Hi all. Fun fact: three times a year the teams who work on OWL, chickaDEE, and Chirp all leave the office and converge on one person’s house for an all-day “pre-planning” meeting. Tomorrow is one of those times, and we will be looking ahead to the September, October, and November issues. Pretty far in advance, huh?
Anyway, that all goes to say I won’t be in the office tomorrow to write a blog post, but I didn’t want to leave for the week without getting you some Reader Art of the Week to chew on.
This week’s art comes to us from OWL reader Katherine. Check it out:
Cool, huh? My favourite things about this painting are the bold colour and the technique Katherine used around the flower. That area almost seems to have a life of its own now when it could have just been left blank. I like it.
Many thanks to Katherine for sending in her art. I can’t wait to see what I’ve got to post next week!
Hey all. Way back in June 2010 (feels like a million years ago, doesn’t it?), OWL published a “Hot Topic” article about a girl named Laura Dekker. Here’s the synopsis I gave you when I wrote about it on the OWL blog at the time:
Laura Dekker is a 14-year-old from the Netherlands who wants to set off this summer to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo. But the courts in her home country don’t think that she, or anyone her age, is up to the task. Last October, a judge ruled that Laura must put her plans on hold until July, at which time the court will take another look at the case.
We asked OWL readers the following question: “Should teenagers be allowed to sail around the world solo?” The readers who voted on the issue on our website were pretty even split, with 38 percent saying, “No,” 35 percent saying, “Only if they have training and experience,” and 27 percent saying, “Yes.”
In the end, the courts changed their minds and Laura was allowed to sail off. I bring it up now because Laura just got back safely from her voyage and has become the youngest person ever to sail around the world solo. Three cheers!
Here’s a video of Laura sailing into harbour after her around-the-world voyage:
Pretty cool, huh?
Finally, a couple questions for you: do you remember the article from the magazine? Does the outcome of Laura’s voyage change your original vote at all? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! As of midnight last night, we have entered the year of the dragon. (Hence the cool dragon image above, brought to us by “Talk About It” artist Kathy Boake.) (Thanks, Kathy!)
For those who aren’t familiar, Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and it is marked with gift-giving, feasting, fireworks, and lots of family time. It lasts 15 days, beginning with a new Moon and ending with a full Moon.
Also, including the dragon, there are 12 different Chinese zodiac signs. I was born in the year of the monkey. Click here to find out what your Chinese zodiac sign is, and then come on back to let us know all about it.
Talk to you soon.
Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com
P.S. Can’t get enough Chinese New Year fun? Click here for more info and some fun activities.
Hi! If you’ve got a copy of the January/February issue of OWL nearby (what am I talking about? Of course you do!), I suggest you grab it right now and turn to page 4. There is an awesome shot of the aurora borealis (northern lights) there, and it’s pretty spectacular.
It’s cool to see the lights in action, too. For evidence, check out the following YouTube clip:
Good one! But have you ever wondered how the northern lights are created? Luckily we have the January/February issue of OWL (on newsstands now!) for that:
This fantastic effect is created when special particles from the Sun collide with gases in our atmosphere.
Very cool! What do you guys think? Have any of you ever seen the northern lights in person? Let me know in the comments below!
Craig, owblog@owlkids.com
P.S. Many thanks to our editorial intern, Cameron, for tracking down this clip for me. I feel like it will be the first of many!
Hello all. On page 36 of the January/February issue of OWL (on newsstands now!), we invited readers to send in some art for our Reader Art of the Week feature on the blog. I have just one thing to say about that: it WORKED! I’ve been getting tons of stuff from readers, and I can’t wait to start sharing it with you all.
This week’s art comes to us courtesy of OWL reader Lindsey. Check it out:
Cool, huh? I like the sketch (Lindsey informs the model for the drawing is her pet bird, Casper) and the presentation, too. I’m not sure if Lindsey intended it, but the blue lines on the paper almost feel like the bars of Casper’s cage, don’t they? That’s a very good example of how an artist’s choice of tools can affect the overall image. Neat!
Many thanks to Lindsey for sending in her art. Let me know what you think in the comments below and tune in again next week for some more awesome art!
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