Imaginary Menagerie

In 2016, I attended a drawing workshop led by artist and illustrator Calef Brown. The event was part of the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival, and I stumbled upon it by accident, not knowing anything about Brown or his work. During that hour, Brown demonstrated his drawing process via projector while participants were encouraged to doodle along. I found his simple and humorous approach to drawing so fun and accessible that I knew I had to bring it back to my elementary art room.

Building Line Confidence
One of my biggest challenges every year as an art teacher is getting students to be confident in their line making and to rely less on the eraser. Students will often make a mark and immediately erase it. Then they’ll make another mark and erase it again! This can go on for quite some time. For this project, we use three permanent black drawing media (crayon, marker, and tempera paint) so that erasing simply isn’t an option. We also use inexpensive white drawing paper for students to generate lots of ideas and start over as needed.

It Starts with a Snail
A blank page can be daunting to artists of all ages, so it’s important to give students some parameters to help spur their creativity. We start with a snail, the first drawing Brown demonstrated in his workshop. The snail has three parts: a shell, body, and head. Students are encouraged to use their imaginations and design the snail however they want as long as it has these three parts.

On day one, we use the snail theme to explore the three different media. We draw our first snail in crayon, our second in marker, and our third using black paint and a brush. As I walk around the room, I listen to students’ comments and ask them individually which medium they prefer and why. Some students like the crayon because it glides smoothly across the paper. Some like the marker because of the level of detail they can achieve. Overall, most students prefer the dark bold lines they can create with the black paint. Some even experiment with combining materials to achieve different values and textures.

The use of black lines on white paper is very intentional. In the past, I’ve allowed students to add color to their creatures, only to see their beautiful line drawings disappear under layers of color. Some students are disappointed to discover that we are only using black and white for this project. I assure them that we’ll be using lots of color in other projects throughout the year, but for now we are emphasizing line.

Mix and Match Animals
On day two, we look at more examples of Brown’s work from his book Dragon, Robot, Gatorbunny: Pick One. Draw It. Make It Funny! (Chronicle Books, 2012). I encourage them to create new creatures by combining two or more animals into one. For inspiration, I have a bulletin board full of animal pictures and I show students illustrations from the book. I enjoy watching students share ideas and get inspiration from one another as they come up with new creatures.

During this part of the project, I often sit with students and draw along with them, which provides a great opportunity for building relationships. We usually end day two with a “gallery walk” so that students can present their work to their peers. Some students only share a select few drawings while others are happy to display all of their creations.

A Book of Beasts
Since Brown is an illustrator, the final step is the creation of a book to compile students’ favorite drawings. First, they cut and glue their favorite drawings into a simple handmade book, which is usually two pieces of colorful construction paper folded and stapled. I show students how to cut a “space bubble” around their drawings so they don’t destroy any of their lines with the scissors. Then they write the names of their creatures in their book and add details such as what the creature eats and where it lives. We end the class with some library time when students can swap books and admire each other’s work.

Conclusion
This easily adaptable lesson has become a staple in my curriculum for grades two through five. Students always walk away with three important insights: art can be funny, there are artists living and working today, and you can make great art with simple materials. All you need is a pen, some paper, and a little inspiration.