Ashley Spires
Biography:Ashley grew up in British Columbia and now resides in Saskatoon because she figured living in the warmest part of Canada was leaving her sadly bereft of the true Canadian experience. She became an author/illustrator when she realized that taking photos, her major at Emily Carr Institute for Art and Design, only allowed her to see what was actually there and the stuff she saw in her head was way more fun. The land of children's books allows Ashley to play with absurd topics and to draw characters that make her readers laugh. She has always found great pleasure in making people laugh, especially since, unlike making people cry, it rarely results in getting arrested. In addition to writing and drawing, she is an avid runner and bike rider. Since growing up with 8 cats and a dog, Ashley has always been an animal nut. She currently has only two cats and one dog, but she plans to add to her menagerie just as soon as her boyfriend's back is turned. Presentation Information:Every story begins with a character. At least, all of mine do! Whether a book is written by another author or myself, the first thing I do is create the star of the book. Many things inspire a character- a good name, a fun toy or a real individual. I will take the kids through the book creation process using planning sketches, orginal art and the finished published books to show how one character can make an entire book. Then the real fun will begin. As a group, we will brainstorm the many attributes of a new character that we will create together. We will decide how he/she will look, their likes and dislikes, their name, where they live and everything else we think is important to know about our new character. After we decide on the basics, we will draw the new star of our stories. With the younger groups, I have found that I can bypass the nervousness and frustration children often experience when faced with a blank page if I have them follow my drawing on the board, copying line by line and slowly allowing their drawing to develop before their eyes. This method has consistantly allowed children who doubt their drawing skill to create fabulous images that they are always proud of. With the older groups, I love to give them the free reign to imagine what the character looks like on their own. I will be there to assist and I'm sure to draw my own version, which the kids are free to copy, but wherever possible I like to give children the freedom to stretch their imagination. The most important thing to teach kids is that there is no "wrong" way to draw. Everyone has their own style and it's vitally important to explain to them that each individual drawing style is what makes illustration and art so exciting. By the end of my presentation, I hope to leave the children with new insite into the illustration process, an appreciation for their unique vision and a fun colourful character all their own. Book List / Discography:Binky The Space Cat (Kids Can Press, 2009) Awards:Penguin and the Cupcake A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival Praise for Ashley Spires:"At BOOKtopia 2008, Ashley Spires lead an illustrator’s workshop for 6-12 year olds that was a great success. Ashley is engaging and imaginative and a pleasure to work with. Her ability to captivate the attention of a room full of kids and harness their excitement and energy into finished products of art was inspiring. During our workshop Ashley introduced the children to Binky the Space Cat. The response from her audience was fantastic: kids were curious, inspired and encouraged. Ashley has wonderful spirit and lightness that children respond to. The more children who can come in to contact with an artist and person of Ms. Spires’s character and talent, the better." Michelle Sproule "Ashley shared her most recent book, Penguin and the Cupcake, and talked with the students about her inspiration for the book. She spent the rest of the afternoon teaching an art lesson. Students created their own felted characters, beginning with a sketch, shaping the body from raw felt, and finishing their creations with details once the felt had dried. Ashley’s enthusiasm, sense of humour, and encouraging words established a quick rapport with the students, and made for a fun and engaging afternoon. It was inspiring for the students to meet such a talented, multi-faceted artist and writer. Even more inspiring was Ashley’s message to the kids that yes, they can create, and draw, and write, and that they must believe in themselves. Her enthusiasm for her profession is obvious, as is her enormous talent." Danielle Millar |
 Craft:author, illustrator Genre:picture books, junior fiction, non-fiction Ideal Audience Size:15 - 20 Maximum Audience Size:30 Grades:1 – 6 Special Equipment:Either a flip chart, blackboard or a whiteboard (and accompanying writing utensils) would be required. Also, for the kids, 8" x 11" paper, pencils, erasers and colouring utensils (pencil crayons are best) are needed. Website:School Reading Fee:$150.00 per reading Public Reading Fee:$250.00 per reading (four readings are funded by the Canada Council) Book Week Tour Contact:Monica Winkler |