Book illustrator stirs children’s imagination

Pirate bears with “Beared Treasure.” Outer Rimits – toads from outer space. Crabapple – an apple with an attitude.

Children’s book illustrator Michael P. White enthralled an audience of around 80 children at Widmyer Elementary with these wacky characters and many more at a July 29 program that was sponsored by the Morgan County Public Library.

White illustrated author Carmen Agra Deedy’s books The Library Dragon and
The Secret of Old Zeb and Dawn Lesley Stewart’s book Harriet’s Horrible Hair Day.

White showed kids how to make a “bearly visible” drawing of a polar bear in 10 seconds. Kids sketched along with White to make their own zany illustrations of pirate bears and Fried Green Toadmatoes.

Everyone loves to draw, White said. He said he never erased.

“When you don’t have to erase, ideas come out of nowhere,” White said.
White uses shadow and texture to make his drawings look real. He told kids not to be afraid to let their drawing go off the page and to be sure to sign their name on their art to let everyone know who made it.

White created a painting of three chickens surfing to go with the library’s summer program theme of “Make a Splash.” He said he really enjoyed painting chickens. White was formerly a chef’s assistant and a food illustrator.

Books and characters can all start with a little silly
idea, White said. Think of SpongeBob SquarePants
and Green Eggs and Ham, he said.

He encouraged kids to think of opposites when
creating pictures – sharks being nice and bears as
chefs.

White uses water-soluble, pre-mixed acrylic paint for spray-painting his illustrations. He said he did 500 sketches for Library Dragon and 1200 sketches for Library Dragon 2. White draws eight hours a day.

White is currently working on writing and illustrating an original children’s book.