Saturday, July 9, 2011

You Can Do A Graphic Novel...Review & Giveaway!

Are you looking for something fun and unique to do with your older children this summer?  Well look no further than You Can Do A Graphic Novel by Barbara Slate.  This little gem of a book will unleash your inner creativity in no time!   Here is the scoop....

Graphic novels, a variation of comic books, are slowly but surely gaining popularity with tweens and teens. Thousands who just went to see Thor are eagerly waiting for the opening night of Captain America, Green Lantern and The Avengers. The movies that are expected to generate millions in the box office will also refresh curiosity in graphic novels.

Creating a graphic novel combines writing and illustrating with great creativity. It can be educational, exciting and fun. For young graphic novel enthusiasts the process of creating a graphic novel can be a great adventure that exercises their inner artists and makes a great project for long summer days.

Barbara Slate, graphic novelist and author of You Can Do a Graphic Novel guides readers through the same process she learned in her early days working for Marvel and DC Comics-a process she has simplified for the classes she teaches and for the syndicated column she writes. The book teaches readers how to:
         Be creative in a way that works for you.
·         Find your own artistic style!
·         Create characters that get people's attention ... and hold it!
·         Develop a great plotline and write believable dialogue.
·         Lay out pages to keep the story moving forward.
·         Keep those creative juices flowing when you get stuck.

First of all, I have to say something about the author, Barbara Slate.  She is probably one of the best and most qualified people on the planet to write a book like this.  Check out her credentials.....

Barbara Slate has done it all. Her first character, Ms. Liz, appeared on millions of greeting cards, in a regular comic strip for Cosmopolitan magazine, as a spokesperson for Dupont's Lycra and as the star in a series of animated segments on NBC's Today Show. Her big break in comics came when she created Angel Love for DC Comics. From there, she created, wrote and drew Yuppies from Hell, and Sweet XVI for Marvel and put her own spin on the Disney classics Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Archie's Betty and Veronica, and Mattel's Barbie. Barbara's art has been exhibited in many galleries and reviewed by The New York Times. She is profiled in the seminal work A Century of Women Cartoonists. Stan Lee, Chairman, POW! Entertainment and Chairman Emeritus, Marvel Entertainment, calls Barbara "titanically talented." 
Yup...Barbara Slate knows her graphic novels!!  My kiddos are too young for this now but I had a wonderful time checking it out and it is incredibly interesting.  Slate gives you all instruction you need in clear language and direction to create your own graphic novel.  She also has all the insider tips so that makes it even more valuable.  There are sections cover topics such as  creating your characters and organizing your ideas all set up in ways that are easy to follow and fun to read.  When the kids get older this is exactly the way I want them to be able to express their creativity and I think this would make a wonderful project for families to work on together...what fun!  You can pick this up on Amazon now for just $14.96.  A bargain to beat the boredom. 

Great news. THREE lucky Reviewed By Mom readers will win a copy of You Can Do A Graphic Novel!  Here is how to enter...

Mandatory Entry: Visit Barbara Slate's website and tell me something you learned about this very talented author.  You must complete this entry for all others to count.

For Extra Entries:
1.  Follow this blog= 1 entry
2.  Like Reviewed By Mom on Facebook =1 entry
3.  Enter one of my other giveaways & let me know you have done so = 1 entry per other giveaway entered.
4.  Follow Reviewed By Mom on Twitter = 1 entry
5.  Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway & let me know where to find it (each can be done up to three times per day) = 1 entry per each.
6.  Blog about this giveaway and link back to Reviewed By Mom = 5 entries


Please leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to include your e-mail.  Contest is open to US  residents and will end on July 19th. The lucky winner will be announced by e-mail on July 20th and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen .  Good Luck!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  The opinions in this post are entirely my own. Your experience may differ from mine. This post has not been reviewed or edited by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The sponsor of this giveaway is responsible for prize fulfillment and shipping the winner(s) their prize.


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