Illustrator Mike Monroe shared his passion for drawing with students at Daniel Axford Elementary last Tuesday and even gave a little drawing lesson.
Monroe, of Brighton, has been an artist for 26 years, ever since his grandparents bought him a paint set at age 10.
Since then, he’s illustrated 16 books and his realistic wildlife artwork has graced the cover of 200 magazines.
In 2000, one of his paintings was chosen to become a stamp for the Michigan Ducks Unlimited Featured Print Stamp award.
Some of the books he’s illustrated for are ‘Buzzy the Bumblebee,? ‘M is for Mitten-A Michigan Alphabet,? and ‘A Wish to be a Christmas Tree.?
‘I find it very rewarding to use my drawings and paintings to help tell a story,? he told the kids.
As a child, Monroe would go with his mother on nature walks. He was inspired by the wild and it really shows in the attention to detail in his paintings.
During his visit to DA, Monroe demonstrated some of the basics of drawing, like how to draw a duck starting with light circles and then gradually increasing the pressure.
He also had the students draw their own version of a Humbug, which is a character in one of his recent books.
But the most important message Monroe delivered to the students wasn’t about how to draw, but the motivation that leads to drawing.
‘I don’t think it’s about how well you draw,? he said. ‘It’s how great your imagination is.?