Charcoaltopia: A Guide to Mount Pleasant Elementary Art and Artists

Welcome to Charcoaltopia In this book there are mind-blowing pictures drawn by the nine- to eleven-year-olds in Ms. Vallance’s class. All of the drawings are priceless. Every one of the artists drew something that makes their classroom special, but they did it with their eyes closed! The artists worked with charcoal, and it was very messy but worth it. Then the artists wrote about their art and themselves, with help from volunteers from the Writers’ Exchange. We hope you enjoy this fantastic book!

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A.

Angry Birds When I drew Angry Birds I felt happy and mad because I couldn’t make up my mind. I like Angry Birds because the first time I played the game it was fun. I hope people feel interested in my picture. I think my drawing is priceless. It was hard to use charcoal with your eyes closed. The charcoal goes all over the place when you blow on it. I felt mad when I used the charcoal because it goes all over the place.

A. was born in 2002. He has lived in Saskatchewan, Africa and the U.S.A. His mother bought him a PSP, and he likes the art of video games. He likes drawing crazy stuff. He also likes football because he likes tackling. He likes reading books because they entertain him. Sometimes after school he likes to play pool and table tennis.

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A.P. This is a picture of Stacey. I like drawing with charcoal a little bit because it glides pretty easily. I didn’t like that it was messy because it had an indescribable feel to it. The smudge made a blur on the spot I rubbed it in. Though I was not planning to put a lot of smudges around the face, it looks pretty good. I would like to use charcoal again after all because it has a greyish tone to it. My idea just came to my head. I felt kind of annoyed that I didn’t get to look at my picture while I drew it. I think they will be confused if people look at my drawing. I don’t like to talk and write about my art.

A.P. was born on a snowy day at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. Her art was influenced by her friend. She loves to draw cartoons and then bring them to school the next day. She has trouble drawing eyes and noses when she’s drawing people. A friend says, “I think that you’re very enthusiastic.”

After school she loves to play in the park with her friends. They make huge leaf piles and jump in them. Her favourite sport is wrestling with her mom because it makes her feel better. Her cat scratches her a lot. But at night he can be cute and snuggle with her. She really likes the book Charlotte’s Web because it has a happy and sad ending! She loves to explore her apartment building and going to the third floor and looking off the viewing deck. In her spare time she loves to read maps of Vancouver and Burnaby. And she continues to live.

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B.B. My picture is about crazy people dancing. I drew a round head and straight body. It was fun because I like to smudge things. I don’t like my painting to be messy—I like it to be neat and tidy. The charcoal did make things as black as nighttime. The dust made a black moon. I don’t want to draw with charcoal again because I like painting. This is how I got the idea for my art: I always play with my friends and they are always crazy. When I made the picture I felt happy like when I was outside. My friends will understand what I am drawing because they are crazy. I hope my drawing will make them feel crazy, crazier, craziest, etc. I was trying to draw something crazy.

B.B. is a great man. He has great ideas of paint. He makes some of his paintings dots, lines that move and a fruit’s face. He loves to go outdoors to try his paintings. He has drawn a person and he thinks it’s as easy as pie.

Everyone thinks he is cool, nice, awesome, epic and handsome. He loves cake that’s mostly mango—less cream and less bread. He loves computers, video games, eating, painting, sleeping and much more. He likes soccer but he does not want to play too much because his handsomeness will go away.

He loves running all the time and he never sweats. He only glows if he does sweat, and then it looks like he is super hot, and people call him nicknames like Mr. Hot, Mr. Superduper, Handsome Guy and Mr. Smartpants. He will die at the age of two billion.

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C.D. I drew a face from outer space. After I smudged, it looked like the Grudge. My picture was weird ’cause it was smeared. It was crazy, because I started to collect daisies. The charcoal was nice but my clothes got messy. It made me sad like the movie Tessy. My drawing might make you mad but it makes me sad. But give me a break and feel glad!

I want to run a mile, but come on—let’s do “Gangnam Style”!

