Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off!

New web site and blog!

2010-04-14T17:07:00.001-05:00

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!

2008-09-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

"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

2008-08-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

"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

2008-08-07T10:53:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-05T08:00:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

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

2008-07-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

"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

Writing Tip: First Person Point of View

2008-07-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Illustration by Kelsey Walker, age 9

The "Point of View" of a story or poem describes the narrator, or who is telling the story. "First person" point of view is when the story is told by the person who experienced it first hand. You can tell a story written in the first person because the main character is telling the story, and refers to himself or herself as "I." This can make the action in a story seem more intense and exciting. Other points of view can also work well. When before writing a story, consider what point of view would make your story most interesting.

James Gui uses the first person point of view in The Evil Magician and reading the first paragraph really makes you want to find out what happens next, doesn't it?

"I was nervous as I walked up the dark stairs to the stage of the magic show at the circus. The magician had called on me for a magic trick. I wondered what I was suposed to do ... pull a bunny out of a hat? Jump inside a box and get cut in half? Whatever I was supposed to do, I didn't think I wanted to know."

By using this view point, the people reading his story don't know any more about the mysterious magician than that main character so they feel just as frightened! Finish the story here:

Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue

Art Tip - Cut Paper

2008-07-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Cut paper is a colorful way to make an eye catching piece of artwork. Use colorful construction paper, and consider mixing in some other types of paper, like wrapping paper or others. Be aware that newspaper will turn yellow as it ages, and magazine paper wrinkles when glued with wet glue (use a glue stick or other glue that isn't wet feeling).

Launch Pad has published several outstanding pieces of art done with cut paper. Check them out!

Coral Reef, written and illustrated by Richard Graham, age 10
Oceans Issue

Snakes, written by written by Clarie Moran, Age 8, and illustrated by Kieran Storer, Age 8
Animals Issue

At the Magical Fountain, written by Tatiana Soto, Age 11, and illustrated by Hannah Schmitt, Age 10
Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue

Writing Tip: Repetition

2008-07-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

Those are the closing lines of a famous poem called "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" by American poet Robert Frost. He uses repetition to create a mood and change the pace of the poem. It also makes you think about the last line. Repetition in poetry is often a great way to get readers to pay attention to what you are writing. But be careful when you use it, "repetitious" means repeating something in a way that gets boring or tiresome because your reader has already heard it. It is challenging to be an author who uses repetition without being repetitious.

Katie Yoder, age 11, makes a great use of repetition in her poem "Loons in Maine," in the oceans issue.

Hundreds on the ocean waves
Black, floating loons
Spotted, dotted, red-eyed loons
Black floating loons.

Read the poem and see the beautiful illustration here:
Oceans Issue

Art Tip: Complementary Colors

2008-07-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

The Launch Pad blog is now featuring useful writing and art tips for aspiring writers and artists ages 6 - 12. Our first tip is on using complementary colors.

Complementary colors are the colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel:

Red and Green
Orange and Blue
Yellow and Purple

Using complementary colors in a piece of artwork makes the colors stand out more, and almost always makes a good piece of art great. Hannah Schmitt, age 10, used complementary colors in her illustrations for At the Magical Fountain. Look at how she used bits of bright pink (pink is really light red!) to complement her greens and make the artwork interesting.

Read the poem and look at all the artwork in the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue:
Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue

Happy July 4th!

2008-06-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Illustration by Isabelle St. John, Age 11, Appleton, Wisconsin, for the upcoming Summer Fun issue

There is still space available in the Summer Fun issue (July/ August 2008). We are looking for written work and illustrations relating to summer vacations, hiking, camping, horseback riding, trips to National Parks, summer sports, or anything else related to summer activities and fun!

Visit the Submission web page to find out how to submit.

