Elmsford Author's Fund - Brian Pinkney Visit
The Storyteller in All of Us
Children's author/illustrator Brian Pinkney began his program for the Alice E. Grady Elementary School children on November 23 with two questions: How many of you like to draw pictures? How many of you like to write stories? All hands went up in response to both queries.
Proving that each of us has a storyteller inside of us, Mr. Pinkney shared his development from elementary school child with a penchant for drawing, to a 40-something nationally-acclaimed artist. "The Faithful Friend," "In the Time of the Drums" and "Duke Ellington" are just a few of the highly-praised picture books he has illustrated.
Each successive PowerPoint slide depicting the artist's journey to becoming an award-winning illustrator - Mr. Pinkney holds two Caldecott and four Coretta Scott King Honors, and a Boston Globe Horn Book Award - drew exclamations of "Whoa!" from the young audience.
Using a "scratchboard" technique - one in which drawings are created with sharp knives and tools for etching into a thin layer of white China clay that is coated with black India ink - Mr. Pinkney works in stages. "I add details by scratching away," he said. The final touches of coloring the illustration takes place by painting with oil paint and oil pastels.
Nearly the entire audience of 240 children raised their hands when asked if they recognized a finished scratchboard illustration from "Max Found Two Sticks." It was Mr. Pinkney's first attempt at authoring a children's book. Prior to this own story, he had only illustrated for other authors.
The Elmsford Author's Fund Inc. funded Mr. Pinckney's visit. The author also spoke to Alexander Hamilton middle and high school students.
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