Learn and Draw with Mike Artell: Outer Space

Gr 4–7—Mike Artell has a quiet, easy manner that works well for the learn-to-draw genre. In this program, he shows children how to draw items that might be found in outer space, such as a rocket ship, a satellite, an observatory, Saturn, an astronaut, an alien, meteors, and craters. As he demonstrates the artistic process, he includes facts about each item as well as photos, video clips and, occasionally, additional information displayed as subtitles. His simple, cartoon-like style of drawing should be easy for most kids to emulate. In an introduction, Artell explains that he will be using a drawing pad that is connected to a computer, but tells viewers that they can just as easily draw with pencil on paper. He demonstrates how to use the side of a pencil for shading or to create a dark background, and how white-out ("boo boo juice") can simulate stars. In the first drawing lesson, Artell demonstrates how to draw a rocket ship, then digitally cuts and pastes the ship in front of its rocket boosters to look as if they've separated—something children using pencil and paper can't easily accomplish. Similar computer-generated enhancements, such as the quick application of color or a background, are demonstrated throughout the program. Viewers will probably be asking for drawing software for their home computer.—Cary Frostick, Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA