Illustrations: Teaching Kids How To Use Them

In Pictures and In Words: Chapter 7-Ideas and Content

Last week I was on vacation and linked you over to DeeDee’s website to get in on the action! Today, I am back with some of my own thoughts and connections. The second section of this marvelous book covers the 50 illustration techniques and how the relate to the qualities of "Good Writing."

Although Katie Wood Ray suggests book titles, she invites teacher to take books that they already know and look at them through a different lens.

I love how she has organized each illustration technique:

1. Something to Notice-Names the illustrative technique

2. Illustrative Example-Provide an example of what this looks like in a picture book.

3. An Understanding for Young Writers and Illustrators-Involves the kind of thinking you might do with the technique.

4. In a Teacher's Voice: An Idea for Trying it Out-This is just what it says. There is a little script that you might use when discussing the use of this technique with your students,

5. A Writing Connection-This section helps make the composing connection between writing and illustrating. For me, this is the "Aw, Yes!" moment. This is the section I want to understand and internalized. This is the justification for conducting illustrative studies.

Chapter 7: Ideas and Content
In this section Katie Wood Ray talks about 10 different techniques illustrators use such as distance perspective and crafting the background.

I totally made a connection!

My friend from Chicago has been at my home this week. We have worked really hard all week getting things ready for next school year. Yesterday we said, “Play time!” I took her to a truly southern tea house for lunch and then we went to the store and purchased “beverages” and hit the pool—something else you do when you live in the south! To let all my friends know what was going on, I took this picture with my camera.  I chose to only focus on the beverages, not the pool or the sun or any other background except the container of drinks and the brick pavement around it! But, anyone looking at this picture with the caption: Hello summer! Pool, sun and beverages...work can wait! could create the scene around the photo. You can also see another technique Katie talks about—perspective. The shot is from overhead as if you are going to reach right in and pull out one of those cold drinks on that hot summer day! How cool it would be to add a hand going down into the container!

When I think of illustrators that depict these techniques I think of Dory Story. 
Technique #4: An illustration may show two sides of a physical space simultaneously: inside and outside; above and below... See the photo where Danny is in the boat, but you can see the fish below. Why do they think the illustrator decided to include both sides of the scene?

Technique # 1: Illustrations have distance perspective: a central image may be pictured as far away, close up, or any distance in between.... See the photo where Danny is pulling himself up on a rock. The bulk of the page is the vast sea and it creates the feeling that his is really isolated and alone.

Technique #2: Illustrations have positioning perspective: a central image may be pictured from the front, the back, the side, about, or below... See the photo where Danny is viewed from above. You could have a conversation about why the illustrator decided to draw this image in this way. How would the feeling of this page be different if it was illustrated a different way?

Technique #3: Illustrations carefully craft the background in their pictures. They may have lots of background behind it, just a little, or hardly any at all. Last week my friend Michele and I were working on our Reading Workshop Unit 3 Digging Deeper (Not quite done with it yet!) We were working on characters and settings. One thing we talked about was illustrators who use little or no background, but let the characters be front and center! Of course, one of our favorites is Mo Willems. Piggy and Elephant are the focus of the story. Why do you think Mo Willems decide not to add a background? Is it important for the reader? Do you know the setting without even seeing it? By the way, do you see another technique in this photo?