Oceans Issue

2008-06-23T18:09:00.001-05:00

(Illustration by Sophia Rosen from the Oceans issue)

Dear Launch Pad Readers,

I am pleased to announce that the "Oceans" issue of Launch Pad has now been published. This third issue is accessible on the magazine web site. In the "Oceans" issue, you will read a number of beautifully illustrated stories and poems by our outstanding young authors and illustrators.

Launch Pad still needs contributors. We are looking for works for our Summer Fun (hiking, camping, summer sports, vacations, etc.), Mystery, and Variety (any topic) issues. If you are a teacher, librarian, or parent, please encourage young people to submit their work! Launch Pad especially needs young illustrators, so please encourage parents of young artists to submit a sample of their work. Samples may be emailed to the editor. I would welcome any comments that you might like to share about our most current issue.

Please consider showing your support for Launch Pad by forwarding or posting this announcement on listservs, blogs, Facebook, or other resources. We are still looking for a publishing or association partner to launch a print version of the magazine. If you know any individuals who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity.

Enjoy the "Oceans" issue!

All the Best,

Paul Kelsey

Editor and Publisher

Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off!

editor@launchpadmag.com

http://www.launchpadmag.com

Launch Pad Welcomes International Authors and Artists

2008-05-24T09:51:00.002-05:00

(Illustration from “A Day at the Beach,” by Aditi Laddha, from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Aditi’s work will appear in the upcoming “Oceans” issue)

Launch Pad welcomes Aditi, a young artist from India, to its growing list of international contributors hailing from Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It has been remarkable to watch these talented young authors and artists “take off” from across the globe, making Launch Pad a worldwide success.

Launch Pad invites submissions from any country and is still looking for material for the “Oceans” and “Summer Fun” issues. Visit the More Ideas page to learn most about these themes, and the Artists and Illustrators page to learn more about some of our contributors all over the world.

Calling All Young Authors and Artists!

2008-04-30T10:07:00.002-05:00

(Illustration by Anna Grayson from the Fairy Tales and Fantasy issue)

We are currently looking for more material for our next issue, Oceans.

We are interested in Adventures on the Sea, Pirates, Undersea Worlds (real or imaginary), Whales, Vikings, The Beach, Sea Creatures and Monsters, Ships and Sailing, Mermaids...

Can you write an imaginative story about a shipwreck at sea? How about an underwater adventure in a submarine? Or a story about pirates? Do you live near the ocean? Do you like to visit the beach? Have you ever see a whale or a dolphin?

Write and illustrate a story about your ocean or beach adventures, or a sea monster or other imaginary creature that lives in the ocean. Do you have a favorite animal that lives in the ocean? A giant squid? An octopus? Write and illustrate an article or fictional story about your favorite ocean animal!

Preference will be given to material submitted by May 15.

NYC Solo Exhibition by Launch Pad Editorial Board Member

2008-04-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

Launch Pad Editorial Board member Nancy Sharon Collins celebrated the opening of her solo exhibition, "History in Small Spaces: a one-woman exhibition of large format, archival pigment prints depicting technology, history and current social myth" in New York City yesterday. The exhibition location is:

Abingdon 12
613 Hudson Street (between Jane and West 12th Streets)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 206-6845

Her exhibition will run until May 23, 2008 and travel to Typecon 2008 in Buffalo, New York, in July.

Visit her blog for more information.

Launch Pad wishes her the best!

Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue

2008-04-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

(Illustration by Brandi Bates from the Fairy Tales and Fantasy issue)

The latest issue of Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off! contains a delightful variety of imaginative stories, poems, and illustrations related to our “Fairy Tales & Fantasy” theme. In this issue, you will meet a genie who loves to work out at the gym, fairies that light up the stars, a few uninvited guests, an evil magician, and two brave fairies on a quest to save their village from the dragon. The writing and artwork is superb, and I invite you to read and enjoy the creative works of these talented young authors and artists.

>> Fairy Tales and Fantasy Issue

Launch Pad Has a Blog!

2008-03-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Launch Pad blog! The blog will have news about upcoming issues and provide a space for our readers to comment on the magazine.