Creative Boost: Trying #KitLitArt28 in 2019

I’m giving #KidLitArt28 a try. The goal is to create a piece of KidLitArt each day for the 28 days in February.

I want my #KidLitArt28 projects to suggest there’s a story happening in the art.

First Project: Road of Light

Here’s my torn paper version of “Road of Light.”

Here’s my inspiration for my first #KidLitArt28 project:

My niece takes some great nature and outdoor photos and shares them on instagram. I couldn’t get this one out of my mind.

My version lacks the luminosity of the photograph, so maybe a more experienced artist would have picked a different medium. My favorite part is the branch in the top left corner. Perhaps I should have gotten much brighter paper for the sun in the sky and that one spot where the sun hits the road.

I think watercolor might offer an interesting result, and pen and ink would be fun to do.

I enjoyed the process of making this very much. First I would squint at the photos and try to notice blobs of color, and then tear paper into shapes that matches the blobs of color. My paper was old Cricket magazines. The art in those magazines are fantastic.

I’m a writer, not an illustrator or artist, but I do enjoy making art. Actually, I love making art. I’ve taken art classes off-and-on since high school. Last year, I did a Sketchbook project with my oldest son, and in late summer, I did an Infinite Sketch project with my middle son.

This past fall I took a watercolor class and this month I’m taking a class to learn more about picture book illustration.

I doodle a lot when I’m at workshops and lectures. And I doodle at home. I love going to art museums.

And I think as a writer, it will only help me to become familiar with the process of creating art that tells a story. So onward with #KidLitArt28!