Happy Birthday NC Wyeth!!

Treasure Island, c1911

Newell Convers Wyeth was born today in 1882.  NC is an American artist and illustrator born in Needham Massachusetts.  He studied with a famous illustrator Howard Pyle and became one of America's greatest illustrators.  You might not recognize his name but his illustrations are recognizable in great books such as Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe.

Over his lifetime (10/22/82 - 10/19/45) he created over 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books.  NC Wyeth considered himself a "realist" artist.  He wanted his illustrations to be understood quickly.

His mother encouraged his early interest in art.  By the age of 12 he was doing excellent watercolor paintings by the age of twelve.  He went to many art schools to train and grow as an artist.  Wyeth had an outgoing personality and natural talent that made him standout as a student.  He loved great literature, music and drama.  His love of the arts is reflected in his work.

He married Carolyn Bockius in 1908 and raised their family on 18 acres.  His household, with five children, was filled with frequent visitors such as F. Scott Fitgerald and Lillian Gish.

The Boys of King Arthur, c1914

All his children were encouraged to pursue their artistic and scientific pursuits.  His career included illustrations for classic literature such as Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, Rip Van Winkle and The Yearling.  He also did posters, calendars and advertisements for Lucky Strike, Cream of Wheat and Coca-Cola.

Sadly, in 1945 NC Wyeth and his grandson passed away in an accident at a railway crossing near his Chadds Ford home.  At the time of his death, Wyeth was working on an ambitious series of murals for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company depicting the Pilgrims at Plymouth.  His son Adnrew Wyeth and artist John McCoy finished the murals.

Be Your Own Illustrator
Fill in the blank spaces on the poem below and then illustrate your own story.  What is so much fun is to see the many different ways this story can be written plus you will be giving your story vision with your own illustration.  Have fun!

My Invisible Friend

Everyone has an invisible friend, someone to talk to and share special moments with.  But when I see my friend, my friend is not invisible to me.

My friends is as tall as ______________________

When my friend smiles it reminds me of _____________________

Going out to dinner is always fun because our favorite foods are ____________________

Once we climbed a tree and when we looked down we saw________________________

At times we get the giggles.  My laugh is ____________________ but my friend's laugh is ______________________________________.

My friend reminds me of ___________________

If I close my eyes, my friends smells like______________________

Our favorite place to play is _______________________________

At times we get filled with energy.  I like to _____________________ but my friend likes to ___________________________________________.

Have fun with your imagination!!  Draw your friend, bring him, her or it to life through illustration.