New web site and blog!

This blog has moved and has been integrated into the Launch Pad web site. See you there! Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off!

Summer Fun Issue Published!

"Canoe Days" illustration by Claire Shihadeh, Age 9, Baton Rouge, Louisiana from the Summer Fun issue.

The "Summer Fun" (July/August) issue of Launch Pad has now been published and is available to read from the Launch Pad web site. This issue features a number of highly original stories and poems written by talented group of young writers. The published works for this issue also include many exceptional illustrations rendered by young artists ages 6-12.

Launch Pad is looking for artists to illustrate works for the next two issues. If you are a parent or teacher and would like to have your child or student illustrate a work, please send an art sample (scan or digital photograph) to: editor@launchpadmag.com

Art Tip: Craftsmanship

"Loons in Maine" illustration by Christina Novoselac, age 11, in the Oceans Issue

Neatness counts! A challenging part of creating any type of artwork is taking the time to be neat. Neatness and attention to detail is often referred to as "craftsmanship." It can be tempting to hurry through parts of a picture, or to quickly "scribble" a blue sky into a picture, but sloppy work detracts from the artwork. When Launch Pad receives artwork from young artists that is on wrinkled or spilled-on paper, it will not be accepted for publication, even if the artwork is promising.

Craftsmanship means using clean, wrinkle free paper, and paying attention to the details. Spend some time planning the drawing by making a rough draft. If you start to feel tired of working on the art, return to it after a refreshing break. Being an artist takes a lot of patience, and using craftsmanship is one of the most important skills to learn.

Writing Tip: Pourquoi Tales

Illustrated by Cenzo Cariddi, Age 11

"Pourquoi" means "why" in French. A pourquoi tale is a type of folk tale explaining how or why something is the way it is, especially in nature. The stories are creative and entertaining rather than providing a scientific explanation. These types of folk tales are found in most cultures. Launch Pad is interested in submissions of original pourquoi tales. Did you ever wonder why dogs chase cats? Why does the moon change shape? Write an imaginative story that could explain why something is the way it is in nature, and we would like to read it.

Read Alexander Kozikowski's (age 12) pourquoi tale, "How Tsunamis Came to Be," in our Oceans Issue

Art Tip: Color Choice

Illustration by Ollanta Wascher Vargas, Age 7

Henri Matisse and other artists in the "Fauvism" (foe-viz-im) movement used bright, exaggerated, and unexpected colors to make their work interesting. Next time you create a piece of art, think twice before you choose your colors: the grass doesn't have to be green, or the sky blue. Use some different and unexpected colors, and you will be surprised at how fun and original your art is.

Ollanta's artwork in the Fairy Tales and Fantasy issue has yellow clouds, a pink owl, and a blue crawfish.   Look at her artwork and pay attention to how her choice of colors make her artwork unique.  The picture above is featured on the "About the Contributors" pages, and her other illustrations are for "Father Alligator."

You can also see Matisse's Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat) on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's web site: http://collections.sfmoma.org/OBJ213.htm

Writing Tip: Using a Thesaurus

A thesaurus is a book that provides synonyms, or different words with the same meaning. A thesaurus is a handy tool when you can't think of a good word to use, or want to avoid using the same word too often. For example, if you find yourself using the word "said" after each of your characters speaks, look up the word "say" in a thesaurus to find some synonyms: speak, tell, declare, state, exclaim, express, remark, comment, mention, utter ...

There are several thesauri suitable for kids 6 - 12, one of them is A First Thesaurus by Harriet Wittels and Joan Greisman.

If you have put some of our tips to use, we would like to see your work!  Email editor@launchpadmag.com to submit your creative work to Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off!

Writing Tip: Free Verse Poetry

"Free Verse" poetry is a type of poetry that doesn't rhyme or use a certain meter (rhythm), but you can tell it is poetry. Usually, it has lines like a poem, each line starting with a capital letter. When you read it, it "feels" like a poem, even without the rhyming and meter, because the words and idea flow more like a poem than a story. Rosemary O'Hagan wrote a beautiful free verse poem for the animals issue. The first few lines of the poem are:

A summer night's wind blows against
A forest of Aspen trees. Each of their leaves
Flip and flutter making them seem as a
Glittering blur. Under the greenery of the
Trees a mother bear lies with her new bear
Cubs.

Read the whole poem and think about what makes a poem a poem:

Animals Issue