Try This! - Read a Book and Create Fan Art

From Salina Yoon:

I hope that you are finding many good books to read!

When you come across one where you start to think about the characters even when you're not reading the book, that's when you know you've hit inspiration-gold for FAN ART! Fan art is simply art that's created by you (the fan)—inspired by a piece of fiction. It is a good way to journal about the books you love.

I read and loved a YA (Young Adult) novel, BECAUSE YOU'LL NEVER MEET ME, by Leah Thomas. There is no rule for fan art other than letting the book inspire your work of art!

Step 1:  Pick a book you LOVE! 

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Step 2:  Write out some of your favorite lines from the book, and write the characters' names. Sometimes I try to write in the handwriting I think the characters would have. 

You can even draw something you think the characters might draw--based on their interests in the book.

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Step 3:  If there are no illustrations, pay close attention to the descriptions of the characters. In mine, one character wore goggles and the other put a fishbowl over his head. The boy with the goggles was always a bit cranky, and the other boy was usually upbeat and happy. Note below how I drew their facial expressions to match the personalities from the book. If there are illustrations, try and copy them… but it does not have to be perfect! 

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I added my own character, Penguin, into this art just for fun. Remember. This is YOUR art, so you can do whatever you want and however you want!

Step 4:  Combine all the pieces; favorite lines, the characters' names, the title and cover, and maybe even what you thought about the book! This will give you a good record for each book you read over the summer. Use tape or a glue stick to arrange your pieces onto a page—much like a scrapbook.

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You're done! Keep adding more pages as you read more books! But if you know how to use Photoshop, you can keep going and polish it up with some special effects if you want to. But essentially, it is the same thing. I shared mine on Twitter and tagged the author. You can try that, too, and see if you get a response! 

Happy reading, drawing, and journaling!

Click to Enlarge this Notebook Page

Salina Yoon is a designer, author, and illustrator of many books for children, including the Penguin and Bear picture book series with Bloomsbury. You can learn more about Salina at: www.salinayoon.com.