Explore History with 20 Fascinating Picture Books!
I have always enjoyed reading children's books, even as an adult, so imagine my pleasure when I learned record-setting Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer used children's nonfiction as a way of…
Medium Monday: 3D and Unusual Media
What is 3D and Unusual Media? 3D art is anything that isn't flat. This includes traditional sculpture (like clay or stone), as well as diorama-style setups, knitting and sewing, and…
My Favorite Books Ever
First, foremost, and forever, my answer is The Mysterious Benedict Society. When I first read this, I was just at the age where I started to notice how carelessly written some…
Medium Monday: Charcoal and Graphite
What is Charcoal? What is Graphite? Charcoal and graphite are both made of carbon, but the element is structured differently for each. This means that graphite and charcoal have different…
Medium Monday: Acrylic Paint
What Is Acrylic Paint? Art supplies get their color from pigment. That pigment can be mixed with a "medium," which changes the way the pigment is handled. In the case…
Medium Monday: Papercraft
What Is Papercraft? Papercraft, broadly speaking, is a work of art that is created out of paper. The interesting thing about papercraft is its variety of forms. There is the…
Cat’s Picks! Cozy Holiday Books for Families!
Whether your household celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or the Winter Solstice, Westlake Porter Public Library has an abundance of picture books for all of the winter holidays. Click on the…
Exploring Illustration at the Mazza Museum Weekend Conference
The University of Findlay's Mazza Museum is home to a stunning collection of original art from picture books. As a UF alumnus from their illustration program, I spent a lot…
Zombies on Your Bookshelf? It May Be More Likely Than You Think
How Can a Book Be Undead? I'll be honest: I've never liked zombies. They're scary. They're gross. They bear the faces of humans—people who once laughed, and dreamed, and fell…
Medium Monday: Printmaking
What Is Printmaking? E. B. Goodale uses monotype prints in The Moon Remembers Printmaking is actually an umbrella term for several different methods. At the most basic level, it is…
Medium Monday: Colored Pencil
What Is Colored Pencil? Colored pencils are just what they sound like. A thin outer layer of wood makes a stylus with a pigmented core that leaves a mark when…
The Classic of the Month: Harold and the Purple Crayon
It was one of my favorite books as a child and its still one of my favorite nostalgia reads now. This month's classic is a heartwarming tale of a young…
Medium Monday: Watercolor
What Is Watercolor? Watercolor paint usually comes as a solid cake or a tube of gel. Both substances are a highly concentrated pigment, meant to be diluted with water. The…
The Doctor Is (Still) In
Theodor Geisel, known by millions worldwide as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904. Over a hundred years later, educators still celebrate Dr. Suess' legacy in the month of…