C.D. was born in 2001 in the Philippines. She likes eating a lot of rice and beans. Her favourite thing to do is gymnastics. She also likes buying books from Scholastic. Watching her favourite TV show is her favourite thing to do. And she also likes the number 2. She has a best friend named T.T. and she likes Harry Styles. She would walk a really long time to get to a hundred miles. Music is her thing—she likes Christina Grimmie. And she also loves to shimmy. T.T. says, “She is a fun person to be with! And she’s funny, too! : )” She also likes to play with goo!

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E.S. My picture is Frankenstein. It is a funny drawing. It is black because I used the charcoal. I did not like it, because it was messy. I am a clean person. Colouring with charcoal gave me a nervous feeling. I do not like charcoal, but yes, I want to draw again. It is fun.

E.S. is good at painting and has imagination and he doesn’t have a pet.

He never drew a real person and he likes the computer lab. His favourite sport is soccer and his favourite song is “Party Rock Anthem.” He likes the book 501 Things to Draw and he likes being friendly and he laughs and he doesn’t like copying pictures. He is friends with T.P. He has two sisters, one is six and the other is two.

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F.M. My picture is a very crazy picture because it has lots of shapes, dots and swirls. My picture also has a girl in the middle to represent a girl in my class being crazy. I liked drawing with charcoal because it was messy. I liked that it was messy because it helped make my picture be crazier! I smudged the charcoal a bit to make the shapes more weird.

The charcoal added more messiness to my picture. I would love to use charcoal again. I felt weird when I was drawing. I hope people feel happy when they see my picture. I decided to draw this when I thought of all of my friends and their craziness.

F.M. was born in 2002 in North Vancouver, Canada. She has two annoying brothers and one super nice sister. She likes using paint, crayons and markers to do her work. She feels that she is influenced by lots of weird, crazy, mystical creatures. Her mind is full with lots of cartoons like SpongeBob. She is sometimes really mean because she thinks her brother is a scaredy-cat. She is comfortable drawing anything. She is a big fan of The Beatles and she loves Paul McCartney! Her favourite sport is football because she thinks it is really entertaining. She is ten years old and she is in grade 5. When she grows up, she wants to be an artist or a teacher or a baker. She wants to live to be 115 years old.

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H.G. In this drawing I drew my friend Jodi. I used curvy lines and hard pressure so it would stand out. I was influenced by the objects around me. The drawing takes a life of its own in a unique way. I was feeling excited because I haven’t used charcoal for a long time. People would be able to tell what it was by the texture and the way I drew it. I hope my drawing will make people feel inspired and happy. One thing I liked about the picture was how soft and nice it was. What I like about charcoal is that it is soft, hard, silky, smudgy, rough and relaxing. I would use charcoal again for projects and anything else. The charcoal added expression and emotion. I didn’t like the charcoal because it would get all over the place. The drawing gives off a reflection when you tilt your head.

H.G. was born in 2001 in Vancouver. She uses pencil crayons as a medium.

Her art is influenced by music because she can express her feelings. She likes to draw nature because it tells her that there’s a beautiful world out there. She likes to hang out with her friends and go out for an iced cap. She has sisters and brothers in Canada. Her favourite sports are basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and many more. She doesn’t have a favourite artist but if she had to she would pick Justin Bieber. Her special talent is piano because it makes her feel special inside. She is currently in grade 6 going to Mount Pleasant. Her friend said, “She is really funny and is always smiling.”

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I.A. My picture is about Angie. Angie has blonde hair and she has a Dubai accent and she has a great style—she even wears makeup. I like charcoal because it is a messy crayon, and it was messy and fun. It was too easy to clean. I like using charcoal because it looks really realistic, and it looks funny and cool. I should have added eye shadow. I would love to use charcoal again because it looked really funny. I looked around because I needed to work on something. I felt really excited! Angie is so nice and she knows about the band One Direction.

I.A. was born in 2002 in Japan. She likes using marker and pencil. She loves One Direction and she thinks they have beautiful voices. She loves to draw people, flowers and animals. She has been to Bangladesh, and she went to Toronto and she saw the CN Tower and it was huge. Once she drew a live person and she failed. She is a good singer. She is a funny person and a weird person. She has a little sister. She loves to play soccer and to learn lots of skills. Her friend said, “She’s funny and expressive with the things she likes.”

