Fights: Comics featuring Mudpie," a collection of the earliest daily Mudpie cartoons; and "Night Lights & Pillow Fights Genius Club: Let's Draw Cartoons!" including drawing lessons from the syndicated "Night Lights & Pillow Fights" newspaper feature.
http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1281&dept_id=7577&newsid=5830290&PAG=461&rfi=9
As the only Muppet comic book I had, it was pretty darn special to me---and still is. 