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This is an illustration I did for the Unturned Stone, as a teaching tool for Fred’s workshop on using winch skyline systems for moving stone and other materials in remote areas. A well planned winch system is safe, efficient and protects the environment. They are incredibly simple tools but can be very complex to set up properly.
The illustration was made into a huge poster that Fred uses at the start of workshops to explain the basics of the system. Everyone in the class has a copy for structured note-taking, on 11″ by 17″ paper, usually folded to be the cover for all their other handouts. The big graphics stays up on the wall for the duration of the course. People refer back to it frequently. It’s always illuminating for people to see the graphic after they have firsthand experience with the system. Parts and pieces start to fit together into a cohesive whole. The hands-on knowledge and the conceptual schematic coalesce into a more complete understanding of how the system works and how to set it up and use it safely and efficiently.

Here are two preliminary sketches for a forthcoming Learning Mural coloring poster of a flower garden. To the left, a black-eyed susan. Below, a praying mantis.

How to make your own Roller Painting: Spread out a large sheet of paper on a table or floor. Banner bond paper works well and can be found at your big box office stores as well as local art supply stores. Tape the paper down so it can’t move around. If you’re going to do it on the floor, choose a low traffic area so it doesn’t get stomped on while the paint is drying. What a mess…

Put your paint in low, open containers, like styrofoam trays. Kristin and Abe used poster paints, sometimes called tempera. Whatever you use, make sure it’s washable! Different sized rollers create varying sized lines. Wrap masking tape around a roller to create stripes. One of the rollers Abe is holding in the video has tape on it. Rollers are great for creating long roads and curvy snakes. Sponge bottles were used to make the round shapes.

Kid Art blogs are a new feature on papershine. We’ll be doing periodic updates of art projects Kristin does with the boys. Drawing on her experience as an art teacher, we’ll offer ideas for projects people can do at home with their kids.

Stimulate.

This is a sample from the Morning Routine project, from the school supplies page. This would allow parents or other caregivers to create checklists of things to prepare for school each day. I’m doubling up some icons like the books. There’s a blank version that people can customize or there’s a version with generic samples already drawn in. Some children will enjoy customizing their own schedule boards.

Here’s a rough draft of a graphic for the Positive and Productive Meeting process. The previous iteration was very cartoony and hasn’t aged well. Drawing the original was my first experience with Adobe Illustrator. Before that I created all my graphics in Fireworks. I didn’t know any better.

This is a prototype of a poster for a birthday party. This idea has been suggested in the past but tonight was the first time I had to actually play with it.

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This is an older graphic I found recently, from a training guide I developed for Oregon’s Individual Support Plan. The system was rather complex and one of the most difficult aspects was the Risk Tracking Record, a lengthy document that was used to identify health and safety concerns for people with developmental disabilities. The icon for Behavior Risks is adapted from a typical Beetle Bailey fight.

I taped a penny onto my wall to show just how tiny this proposed layout of a book is. I was at the library when I stumbled on this idea for organizing my book on facilitation graphics in this way. I had limited paper, but apparently I did have scissors. The book itself will be a more regular size.

Looking back.