I will be drawing caricatures this Saturday in Brooklyn! 

Embroidered illustration in two colorways for a towel I created for Deborah Connolly and Associates.  If the design is bought by retailers, it will be available at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx next year for spring.

Three new books are being released today, including two picture books and one chapter book!

Close-up of sewing details from the Night Trees quilt.  Thanks to mimibot for sharing!

Night trees quilt sewing detail from the beautiful quilt by mimibot using my fabric design.

Enjoying his new quilt.

Night trees quilt sewn by mimibot for her 2 year old grandson.  The print is one of my designs available on Spoonflower.

Characters in a playground scene.

Character sketch.

Character sketch.

Character sketch.

Penguin character in forest scene.

Penguin character sketches.

"Johnny’s Lucky Day" children’s book, released this summer.

"I’m Rascal" book, available for sale at the shop at Metro Bank Park on City Island in Harrisburg, PA.

Caricature drawings from my elementary school visit earlier this year.

Pics from my book signing with Rascal this past weekend at the Harrisburg Senators’ game at Metro Bank Park on City Island. 

The mural unveiled at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School.  All of the students helped to paint it, and even some of the staff!

sheenascaricatures:

Drawing caricatures at the May Fair at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School.

All Holtzman Elementary students have a hand in creating mural

Sheena Hisiro, left, a Brooklyn artist and Susquehanna Twp. High School alumni, talks about art with Holtzman Elementary School fifth grader Christian Smith. Every Holtzman student helped develop and paint Hisiro’s mural depicting a school classroom. (M. Diane McCormick)

By M. Diane McCormick | Special to PennLive
on May 10, 2013 at 2:04 PM, updated May 10, 2013 at 2:05 PM

Keil Heineman, Jacob Gilbert, and Elijah Benka-Davies worried as they prepared to put paintbrush to canvas – squares of posterboard, actually – in a Thomas Holtzman Elementary classroom.

"Me and Jacob are scared that we’re going to mess up, and everybody’s going to be like, ‘What happened?’" said Heineman, a fifth grader in the Susquehanna Twp. School District school. “I draw, but I don’t paint. I use colored pencils because it’s easier to erase. Paint stays on unless you wash it off.”

Just then, visiting artist Sheena Hisiro made an announcement.

"If you make a mistake, just let us know, because when it’s wet you can wipe it off the board really easy," she said.

Lesson learned – one of many as each of Holtzman’s 594 students helped create a mural to be unveiled May 11, during the school’s annual May Fair.

The Holtzman PTO sponsored Hisiro, a 2003 Susquehanna Twp. High School graduate, to lead the project. Hisiro, of Brooklyn, NY, has illustrated several books written by Floyd Stokes, local children’s author and president of Harrisburg-based American Literacy Corp.

In January, students brainstormed ideas for the mural’s theme. Hisiro blended their ideas into three sketches, and students voted on a favorite. Hisiro transferred the winning sketch onto square panels, and on May 8, 9, and 10, every student in the school went to the art room at designated times to fill in the outlines with paint.

The finished mural will hang in a prominent intersection of hallways, under a vaulted skylight. The winning design shows a classroom of students engaging in a range of activities — studying butterflies, reading, painting a picture of their school.

"It’s really fun for the school because it’ll show people how it’s very nice here," said fifth grader Avani Patel.

"I do like to learn," said Emma Jacobs, explaining her vote for the classroom theme over competing scenes of library time and recess.

Raquel Clea, carefully painting a pink shoe, called the group-painting concept “kind of good.”

"Some people, they kind of rush while they’re painting, and it won’t match the other people," she said.

The design also includes a student wearing a red and white Susquehanna Twp. School District shirt.

"She incorporates everything — the school colors and what is true about school, like when we’re reading," said Chrissy Mitchell.

The project builds school spirit and gives every student a hand in the final creation, said Holtzman Assistant Principal Becky Kiphorn.

"Years from now, they can come back and say, ‘Those shoes are me,’" Kiphorn said. "It really helps to unify them because they’re all working together to have this one piece of art that will be in the school for a long time."

Students soaked up lessons from the presence of a professional artist.

"It’s creative how she puts it on pieces and puts them together," said Ashlynn Mills.

Omini Washington took extra time perfecting the brown hair she was painting.

"I’m trying to make it look better because I had it all sloppy," she said.

Art teacher Lindsay Lester prepared students for the artist’s visit. Hisiro is “part of us,” she said.

"She’s a product of the art department," Lester said. "She’s our pride. Our kids can see she came from this school district."

In an assembly, Hisiro compared her childhood drawings to her professional work. The demonstration excited a student who told Hisiro that his kindergarten drawings looked like hers.

"He thought that was really cool," Hisiro said. "He could see that I didn’t just start out drawing like this. It’s taken a lot of time to develop and a lot of practice."

The involvement of every student was “the neatest thing” about the project, said Holtzman Principal Michael Selvenis.

"The true art history to me is not only the painting but the creation of the mural," he said. "That’s where the real magic happened."

Jacob Gilbert anticipated the unveiling so he could point out his brushstrokes.

"It’ll be be cool to actually be a part of it," he said.

Holtzman Elementary students, in Susquehanna Twp. schools, to unveil mural

By M. Diane McCormick | Special to PennLive
on May 01, 2013 at 2:28 PM, updated May 01, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Thomas Holtzman Elementary School students will unveil a new mural on May 11 that they designed and painted.

Under the project, funded by the school PTO, students developed mural ideas that they submitted to artist Sheena Hisiro. The artist picked the three most suitable for a mural, and students voted on their favorite the week of April 8.

From May 8 through 10, Hisiro will be in the school, guiding students from every class to help paint the finished artwork.

Hisiro is a New York-based artist whose works include illustrations for children’s books by author Floyd Stokes, president of American Literacy Corp.

The mural, unveiled during the school’s annual May Fair, will be the latest in a district where murals are a longstanding tradition.

"It’s very cool that every student in the school will have their hands on it," said PTO project coordinator Melissa Black.

The May Fair will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 at Holtzman Elementary, 1910 Linglestown Road, Susquehanna Twp.

Day 4 of the mural project.  The mural is all completed and looks great!  All the students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade got to paint.  So did some of the teachers.

Come out tomorrow to Thomas Holtzman Elementary School in Harrisburg, PA to see the mural unveiled at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday May 11th. 

Pictures to come soon.

Day 2 of the mural project at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School.  The painting is underway.  All of 5th grade painted today and 3rd grade will be painting tomorrow.

Having a good week so far visiting elementary schools.  Apparently my presentation yesterday at a school assembly was “just like being at a rock concert,” according to one student. Today, another student commented that she had “the awesome-est day” at the contest winners lunch with me.  Today was also day 1 of the mural project at Thomas Holtzman Elementary School.  The mural is all sketched out and ready to go for tomorrow!

Book reading of my new book Healthy Habits: With or Without Diabetes at the new Capital Blue Store at the Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley, PA.  Thanks to everyone who came out to join us!