David Diaz: Ten Easy Steps to Draw a Face

My drawing following David's guidelines

How hard is it to draw a face?  Not hard at all if you follow illustrator David Diaz’s ten easy steps!  I recently watched him conduct a workshop with fifth graders at Paseo Del Rey School in Los Angeles.  Using black markers on white paper and following his example, the students began with a large “O” for the head followed by a squiggly “M” for the eyebrows and nose, footballs and donuts for eyes, until finally, after drawing the nose, lips, ears, neck and shoulders, they had a face!  They then added hair of their own choosing.  By breaking down the process into simple, do-able steps, David made each student feel successful.  Not only had each student drawn a face, each one had created something original.  Every face was different and revealed its own personality.

David then showed examples from his many books, showing how he had used this method for his own illustrations.  It was a delight to meet David and gain some insight into his own creative process and to see him teach art to children.

David Diaz has illustrated more than forty books for children.  He won the Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in Smoky Night by Eve Bunting.  With author Amy Novesky he will be receiving the 2011 FOCAL Award for their book Me, Frida.  FOCAL is the Friends support group of the Los Angeles Public Library. The award luncheon will be held January 28, 2012.  Go to the FOCAL site for more information.