Mr. Masiello explains how changing the writing on the book covers makes it more interesting.
Our morning started in an exciting way today! The students were invited to attend a special presentation in the cafeteria. Illustrator Ralph Masiello came to our school to teach our students how he grew up from a small boy who thought he couldn’t draw to becoming an illustrator. He talked about how his teachers saw and believed in his talent even before he did. He explained what the job of being an illustrator involves.
He explains how his oil paintings are scanned into books.
The students learned how the publishers take his drawings and paintings and scans them into books that he or other authors have written. They learned that it can take a long time to make all the illustrations for one book and that he sometimes is working on 2 or 3 books at once.
Mr. Masiello showed the students skulls he used to help him illustrate The Skull Alphabet book.
He explained how he does his research for the illustrations. Sometimes he uses photographs and other times he uses actual objects such as the skulls of monkeys or panda bears.
The second graders were so engaged by his presentation.
The students were very well behaved and interested in the presentation. Mr. Masiello was so entertaining that he had the students (and teachers) laughing as we learned! Then he demonstrated how he makes sketches for his books and showed the children how they can do it too.
He explained how he could do this Egyptian drawing.
The Sphinx needs a pyramid in the background.
The signed completed drawing we have hanging in our classroom.
He generously made one drawing for each classroom at Brookside.
He was also very attentive to our classmate Kendra.
Another drawing demonstration! This time he showed them how to draw a dragon.
The completed dragon drawing!
I was VERY EXCITED that he autographed my book.
He autographed Mrs. Riordan’s copy of The Icky Bug Alphabet Book!
When the presentation was over, the second grade teachers had the idea of having our students practice being authors and illustrators themselves by working together to make a special alphabet thank you book for Mr. Masiello. Mrs. Saucier, Mrs. Porcello, Mrs. Robson, and Mrs. Riordan divided the students into groups of 2, 3 or 4. Each group was assigned a letter of the alphabet. They worked together to plan their thank you sentence based on that letter and sketched their illustration to go with it. Then they collaborated to make their final copy on larger construction paper.
Gabe and some other second graders work on the G page of the Alphabet Thank You book.
Oorjaa and some new friends plan their page.
I agree with these students. Mr. Masiello was hilarious!
The finished alphabet thank you book was presented to Mr. Masiello who was so pleased with it that he asked permission to mention it on HIS website. His website is : ralphmasiello.com and you can learn more about him on his website. Thank you Mr. Masiello for visiting today!