Thursday, March 14, 2013

Exploring Drawing during March Break

Doodlepedia books and You can Draw Marvel Character
Published at DK Canada

This week as part of our March Break (we are still doing Mathematics which will be complete by early April as well as a little bit of other things), I gave the kids some drawing books I had received from DK.   Each of them got a different one and I decided to personalize each book with a page the kids have done. 

For Dominic – my animal love – I gave the Doodlepedia Animal Antics.

For Jérémy – my goofy kid – I gave the Doodlepedia WOW.

For Jasmine – my princess – I gave the Doodlepedia Pretty.

For Alexandre – my first born – I gave the You Can Draw Marvel Characters.

I also gave the kids a challenge to draw something in their books.  I realized that each of them will have different levels of artistic design and that it will go with their ages as well.  

Let’s see how they did.

9781465402523HDoodlepedia Animal Antics

From toucans, macaws, and other birds of the rainforest, to zebras, elephants, and lions across the grasslands of Africa and into the woods with black bears, deer, and owls, the animal kingdom runs wild in Doodlepedia: Animal Antics. This doodle guide invites young readers to discover how animals live, what they eat, how they move, and why some are so big while others are so small, all while they complete drawings, color images, and add finishing touches. Unique, interactive, and most of all, fun, this book is perfect for every young, creative animal lover.

My Thoughts

I will be honest.  I was surprise by which page my second son, Dominic picked to draw first.  But it doesn`t matter really because he loves animals and he has a sense of humor.   Yes he picked skunks and honestly I sure hope he doesn`t meet one like his character on the page.  *grin*  

This specific Doodlepedia book will let your child explore the world of animals and learn more about the ones he is drawing at the same time.  Whether penguins, geckos or mountain goats, there are plenty of animals to discover in this book.   Dominic smile said a lot when he realized which one I gave him.   I know this child of mine is an artist at art and loves animals.  So he was delighted to get one about animals.  It would be easy to ask him to discover where the animals lives in the world and join geography at the same time.   

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Doodlepedia WOW9780756698003H

Unique, interactive, and most of all, fun — the Doodlepedia series gets kids learning and thinking by inviting them to participate in the action. These interactive doodle guides ask readers to complete drawings, color images, design subjects, and add finishing touches, all while learning about subjects they love — creating an engaging and truly unique educational experience.

With Doodlepedia Wow! kids are tasked with drawing a space exploration vehicle and a rainforest scene, coloring in snakes, monkeys, and birds, tracing chains and cogs to "turn" wheels, and more — discovering the worlds of space travel, animals, paleontology, habitats, and mechanics as they go.

My Thoughts

Jérémy, age 7, received the Doodlepedia WOW.   He immediately chose the two pages below because he loves comic books.   Looking at what he did, I am pretty impressed with him following the guidelines by himself and drawing Spider-Man.

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This specific book will allow your child to explore various things to draw from surf boards to polar world and swinging by video games or becoming a chemist.   There are a tons of suggestions in this book as well as fun facts.   The child can also shift his book in order to draw on the propose side (either vertical or horizontal).   There is plenty of suggestions to keep your child busy drawing for a while.

9780756697990HDoodlepedia Pretty

Unique, interactive, and most of all, fun — the Doodlepedia series gets kids learning and thinking by inviting them to participate in the action. These interactive doodle guides ask readers to complete drawings, color images, design subjects, and add finishing touches, all while learning about subjects they love — creating an engaging and truly unique educational experience.

In Doodlepedia Pretty young readers are invited to fill in a rainbow, color and match baby animal footprints, finish flower petals, and design a symmetrical snowflake — in the process learning about science, weather, animals, nature, and more

My Thoughts

I will admit that this book might be a bit advance for my five years old girl.  But she was delighted to have her own book and quickly started doodling in it.   The first page she was attracted to was the ballerina one and she drew herself doing position 2 like she has learned in her pre-ballet classes recently.   She was very proud to tell me that it was her doing position 2.   And she was very happy to see all the different position at the bottom of the page.   

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In this specific book, the child will have the possibility of drawing feathers on a peacock, design some masks, create a quilt, dress some zebras, explore the colors of a rainbow, create some snowflakes, fill a fish tank, design some fashion, add color to a Russian cathedral, plant some sunflowers, let turtles go to the sea, design hats, and much more.  The book is packed with fun things to draw, add color and even read some interesting facts on the subject you are drawing.  For example, in the hummingbird page you can discover how fast their wings can beat.  

You Can Draw Marvel Characters9780756614706H

From bodies in action to computer-aided coloring, this step-by-step guide teaches budding artists everything they need to know to draw characters from the amazing universe of Marvel Comics.

  • Includes tracing overlays and stencils
  • Features tips by expert Marvel artists
  • Three Master Class sections showcase favorite Marvel characters as they evolve from concept to finished full-color artwork
  • Fans won’t be able to resist putting themselves in the shoes of the comic artists they admire

My Thoughts

I find this book fabulously made and encouraging the child to expand his comfort in drawing.   Alexandre is not an artist – he is gifted elsewhere.   But this book helped him to draw a Spider-Man which I think is pretty well done for someone who has not the ability to draw naturally.

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This book is packed with helpful guidance on how to draw Marvel Characters.   You will learn the essential of drawing with basic information like equipment, shapes, male and female figure before going into the deeper lessons like muscle, shading, action, perspective and much more.   Further in the book, you will learn to draw specific characters from Marvel Comics like Spider-Man,Wolverine and villains as well.   Once you have mastered this book I wouldn’t be surprise if you will be propelled in designing scenes with your favourite super-heroes.  

In Conclusion

I had the opportunity to review two other drawing books from DK Canada in the past – Doodlepedia and You Can Draw Star Wars.   All these books will stir the creativity in your kids (and yourself) and guide them in becoming better artist in the process.  Whether your kids are homeschool or not, I think these books are perfect for keeping them busy during a week off or the summer time. 

I realize that March Break is almost over but it is not too late to order these books via DK Canada or your favourite bookstore.  They could be a great idea for Easter or for the summer time.   Swing by the March Break Store at DK to see other ideas in the products they have to occupy your kids during down time.

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All these books are available at your favourite bookstore, even at amazon.ca and amazon.com.

   

   

   

   

   

   

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

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