Bridesburg residents Courtney Stangler and Bobby Hunter teamed up to offer a free Kids Writing and Illustration class sponsored by Riverfront North’s BIG grant.  Four Saturday afternoons in February were spent at I Knead Coffee working with local children ages 4-10.   Each week focused on a different aspect of storytelling and illustrating, including character, setting, structure, and plot.  At the end of the workshop, the students had their own version of a tale between Duckster and Bearhug , complete with illustrations.

The goal was to tell a story related to nature, using a setting inspired by the foliage at the Bridesburg Rec, and to create a plot that resulted in Duckster and Bearhug resolving conflict and working together. While the characters were a collaborative effort, each participant got to spin the story in their own direction culminating in unique and fun results. During their time together, they talked about how visual cues through illustration and colorization can lend to painting the characters’ personalities, how to look at their favorite books and television shows to understand characterization, and finally, how to tell a story from beginning, to middle, to end.

Thank you Courtney and Bobby for sharing your creativity and fun instruction with the community.  There is still funding available for community program grants through the summer.  If you have any ideas or would like to learn more, please visit RiverfrontNorth.org/ThinkBIG or contact Gina at gina@riverfrontnorth.org.