OCTOBER 19: Ed Emberley's Birthday!

PHOTO: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ed-Emberley/407934075944677

SELF-PORTRAIT: 

http://www.edemberley.com/pages/main.aspx?section=bio

October 19 is the birthday of Ed Emberley.

Who is Ed Emberley?  If you want to know about him that's according to Wikipedia, check out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_emberley.  If you want to know about him that's according to Mr. Emberley, check out

http://www.edemberley.com/pages/main.aspx?section=bio.

How am I connected with this artist?  In a bookstore, I found a thumbprint drawing book authored by Mr. Emberley.  When I finally had the money to buy it, the book was gone. :-(

When I was on holiday, I asked a bookstore clerk if they have the thumbprint book by Ed Emberley.  It felt really good that the store has it.  It was not one book but two books in one-- thumbprint and fingerprint drawing book!  A cheerful holiday memory indeed.  Happy-happy, joy-joy! :-)

I had fun trying out his designs.  Perhaps with more practice, I can develop my unique prints.  It's like if you see Mr. Emberley's masterpiece, you'd say "That's an Ed Emberley original."  Hopefully one day, someone will look at my masterpiece and would say, "That's a Dominique Liongson original."

You might love to try out his art style.  Check out www.edemberley.com.  I enjoyed his animated how-to Drawing Book Sampler.  Not in the mood to artwork about? Watching the videos might help you change your mind.  Or perhaps you might want to schedule it another day.

Thank you for sharing your fun for visual arts, Mr Emberley. You are one of my inspirations to have fun with making more artworks.  And on October 19...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ED EMBERLEY!

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL    

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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."

--Buddha

SEPTEMBER 13: Happy Roald Dahl's Day!

Roald Dahl  image courtesy of www.us.penguingroup.com

ROALD DAHL'S DAY ON 13 SEPTEMBER!

http://www.roalddahlday.info

Roald Dahl was born on 13 September 1916.  He had written books for children and the young at heart.  You may read more of his biography at www.roalddahl.com.

He has works made into movies such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (twice; first was starring Gene Wilder and the second was Johnny Depp), "Matilda", and "The Witches".

How am I connected with Roald Dahl?  

• I enjoyed watching "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" that I was motivated to read the book version.  The book has more details and is just as lovely.
• I enjoyed watching "Matilda".  I haven't read the book version yet but I am willing to have a go.
• My favorite quote from one of his books came from "The Twits".  It goes like this:  'If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face.  And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it gets so ugly you can hardly bear to look at it.  A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.  You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.'

What we both have in common is Mr Dahl and I are both authors for the young and young at heart.  I have fun writing and I supposed he did too.  It would be a dream come true to have him as my mentor!  Woohoo!

But then he passed away on 23 November 1990.  If The Little Mermaid (of Hans Christian Andersen) became foam in the air, where would Mr Dahl's spirit be?  I suppose his well-loved books have established a pleasant immortality for himself in the hearts and minds of his readers.

Thank you for being you, Mr Dahl.  I am glad you write like a first rate plum than a second rate banana.  You have a special unique way for telling a story and writing it down.

So on September 13, HAPPY ROALD DAHL'S DAY!

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL    
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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."
--Buddha

AUGUST 13: Happy Left-Handers' Day!

Image courtesy of Janaka Dharmasena at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is a day we celebrate our recognition of left-handers everywhere.  Left handers aren't alone in a world of right-handers.  We have various celebrities, authors, musicians, artists, actors, athletes, and more.  For a full listing, you may visit http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/left.html.

Left-handers are those who use their left hands most of the time for doing tasks.  The use their left for writing, cutting, driving, measuring, and more.

Most tools were traditionally designed for right-handers. Check out http://www.lefthandersday.com/top10-products.html.  You'll find the top ten left-handed products popularly purchased from the Anything Left-Handed website. The online shop is in http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk.

Before I was schooled, I wrote on paper with my left hand. When I learned to write in school, I was taught to write with my right hand.  My art of writing with my left hand was lost and forgotten.  But if I have the need to be ambidextrous --the ability to write with both hands-- I'm glad to know that I can be trained.  It would be very handy to be able to write with my left hand whenever my right hand is tired.

To all you left-handers out there, join the club!  There's a free online club at http://www.lefthandersday.com/index.html.  I suppose you can mingle with other left-handers who join this community.  If you'd like to, join now so that you won't be "left behind". ;-)

So on August 13, HAPPY LEFT-HANDERS' DAY!



:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL    
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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."
--Buddha

July Birthday Girl: Beatrix Potter

Images courtesy of www.fanpop.com

Helen Beatrix Potter was born on 28 July 1866.  Nope, she's not related to Harry Potter.  She may not have a magic wand but she has the magic to tell cute stories and illustrated them all by herself.

There is an official website that presents a pictorial timeline starting from her birth, her death, and up to the most recent animated series based on her illustrated tales such as Peter Rabbit. Have a look at http://www.peterrabbit.com/uk/beatrix_potter/beatrixs_life.

There was a movie created that tells her life story beautifully. It was a movie titled "Miss Potter" starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. I had my share of laughter and tears when I watched this film.

How am I connected to Miss Potter? When I was a tiny baby in the 20th century, I received a gift of a Peter Rabbit book and a plush toy of Peter Rabbit's mother. Both the book and the toy were loved to bits. My Peter Rabbit book show wear and tear on the binding and missing hardbound covers. The toy had a big hole on one foot, and lots of stuffing spilled out. As a souvenir of the past, I still keep the same tattered book. I had to part with the toy since it was worn and forgotten-- most likely disposed of. But sometime in the 21st century, I received a Peter Rabbit plush toy on one Easter. I still have it in fabulous condition.

