Wallace Edwards

Readings

Generally speaking, I do a slide show of the book Alphabeasts, show some original work, and talk about the process of making a book. I may also show slides of works from my other books; for example, Monkey Business, Mixed Beasts, The Extinct Files and/or The Painted Circus.

Slide shows are often followed by a question-and-answer period about book-making or other topics related to the content of the particular book. For example, if showing Monkey Business slides, we may discuss idioms; for The Extinct Files we may discuss the children’s own science projects. My most recent book, The Painted Circus, concerns optical illusions. For this book I plan to demonstrate some optical illusions and discuss how they work.

These activities are usually augmented by a drawing demonstration during which I encourage the participation of the children in suggesting drawing content (e.g. combination animals as is found in my book Mixed Beasts). On occasion I have give-aways available.

Special Equipment:

Flip-chart and easel; Slide or Power Point projector.

Workshops

For workshops I do many of the same activities as described above under “Readings.” However, in the case of workshops I also get the children involved in doing their own drawings and give them some drawing tips and examples. Participants bring their own drawing materials.

Workshop topics may include ‘character development through illustration’; ‘using characters to build a story’; or ‘an exploration of the steps involved in making a book.’

Special Equipment:

Flip-chart and easel; Slide or Power Point projector.

Biography

Wallace Edwards was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (1980). His paintings and illustrations are found in public and private collections, books, magazines and on public display in Canada and the United States. Wallace prefers to work primarily in watercolour and pencil, using a variety of styles from cartoon to scientific illustration. His clients include the Metro Toronto Zoo, the City of Toronto, the B.C. Ministry of the Environment, and various magazine publishers. Wallace has been interviewed on television and radio, and has served as guest speaker at conferences, literary events, schools and libraries.

Wallace’s children’s books have received numerous awards, and have been favourably reviewed in the Quill and Quire, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Macleans, the Christian Science Monitor, the National Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the School Library Journal, on Amazon, and in other publications. Book awards include the Governor General’s Literary Award (Children’s Book Illustration) for Alphabeasts (2002); the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award for Monkey Business (2004); and an Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Gold Medal for best children’s picture book, age 7 & over, in 2007, for The Extinct Files (2006).

The Painted Circus is Wallace’s most recent publication, just released in the fall of 2007. Wallace Edwards lives in Yarker, and Toronto, Ontario, where he is currently working on his sixth children’s book to be published by Kids Can Press.