Throw Another Barbie on the Drawing Table

It's summer and there's time for creative family fun

Wolf Criers Club
Vol 35

Hey Hey Wolf Criers Club —

This summer we are exploring how story functions using words, pictures, and actions. We’ve got some live sessions in the works for July with story-maker interviews and opportunities to interact with the Wolf Criers Club.

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And here’s some words of wisdom from Wolf Crier Adriane Pirro on simple tools to help you and your kids build active characters in your art using action figures including Barbie:

DRAWING WITH BARBIE

How Barbies and Action Figures Help You Draw
By Adriane Pirro

I was teaching a Kid’s summer drawing class, and our subject was action. I didn’t want them to use just reference pictures, but to draw the action they imagined, like a backward flip, a graceful leap, shooting hoops, or whatever.

I could picture the kids acting out a karate kick or hip-hop move; it would be chaotic.

Then I thought of those poseable wooden art mannequins. That would work, but I only had one and no time or the budget to get more.

Then there’s Barbie. Neatly packed away in a plastic bin, waiting to be played with again. Some of them are not so poseable, but then there was…Figure Skating Barbie and Gymnast Barbie. Perfect! They bend at the waist, legs, arms and even wrists.

Now all I need is to find a few more. I combed the thrift stores, and sure enough I found some. Barbies, GI Joe, Captain America. The Barbies were naked. Hmm, this wouldn’t do, you know how kids are. I got out my paint markers and gave them bathing suits. Problem solved.

It worked out great. The kids posed their doll, did a quick sketch, then passed it on to another student. I’ve used those figures for so many classes. I actually use them myself. How else could I get the action of a police officer trying to handcuff an alligator and the alligator retaliating?

Happy drawing!

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What’s up with Heroes and Villains? Which one are you when you tell your story? A little villainy can really spice things up, FYI. Who is the hero?

How you face failure might be part of the equation. Let us know what you think of the discussion and if there’s more you’d like for us to explore by commenting on Substack or on YouTube. Your hearts and thumbs-up help to grow our community.

In case you missed it last month — Wolf Crier Kato McNickle was interviewed by Scott Perry from the Solopreneur Success Circle on Substack Live. Here’s a recording of the conversation.

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Kato McNickle & Adriane Pirro composed this week’s newsletter.

Wolf Criers Club is a collective of illustrators, writers, innovators, and wolves.
We explore aspects of dynamic storytelling each week through pictures and words, how to improve, and where to take it next. Why not run with us?

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The wolf-wearing-glasses logo is by Wolf Crier Michael Luk.