Young Illustrators Learn Art, Writing at Rogers Library

ROGERS -- Trees and a volcano met a dog with bowler hat and a magical umbrella on the papers of children attending an illustration workshop at the Rogers Public Library Friday.

Roads crisscrossed their papers and Rich Davis, local illustrator, encouraged them to add the unexpected. He walked the group through the dozen or so steps in constructing a castle, and moved on to an ocean liner. If there isn't room in their lake for the boat, they can put it in a stream, Davis told his students.

"This is a map that's not necessarily supposed to make any sense," said the Siloam Springs-based illustrator. "It's your imagination. You can put it wherever you want."

Their art will serve as inspiration for the children's own stories at the end of the multi-day workshop, he said.

"Kids are more creative when they have a picture," he said.

The picture can be a handout, but if the picture comes from their own imaginations the creativity jumps into hyperspace, he said.

"My job is to put them in an environment where they can discover and learn," he said.

The castle was Sanjana Prabhu's favorite piece on her map.

"I just looks so cool," the 8-year-old said.

Ashton Corp, 12, saw a game of capture the flag in his map.

"I like the roads. They make it kind of organized," Ashton said.

Waiting parents said they often bring their children to participate in library activities.

Her boys like to draw, said Johanna Coursey of Rogers. They get their artistic side from their dad, she said.

"I'm trying to keep it up," Coursey said.

Kimberly Kebert of Lowell was bringing her daughter Koie to the library for the summer reading program, when she heard about the illustration workshop. She's done some art herself, and she believes learning activities are better for her daughter than video games, Kebert said.

Lathan Smalley, 10, told his mother Adella Smalley of Lowell that he only wanted to go the first day, but after the first class he wanted to come back, she said.

"He loves to draw, he loves art," she said.

The workshop is based on a game Davis wrote called "Pick and Draw." Once their maps are finished they can put two fingers in different places on the map and build a story, he said.

"They can do that 100 times in different ways," Davis said.

The four-day workshop started Thursday and ends next Friday.

"We always like to do something creative," said Rebecca Willhite, children's library director.

Arts and crafts books are very popular in the children's section, she said.

"We have a lot of artists in the community, I think. A lot of young artists," Willhite said.

Jeffrey Wall, 12, said he usually draws people and a winged monster he made up. On Friday, he drew a grass hut next to his volcano. He likes to draw, Jeffrey said.

"You get to let your imagination go wild," he said.