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J.W.

Franky in the Art Room: My Drawing of Frankenstein When I was drawing Frankenstein I used black charcoal. I also smudged it. My picture has lots of curvy lines. Charcoal is fun to draw with. It’s a new experience with drawing, and it’s just like oil pastels. It was a little messy. I think messy is okay. If it were too messy we couldn’t see the picture—it would just be a big blur. I would use charcoal again. It’s a cool tool. When I was drawing I was feeling excited and nervous because I wasn’t looking at the paper. I like my drawing. I think it’s priceless.

J.W. is ten years old, she’s in grade 5 and she was born in 2002. She was born in Vancouver. She likes working with a pencil. Her art is influenced by her dad, Leonardo da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso. She loves to draw cartoon characters, cartoon animals and realistic stuff. She has tried drawing a live person and she says it was complicated. One of her classmates said, “She is very creative and always ready to help a friend.” Her special talent is drawing. Her favourite musicians are The Beatles. She doesn’t like any of the new Justin Bieber stuff—she likes the old music. Some of her favourite things to draw are the Simpsons.

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K.F. My picture is of smudged black swirls. The special origami inspired me to draw swirls. I was feeling weird when I was working on my piece. I would want to use charcoal again. I smudged the charcoal and nothing happened. The charcoal didn’t do anything to my picture. I hope the people who see the picture feel happy and crazy. The charcoal was fun because it breaks a lot. I liked how it was messy because the volunteers had to clean up. My picture fills the whole paper. I don’t have any more work to show now.

K.F. was born on a shooting star and came flying back to earth in 2002. She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has lived in the Philippines.

She has never ever drawn a live person. She likes working with firework pencils and cold markers. She doesn’t like scary cats and squeaking mice.

Her secret talent is singing and dancing. She likes to read the Geronimo Stilton books. She loves to make abstract paintings. Her friend said she is “so nice!” One more thing—she likes the colours purple and light blue.

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M.A. I drew a teacher with tea beside her, with my eyes closed. It was very abstract when I opened my eyes. I liked drawing with the charcoal because it doesn’t run out and you can do many things with it. It was hard to decide what to draw so I drew something I’ve seen a lot, almost every day. I felt excited because I couldn’t wait to see my finished art and when I saw it completed I liked it very much. If someone had to guess what I was feeling when I was making my art I think that it would be difficult. I hope my piece of art will make people perky and calm.

M.A. was born in 2001 in Vancouver, B.C. When M.A. was eleven she joined the KLM soccer team and she played in rain, snow and sun. When she was on the soccer team she made lots of friends. She learned to play soccer from her dad and from joining other teams when she was little. She grew up with her two dogs, and she loves them very much. She spends a lot of time with her family and her friends, and she loves it, and she loves her awesome life.

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M.A.C. My picture is about what makes my classroom special. In my drawing is Ms. Vallance (my teacher), a pencil and pencil crayons. I drew my picture with charcoal. The charcoal was fun, but messy and smudgy. I chose a pencil because we need it every day of school to write. I chose pencil crayons because they’re fun to draw with when you’re colouring, and you can colour light or dark. The third thing I chose to draw was my teacher because if we didn’t have any teachers we wouldn’t have an education. I would like to draw with charcoal again because it is fun to draw with and I like the dark colour of the charcoal.

M.A.C. was born into the world in 2001 at the Women’s Hospital in Vancouver, B.C. She has lived in Central America and on Vancouver Island. She likes working with pencils and markers and sometimes with paint. She is now twelve, and in grade 6. Her favourite artists/musicians are Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Adele. She has four siblings. Her favourite sports are basketball and running. She likes them because they are fun. She has a teacup chihuahua who is very playful. She likes reading graphic novels and chapter books and sometimes joke books and comics.

She is a very good reader. She likes it when the Writers’ Exchange comes to her class. Her favourite colours are blue and red. She got quotes from two classmates. The first classmate said, “She is funny and nice to be with.” The second classmate said, “I’m very honoured to have her as a friend.”

