(Despicable) Artistic Me

          Last March 24, we had the privilege of meeting Professor Mel Silvestre of the College of Fine Arts, a children’s book illustrator. He showed us some of his works. Sir Mel joked that he isn’t and hasn’t been an illustrator for a while now because the last time he did the art for a children’s book was in the early 2000s. Personally I don’t think that disqualifies him; once an illustrator, always an illustrator. I think that is the beauty of writing and drawing –stories and artwork live long after their creators do. Since most of Sir Mel’s work had been done at a time when there was very little money for printing and reproducing colored pictures, much of his illustrations were made using pencil. The simplicity of his creations did not lessen the value of the story, if anything it added to it. I was particularly impressed by one of his illustrations of the body of a boy in the basket of fish. It is a very heavy topic and one that has to be dealt with properly when presenting to children and so what Sir Mel did was create the outline of the boy’s body using the fish. It was a very clever technique, if you ask me.

            I was also impressed by Sir Mel’s foam masks and costumes. I liked the Storm Trooper and Darth Vader ones the most. The attention to detail was simply amazing. He also made little Angry Birds toys for his sons. He said that that way they can play the game without having to use gadgets all the time. The minute Sir Mel brought out his creations, the crafty side of me just wanted to get to work. We were taught how to make tiny minions using different colors of plastic foam. I made a traditional yellow minion but with a pink jumper instead of a blue one. Sir Mel divided us into groups to share the glue that Teacher Hazelle provided. It was fun feeling like artists for a while. I didn’t get to finish my minion but I brought it home with me and Sir Mel even let us bring home little pieces of foam with us to use. He also gave us tips on where we could find materials in case we ever wanted to make foam costumes too. It was a very fun experience to get out of the classroom and have a workshop-type session. I have always dreamed of becoming a published children’s author someday, but for the first time in my life I considered becoming a children’s book illustrator. I’ll be honest; I’m not particularly good at drawing (which is probably why I never saw myself becoming an illustrator) but after working with Sir Mel, I realized that there are different mediums that can be used. Perhaps it isn’t only about natural skill when it comes to drawing but also about creativity. You can use puppets, make collages, or sew dolls to use – the possibilities are endless!

            I’m so glad Teacher Hazelle gave us this unique opportunity. It’s too bad she didn’t get to stay the whole class period, but I’m sure we’ll have other chances to get out of the classroom as a class. Lastly, I’m very grateful to Sir Mel for allowing us to work and use his materials and for taking the time to show us that we too, can be artists. 

Hope for the Books

Last March 17, we had EDR class at the College of Fine Arts and we were able to meet three inspiring children's book authors - Marie Yvette Concepcion-Alcazar, Maita Songco-Salvador, and Annie Pacaña-Lumbao. I went to class expecting to hear the stories they had written and perhaps have a Q&A portion afterwards. What we experienced was instead something much more hands on and interactive. 

Before that day, I had never had the privilege of meeting an author. In my mind I imagined them to be somewhat serious and to have an air of formality. I'm not sure why I was expecting this, especially given that they are children's book authors. Teacher Yvette said it herself - when you think of authors, you think of old men and women long gone before you even get the chance to meet them. It was refreshing to see that not only were all the authors and teachers friends with each other, but that they were also very accommodating and friendly towards us, the class. Maybe being moms and teachers has something to do with this, I'm not sure. 

The stories that we read in class were wonderful - When Zero Left Numberland, Letting Sunny Go, But That Won't Wake Me Up, But That Won't Make Me Sleep, and Bog. Among these books I liked But That Won't Make Me Sleep by Teacher Annie the most because it involves not only imagination and fun but the concept of family. The little girl was unable to sleep until she was sure her father was home safe. It's very sweet and light and it really is the perfect bedtime story. 

But more than But That Won't Make Me Sleep, I enjoyed the most the new book that Teacher Annie is working on. She showed us the print out of her idea and it was splendid! It was so creative - not just the inspiring story and the beautiful illustrations but also the presentation and format. Teacher Annie herself said, since it is expensive to publish and reproduce pop-up books and other books with unconventional formats, authors and illustrators are challenged to think outside the box and be innovative. I was simply amazed by her work. 

What was most striking to me, however, was not even the books themselves but the stories of how the three lovely teachers wrote them and had them published. It was nice to see that there was not one "Eureka!" moment that got the ball rolling and from that point on, everything was a piece of cake. First of all, all three teachers were inspired by their personal experiences. This message speaks to me because it makes me feel like I don't need much to come up with an idea for a story. I can simply draw from my own life. Hearing the stories of Teacher Maita, Teacher Yvette and Teacher Annie made me realize that getting published is really an amazing feat because it is very difficult. The first draft you write will definitely not be the final output that gets printed, bound, reproduced and sold. There will be several changes that you have to make, several things that need to be tweaked. And while that may make you feel a little sad at times because it seems as though your story does not feel so much like your own anymore, it does not mean that your accomplishment is any less impressive. Hearing Teacher Maita, Teacher Yvette and Teacher Annie describe their struggles to create their books gave me hope that one day I too, may be standing in front of an EDR class and telling them all about my story.

I am very grateful to Teacher Hazelle for giving us the opportunity to meet and interact with the three lovely authors. It was an experience I would not have been exposed to had I not taken EDR 121.