Ok, it’s Thursday, at 7:05 PM. I’m running out of time to post my illustration friday. The theme, time. Time… what does it mean? So many ways to interpret time. Time for an appointment, running late … running out of time..not enough time. Time and I are not friends. I’m greedy and never seem to have enough. How do you interpret something so elusive? This is how I feel about time.
I teach at a small charter school. I don’t want to go into it too much but our school needs every penny that they can get. For this reason, some extra perks that other schools get are simply out of our reach. For example, having authors and/or illustrators come for a school visit. This is a great opportunity for students to understand and appreciate the time and work that goes into making a picture book or YA novel. It connects the student to the artist perhaps even inspires a student to pursue a career in art or literature. You never know how something like that may impact a student. So, being a part of the illustration/writer community, I used my connections and asked my friend Don Tate if he could speak at our school. Here’s the kicker…I asked if he would speak gratis! This man, with his large heart, didn’t even hesitate and said yes. He came to our school last Friday. The kids sat amazed as Don read from some of the books he had illustrated. The highlight was when two students were chosen to come up from the crowd. They stood so still as Don drew their faces on superhero bodies. Their little faces beaming and I know that those kids will cherish that illustration for many years. Afterwards, our kids stood in a line to have their books signed. I never knew they could be so still and quiet, but for our Rock Star Don Tate, they were perfect. He had an impact on our school and I’m eternally grateful!
You can learn more about Don Tate at his website