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M.O. The A

It’s big and you use it to draw on people. It’s. . . a pencil. I hated the sound of the charcoal. It sounded like someone scratching against a chalkboard. When I smudged it, it looked like eraser markings and it went all over my fingers. If I ever got a chance to use charcoal again, I would grab it and chuck it into the sea. When I was done drawing the Canadian flag, I looked around and saw my pencil, so I started to draw that. When I was drawing it I felt happy because I did both sides of the paper. If people saw my drawing they would be mad because all my lines lead everywhere.

M.O. was born in 2002. He was born in Vancouver, B.C. He is influenced by paintings and etchings of real places. He likes to draw contour things that he sees every day, for example, cars, people and buildings. When he is done school he goes to after-school programs like sports at school. His favorite author is Rick Riordan because his books are intense. His favorite book by him is The Red Pyramid.

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M.T. I drew a plant ’cause it caught my eye and that plant looked like it was about to die. My plant is smudged. It looks like fudge. The charcoal made it really sparkle. My plant has leaves not like all those trees blowing in the breeze. I felt like I was about to melt ’cause we weren’t allowed to look. It took a while. It felt like I ran a mile but I like my plant’s style. My drawing can’t prance but when you look at it you might dance, so do me a favour and give it a chance.

This artist is from Vancouver. She was born in 2002. Gymnastics is one her favourite things to do. She likes watching American football with her dad.

When their favourite team loses, it makes them mad. The Philadelphia Eagles are their favourite team. She loves eating whipped cream. She has a dog who sleeps like a log. She has a sister who’s named after a tree. She loves her family.

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N.A. My picture. . . It’s a calendar with a reindeer and it is showing the month of October. The reindeer is in a mushy, wet grassland/wetland. I think it’s fun drawing with charcoal because you can smudge the charcoal in different ways. I like how it was messy but I didn’t get messy. I like how the dust added texture, blotches and background to my picture.

I would like to use charcoal again if I get the chance to. When I was drawing my masterpiece I was a little nervous because I was thinking that it wasn’t going to look so good. I think that people will be able to tell what I was thinking when I drew it because I changed some stuff and because there are pencil marks too. My picture will make people feel happy, excited and joyful.

N.A. was born in 2002 in downtown Vancouver. When she was little she loved going outside and meeting new people. She loves using the paintbrush and she likes the strokes that it makes. She watches nature programs to get ideas of what to paint or draw. She draws landscapes, people and nature.

Everyone in the world thinks she’s very nice and has a lot of humour. When school’s over, she draws, she plays soccer and goes swimming. She loves the singer Bob Marley and the band The Beatles. She likes to read chapter books and activity books. She also can draw people very, very, very, very realistically. I think you should also know that she loves anything with a mango in it.

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S. My picture has a dancing stick man with a funny face. It was really fun to use charcoal because of the mess. It also makes it look better. I did not smudge the charcoal for my drawing. I liked to use the charcoal.

The mess made me make a better face than I had planned. I decided to do a dancing stick man for my drawing. I was happy when I was drawing my picture. I would think that people would know how I’m feeling because I was smiling when I was drawing. And I think my picture will make people happy when they look at my drawing.

S. was born in 2002 in Vancouver, Canada. His favourite medium to work with, because it’s fun to squish, is clay. He is inspired by the internet and vehicles. The things that he likes to draw the most are comics and cities.

He tried to draw a live person and it was difficult to do because he couldn’t draw a really detailed person. A quote from his friend about him is “You are awesome.” His favourite thing to do after school is play. He does not like sports that much and is not a fan of them. He likes to listen to music but does not have a favourite musician. He has five fish and all of them have a unique look and colour. His special talent is doing a headstand.

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T.P. I was drawing a happy zombie and a happy guy that are both black. I felt weird using charcoal. I want to be a clean person and it’s too messy for me. I just looked around and chose what to draw. I was feeling a little nervous because of the sound the charcoal made. When you look at my drawing, I bet you would never guess that I hope you feel happy and that you all dance!

T.P. was born in Toronto, Canada. He likes to write with a pencil. He has a creative mind, and he likes to do homework and play on the computer.