Another connection I have with Miss Potter is I can relate with her as an author-illustrator. I feel happy for her that her books made it to brick and mortar stores while she is still alive. I also understood how joyful she was when her idea of printing her books in grayscale was dismissed. She wanted to cut cost on printing so that the books will be more affordable. She was blessed that her publisher insisted on full-color printing because he was enchanted on how Miss Potter colorfully painted her drawings.

Feminists would be touched that Miss Potter made it as female author-illustrator in a male dominated world. And, she lived to see her published books sell successfully.

Happy birthday, Miss Potter! You have been an inspiration to children, authors, illustrators, and especially women. Thank you very much.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL    

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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."

--Buddha

Qwirky Kooky Calendar for the Month of June

Image courtesy of arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In one of my online surfing adventures, I came across a FUN calendar for the month of June.  What did I find?

The calendar had a list of fun events and trivia.  Before you have a look, let me give you a brief synopsis...

• On this calendar you'll find birthdays of famous stuff. There are celebrity people (Helen Keller), Sesame Street characters (Oscar the Grouch), cartoon characters (Donald Duck), inventions (toothbrush), organizations (National Organization of Women), and movies (ET).

• You will also find  ____ Day like "Power of a Smile Day", "Fly a Kite Day", "Stand for Children Day".  The other fill-in-the-blank for " ____ Day" also celebrates the day for food (Donut Day), genius gadgets (Camera Day), outer space things (Meteor Day), and an international event (International Picnic Day).

• And there are some FIRSTS recorded in this calendar. (First UFO Day, First Apple II computers sold, First Ford Car made...) 

Click and have a good look at: http://www.theteacherscorner.net/calendars/june.php

For more information on each entry of this calendar, click on the clickable underlined links or the Amazon.com icon.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL    

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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."

--Buddha

A Mother's Day Special

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mother's Day is getting close by.  Ever received Motherisms from your Mom?  I found an interesting article about some popular ones.  Maybe you have heard about one or more of them too.  Here is a list I found from www.mothersdaycentral.com:

1) "Stop cracking your knuckles… it will give you arthritis!"

2) "If you shave your facial hair, it will come back thicker."

3) "Watching TV too close will hurt your eyes and make you go blind!"

4) "It's cold outside - if you don't bundle up you're going to get sick!"

5) "Make sure to clean behind your ears - if not, potatoes will start growing there."

6) "If you swallow a watermelon seed, it will grow inside your stomach!"

7) "Don't swallow that gum - it will stay in your stomach for seven years!"

8) "You're too young to start drinking coffee - it will stunt your growth."

9) "Eating your carrots will improve your eyesight enough to see in the dark."

10) "Stop playing with the toad - you'll just get warts on your hand!"

11) "Wait an hour after eating before getting into the pool or you'll get cramps and drown!"

12) "If you keep making that face, it might stay that way forever!"

13) "You're going to poke someone's eye out with that!"

14) "Eating too many spicy foods will give you ulcers."

15) "Get down from there - you're going to fall and crack your head open!"

16) "If you keep playing with it, it will fall off someday."

Wouldn't we love to bust these myths?  They have been busted alright. You may read it at http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/mothers-day-fun/mom-myths/ and see why these are not true.  It seems that tapping at our fear conscience works when we were children.  I wonder if it works on grown-ups… ;-)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOMS!

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL    

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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."

--Buddha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PIGEON!

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/03/27/mo-willems-pigeon-duckling-cookie/

Image Credit: Marty Umans

This 01 April 2013 was the 10th birthday of this famous blue pigeon.  There is an article about him written in this blog: http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/happy-birthday-pigeon.html

Mo Willems is one of my favorite picture book artists.  He writes and draws for his books all by himself.  These are his books I had fun reading and looking at the pictures.  The ones about:

1) The Pigeon series (It is funny to watch the pigeon struggle to do what he wants.)

2) The Elephant and Piggie series (No matter what happens, this elephant and pig will always be best friends. Or maybe not?)

3) The Knuffle Bunny series (Readers will witness how important the bunny is to the little girl.)

4) The dressy Mole Rat (An amazing tale of a dressed mole rat that shocked the naked mole rats.)

5) Edwina the dinosaur (Edwina meets a school boy who tries to explain to her that dinosaurs are extinct.  Does that bug her?)

6) Leonardo the monster (Even if this is a terrible monster, there's something good about him.)

If you observe carefully, you will find the blue pigeon hidden in the other books that are not about the same bird.  It became my habit to look for him.  Seriously.

I admire picture book authors who can put their own words and pictures together.  Dr Seuss did.  So did Mo Willems.  It is a bonus when these artists show their own brand of humor and wit.

I am not condemning imitation.  I'm aware it is part of the learning process of being a prolific original.  If babies imitate the speech patterns around them and live to be originals, so do budding artists who make sketches of existing works.  I'm glad artists like Dr Seuss and Mo Willems were able to let go of imitating and head towards the road to being first rate originals.

If you are in the process of imitating your favorite celebrity, I hope one day you will let go of copying and allow yourself to shine being the best you that you can be.  

Thank you, Mr Willems, for sharing with us your passion in creating picture books, that bring cheer to the young and the young at heart.  Thank you for being you.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)

DL    

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"Let us rise up and be thankful; for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful."

--Buddha