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I have been visiting schools and libraries for the past 16 years to share with students, teachers, librarians and parents the fascinating process of creating picture books. I stress that even professionals do not always get the words and pictures right the first time, and must work at them again and again to achieve success.
- "Creating A Garden of Whales" (All Ages) I share the behind-the-scenes process of how A Garden of Whales started with the author’s idea and became a picture book. While showing sketches (including some that were rejected), dummy books, paintings and other props, I discuss the team of people that worked together to produce the book. I explain the roles of the author, editor, art director and printer, focusing on my job as the illustrator. I also touch on the color separation process used in printing by showing a set of four, one-color transparencies; when laid one on top of the other, they magically form a full-color picture. While playing a CD of the music that inspired me while painting the illustrations for the book, I create a large pastel drawing of three different whales, which I leave with the class. I share several fascinating facts about the drawn whales and ask the audience how big a newborn baby blue whale is. (It’s 23 feet long - but don’t tell!) I unfurl a life-size canvas painting of one. This is followed by a question and answer session. 45 minutes.
- "How Ten Timid Ghosts Came to Be" (All Ages) I discuss the creation of my picture book, Ten Timid Ghosts, from the first spark of an idea through working with the editor and art director to produce the final text and art. I show my initial sketches, dummy books, revisions, final sketches and illustrations, and demonstrate my painting technique for making the ghosts appear translucent. I also explain the color separation process used in printing by showing a set of four, one-color transparencies; when laid one on top of the other, they magically form a full-color picture. Toward the end of the presentation, the audience directs me as I draw, and together we create our own character and setting. I play spooky music while sketching this. Then we all make up a story about our character. I leave the drawing with the school, and the children are often inspired to finish the story later or create new tales about our character. I finish with a question and answer session. 45 minutes.
- "Let’s Create a Picture Book" Workshop (Grades 2 - Adult) After reading Ten Timid Ghosts together, I briefly discuss how I created the story and the key aspects to consider when working on a picture book. With the help of the class, I demonstrate how to use six grab-bag ‘idea boxes’. Each box contains about 65 cut-out ideas for: characters, settings, descriptive words, feelings, objects and conflicts/actions. Everyone uses the boxes and soon there are exciting new characters, stories and pictures coming alive in the room. No one is required to use any of these cut-out ideas for their story, but they are great fun and tend to spark everyone’s creativity! Each participant puts his/her own picture book together using bristol paper for the cover, hole punched copy paper for the pages and decorative fasteners. 60 minutes.
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| Awards and highlights: |
- Ten Timid Ghosts has been a New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA Today bestseller and has sold more than a half million copies.
- Promise Not To Tell received The Christopher Medal. (by Caroline Polese, illustrated by Jennifer O’Connell, 1985)
- Imagine That! Exploring Make-Believe received The Christopher Medal. (by Joyce Strauss, illustrated by Jennifer O’Connell, 1984)
- A Garden of Whales received The Vermont Publishers Association Special Merit Award (by Maggie Davis, illustrated by Jennifer O’Connell, 1993) and is now in its fifth printing.
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