School draws from his work

Book illustrator visits Monmouth Junction.

By: Audrey Levine
   Students at Monmouth Junction School sat together in front of tables full of paintings and books on Jan. 13 as they enjoyed a presentation by Chris Soentpiet, illustrator of children’s books.
   They sat mesmerized by his words, laughed at his jokes and responded to the end of his slideshow when it flashed a single word: "Applause."
   Mr. Soentpiet, a 35-year old New York-based children’s book author and illustrator, visited the school to present his work and explain to students how he creates his pieces. Mr. Soentpiet has illustrated 13 books, including "My Brother Martin" about the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., written by Christine King Farris, sister of the slain civil rights’ leader.
   "I enjoy coming to schools and seeing the kids’ reactions," Mr. Soentpiet said.
   Mr. Soentpiet’s presentation was for an annual program in which the school invites an author and/or illustrator to come and talk with kids and "make reading real for the kids," said resource teacher Sharon Monasch.
   She said the program always excites the kids because it gives them an opportunity to meet someone who knows the process of writing and publishing a book. Because of this, she said, the students develop a new excitement for reading.
   Mr. Soentpiet began his career while studying at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he attended a presentation by artist Ted Lewin, who inspired him to illustrate children’s books.
   Mr. Soentpiet made three presentations on Jan. 13, explaining how he photographs images and then paints the image from the photograph. He offered as an example a painting of letters drawn in sand. He said he hired his young neighbor as a model, having him draw the letters in brown sugar. He took several photos using different lighting before drawing it himself.
   "The drawings are pretty," said third-grader Aditya Muppana. "They look realistic."
   To illustrate his methods, Mr. Soentpiet chose students from the audience to act as models. He positioned them, told them to stand still and drew them on an easel with the students watching. He explained that he uses circles to mark the head and body of the person and then fills in the features.
   "The interesting thing was when he was demonstrating how to draw with the circles and everything," said fifth-grader Elizabeth Kim.
   Mr. Soentpiet explained that he uses models of all different ages, including his wife and children as young as 5 and 6 years old.
   "You know why (my wife’s) in so many of my books?" he asked with a smile. "She’s free."
   Many of the students were fascinated by how lifelike his drawings are, marveling that he uses real people as models.
   "I thought it was fun that he takes kids and puts them in his books," said fifth-grader Ashley DeGroff.
   Jennifer Green, another fifth-grader, said his color choice was interesting. And Monica Sinha, a fifth-grader, added, "He’s a good drawer."
   Mr. Soentpiet explained that to begin his drawings, he spends time researching his subjects or visiting the locations. Then, when painting, his strategy involves painting the background, then moving on to the people and all their details.
   In addition to the miniature drawing lesson, Mr. Soentpiet described several of his books and the difficulties he has encountered with his models. On one occasion, he said was trying to photograph a young girl who refused to sit still. Eventually, she eventually stopped paying attention to him, playing with her foot instead. He said the story was meant to explain to students the importance of cooperation and following directions so that he may take the exact picture he needs for his illustrations.
   Mr. Soentpiet also used the story as a springboard to remind everyone of the importance of an education and of working hard to achieve goals.
   "I thought he was fabulous," said fifth-grade teacher Jane Quaglin. "He gave a lot of information that students of this age can use, including about going to college and getting an education."
   The school’s Literacy Committee chose Mr. Soentpiet because they wanted someone who is both author and illustrator, said Linda Friedman, who was chair of the committee before her retirement last year.
   "We heard he was a good speaker, someone who could relate to the students," Ms. Friedman said.
   He also was chosen because of the overall themes of his books, which have to do with social consciousness.
   "He has multi-ethnic themes," said Anna Johnson, another retired member of the Literacy Committee.
   Mr. Soentpiet was 8 when he was adopted from Korea by an American family that lived in Hawaii. His new family also adopted other children of different backgrounds, so he grew up among many different nationalities.
   "I am drawn to social awareness books because of how I lived," he said.