He likes to draw stick men, but it was very hard for him to draw live people. He is very nice and kind. He likes to play soccer because it has a lot of running, blocking, power and strategy. He doesn’t like music that much and he doesn’t have a pet. He likes reading come books because they have lots of pictures and he likes pictures. His special talent is doing math.

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T.R. I drew a globe. It was messy to draw. I’d rather use a pencil. I like Google Earth so much, and playing games. I love the world because I can locate cities like Vancouver, B.C. When I smudged my charcoal globe the circles made it smaller.

T.R. was born in Vancouver, B.C. He likes using felts a lot for drawing pictures. He likes going on Google Earth and looking at different places.

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T.T. For my drawing, I drew my classmate. I drew her because she was in front of me. I used charcoal for my drawing. I like to use charcoal for my drawings because I always feel like I’m holding a big fat pencil. I also like it because it seems like the art will look like it’s effortless, yet unique. I didn’t smudge on my art, and I would like to use charcoal again! With my art, I was a bit nervous while I was drawing it, but I relaxed after a while because I got comfortable with the position that I was in. The person who is looking at my art will be able to know how I felt because I will be smiling from all of my hard work. I would like for people to feel happy and surprised when they see my artwork.

T.T. was born in 2002 in the Philippines. Her favourite medium is clay because she can really visualize her art, and she really loves doing 3D art.

Her art is influenced by her favourite kind of music. She really likes to draw different people, especially famous people and her friends. She has never ever drawn a live person before. After school, she loves to go on her iPod Touch, and she loves to listen to music on it. Her favourite band is One Direction from the UK. She says that their vocals are really good and their songs are really catchy. She really loves to read all books, but she doesn’t have a favourite. She really loves to play the piano and she loves to sing. Her friends say that she sings really well, but she never took singing lessons. “She is really kind, pretty, a very, very good singer, and a very good best friend.” Her best friend said that “she has a very weird obsession with bows and moustaches, because she says that they’re really weird yet pretty.”

Her celebrity crushes are Harry Styles and Cody Simpson, because they sing really well and she says they’re really cute. And that’s all!

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V.B. For my drawing I drew a ukulele. I used straight and wavy lines. I would like to use charcoal again because in the end it looks very unique with the smudges and dust. The drawing takes on a life of its own. I did not smudge the charcoal on my drawing. I hope people would feel happy when they see my drawing because they can see what I have been doing at school. I like charcoal because of the silky feel to it. I decided to draw a ukulele. The reason I drew a ukulele is because every Wednesday morning we learn how to play the ukulele. I think the person looking at it could tell I enjoyed it by my use of curvy and wavy lines. Those are some facts about my drawing.

V.B. was born in Vancouver, Canada, in 2001. She has three sisters and one brother. She likes to draw outdoor pictures of sunsets. She had a dog. Her dog was playful and always hungry. After school she likes to play sports with her sisters and brothers. Her favourite mediums are clay and paint because of all the unique things you can make. She likes to do gymnastics during the spring. Her favourite season is summer because she can go swimming. She would like to go to Simon Fraser University when she grows up. Currently she is in grade 6 at Mount Pleasant Elementary.

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V.E.

The Pumpkin When I saw the pumpkin I started to think about how to draw the pumpkin without looking. I got my things ready to draw. I used charcoal to draw a pumpkin. I smudged the charcoal to make a shadow and at last I finished my pumpkin. I looked and my friend looked too, and he said, “Pretty good.” I said, “Thank you.” I like to draw boys and girls, and I like to draw funny things. When I draw I’m so happy. I hope people are proud of me.

V.E. grew up in the Philippines. He likes to do science, and he likes all kinds of arts and he likes to draw live people, and he likes to use paints to draw many people. After school he likes to play computer and video games.

His favourite sports are swimming and badminton. His talent is he can move his ears. He can raise his one eyebrow. He can move his nose and he can whistle. He is a good friend and funny. He is helpful. V.E.’s painting is priceless. V.E. used charcoal to draw a pumpkin. It was the first time he tried charcoal. It was funny and V.E. had fun. He made a shadow with charcoal after he drew and looked at it, and tried to sell it for $1000.

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Artist Autographs

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