Fun with Art

Bob Shea enjoys being funny. “I started writing stories when I was in first or second grade,” he told TIME for Kids. He would write a story and draw some pictures. He did it to make his friends laugh. “I just did it because it was fun,” he says.

Bob Shea is welcomed to Doyle Elementary School in Pennsylvania for a visit.

Shea is now an award-winning author and illustrator. See how he turned something fun into a job.

A bulletin board at Doyle Elementary displays kids’ creations using Bob Shapes.

Make What You Want

In elementary school, Shea did not draw for a while. He thought, “Drawing is for little kids.” So he stopped. But in high school, he remembered how much he loved it. He started drawing again. Then he went to college for graphic design.

Do you know PBS Kids? Shea designed its green logo. That led him into making things for kids.

Shea reads Bearsuit Turtle Plays a Game during story time at Water Street Bookstore, in New Hampshire.

Since then, Shea has published more than 30 picture books. They are colorful, silly, and lots of fun. Shea also created the Bob Shea Drawing Club. It inspires kids to make art. It shows that art is just a fun thing to do. Art needs “no pressure, or rules, or grades,” he says. He uses “Bob Shapes.” Click here and give them a try.

Bob shows his artwork at schools and drawing demonstrations all over the country.

Building Blocks

Want to be an author? You should write a lot and draw a lot, Shea says. Kids are not any different from adults. “When kids write a story and draw pictures, they are doing the same thing that I do,” he says. You should read a lot, too. “When you find a book that you love, ask yourself why,” he said. Is it funny? Does it take you to a different world? Find out what you do and do not like. “You have to fill the tank with ideas to get your own new ones,” Shea says.