Chelmsford artist illustrates conservation-themed children's book
Chelmsford —
Teaching youngsters the vitality of conserving energy and resources to
guard the planet is "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon," a newly published
children’s book. Chelmsford native Christine Reale is the illustrator
behind the 60-page picture book, which is authored by Marty Strauss, of
North Carolina. Despite their long-distance collaborative approach,
Reale put her composite photography skills to work to meet Strauss’s
educational tale about saving the earth.
"The challenge was the distance between Christine Reale and myself. I lived in Northern California and she in Massachusetts. We met in person through my nephew and liked working together," said 61-year-old Strauss who relocated to the East Coast over a year ago. "It was exciting to see Christine's vision of my words and see the images come to life on the page. We worked well together communicating back and forth as the story and illustrations came together."
Strauss said he spent 30 years managing landfills and transfer stations. During that time, he implemented recycling and hazardous waste programs and waste-to-energy projects.
After all those years, Strauss set out to educate future generations through a fun and fictional story about a dragon preserving and protecting his homeland.
Published Oct. 21, 2013, through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" is about a 300-year-old dragon living in a canyon near a village. Piles of garbage dumped into his home threaten Chagall. A viable solution to his problem is needed so Chagall isn’t forced to relocate.
Sold through Amazon, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" offers a colorful and amusing look into the innovative and cooperative recycling process. Examples on where to sort materials after they’re collected are also given. The book is Strauss’s third published book. His other books are "Ice to Fire" and "Tale of the Golden Whale."
Get the picture
For the 29-year-old Reale, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" is her first published picture book.
Growing up with a mother who painted and sewed, Reale was always considered the artist child of her family. In 2003, Reale graduated from Chelmsford High School.
"The art program at Chelmsford High School was a real door opener to what I wanted to do. It’s been a very supportive community, primarily with education. It’s a great place to grow up with diverse weather and community," said Reale, explaining the wide demographic in town helped her gain perspective.
Reale earned a photography degree from Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. in 2008. Not long ago, she had a job crafting leather. On the side, she continues costume making.
It all started when Strauss, who is Reale’s boyfriend’s uncle, held an artistic callout among friends and family two years ago to choose a partner for his new children’s book. Reale was selected.
"Christine Reale showed a genuine interest in the story and wanted to work on the story with me," said Strauss.
Initially, Strauss sent Reale a manuscript with film direction designed for an hour-long cartoon. The two took their time editing down the cartoon video into a children’s book. Aside from condensing, the final design of the dragon was also a challenge, said Reale. The young artist used photographs of family, vacations, and nature scouting trips for the book’s illustrations.
"I put old photographs from my childhood in there, so a lot of the kids are actually my brother, my sister and I. There are some pictures that show my sister at three different ages, so I kind of think that’s interesting... It’s kind of a personal project as well as an educational project."
Reale used her Nikon V80 camera, her Android camera phone and Photoshop CS3 when bringing Chagall’s story to life. She used photograph pieces of her two fish and compiled them into one image to make Chagall. The dragon’s ear is a fish fin, Reale said. To lessen the sharpness, Reale drew in some shading, but the book’s artwork is primarily made of photographs.
Using e-mail as a main means of communication, Reale would send sketches to Strauss, who would reply with feedback. Reale said Strauss gave her a lot of leeway.
"He was actually a very great person to work with," said Reale, who added more detail to illustrations with each read through. She even hid a photo of Strauss’s wife when they married, along with other little treasure art throughout the book.
Strauss and Reale are now working on another educational children’s book.
"The challenge was the distance between Christine Reale and myself. I lived in Northern California and she in Massachusetts. We met in person through my nephew and liked working together," said 61-year-old Strauss who relocated to the East Coast over a year ago. "It was exciting to see Christine's vision of my words and see the images come to life on the page. We worked well together communicating back and forth as the story and illustrations came together."
Strauss said he spent 30 years managing landfills and transfer stations. During that time, he implemented recycling and hazardous waste programs and waste-to-energy projects.
After all those years, Strauss set out to educate future generations through a fun and fictional story about a dragon preserving and protecting his homeland.
Published Oct. 21, 2013, through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" is about a 300-year-old dragon living in a canyon near a village. Piles of garbage dumped into his home threaten Chagall. A viable solution to his problem is needed so Chagall isn’t forced to relocate.
Sold through Amazon, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" offers a colorful and amusing look into the innovative and cooperative recycling process. Examples on where to sort materials after they’re collected are also given. The book is Strauss’s third published book. His other books are "Ice to Fire" and "Tale of the Golden Whale."
Get the picture
For the 29-year-old Reale, "Chagall, the Recycling Dragon" is her first published picture book.
Growing up with a mother who painted and sewed, Reale was always considered the artist child of her family. In 2003, Reale graduated from Chelmsford High School.
"The art program at Chelmsford High School was a real door opener to what I wanted to do. It’s been a very supportive community, primarily with education. It’s a great place to grow up with diverse weather and community," said Reale, explaining the wide demographic in town helped her gain perspective.
Reale earned a photography degree from Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. in 2008. Not long ago, she had a job crafting leather. On the side, she continues costume making.
It all started when Strauss, who is Reale’s boyfriend’s uncle, held an artistic callout among friends and family two years ago to choose a partner for his new children’s book. Reale was selected.
"Christine Reale showed a genuine interest in the story and wanted to work on the story with me," said Strauss.
Initially, Strauss sent Reale a manuscript with film direction designed for an hour-long cartoon. The two took their time editing down the cartoon video into a children’s book. Aside from condensing, the final design of the dragon was also a challenge, said Reale. The young artist used photographs of family, vacations, and nature scouting trips for the book’s illustrations.
"I put old photographs from my childhood in there, so a lot of the kids are actually my brother, my sister and I. There are some pictures that show my sister at three different ages, so I kind of think that’s interesting... It’s kind of a personal project as well as an educational project."
Reale used her Nikon V80 camera, her Android camera phone and Photoshop CS3 when bringing Chagall’s story to life. She used photograph pieces of her two fish and compiled them into one image to make Chagall. The dragon’s ear is a fish fin, Reale said. To lessen the sharpness, Reale drew in some shading, but the book’s artwork is primarily made of photographs.
Using e-mail as a main means of communication, Reale would send sketches to Strauss, who would reply with feedback. Reale said Strauss gave her a lot of leeway.
"He was actually a very great person to work with," said Reale, who added more detail to illustrations with each read through. She even hid a photo of Strauss’s wife when they married, along with other little treasure art throughout the book.
Strauss and Reale are now working on another educational children’s book.
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