Looking back, I'm not sure why or how I decided to take an extra subject despite knowing that physics and thesis will already be taking up most of my study time. Nonetheless, I lined up for one whole day to make sure I get into IS122.3 or more commonly known as Writing and Illustrating for Children.
There was a disclaimer in aisis that says "basic drawing skills are required". Knowing that my drawing skills are not as good as I hoped them to be, I felt the need to call up the IS department and inquire on how they define the word "basic" since I think this word is very relative. The kind secretary said for as long as I can draw circles and color along the lines, I'll be fine.
Well I thought I was. The writing phase was pretty exciting. I'm thankful I have a lot of interesting stories to tell inside my treasure chest, thanks to friends, family members, and people I don't really know. I realized, one of the advantages or perhaps one of the things any writer must work on is having a lot of friends or connections. By having a lot of friends, we have a lot of stories to hear or laugh at or cry about. And from these stories, we add a bit of imagination and then we write tales about our friends' stories.
As you've seen, the illustration phase was such a struggle for me. Seeing my classmates' works did not really motivate me, but it made me feel better to hear that even if my works aren't as creative as theirs, they're nice enough to actually praise me and help me do better.
All my hard work seemed to have paid off with my final piece, my own storybook. I should've written in my bucket list, write a book, because I just accomplished that goal. It might not be a novel or a winning piece, but I'm happy that I was given the chance to share it with others and to write about something that is truly close to my heart.
Regardless of the sleepless nights trying to finish my illustration plates or to write a storyline or to cut out pieces of paper, I'm very happy with how this class turned out. It's nice to know that we can all have the chance to do something we never thought we can actually do. What's even better is realizing there are other doors, more colorful ones, that are opening up for us.
My IS122.3 prof kept on telling us that we can never start something or jump into something if we'd always think we're scared or that we're not creative enough or that we're simply not good enough.
This is the front cover of my book, colored with color pens and black sign pen. My story's entitled "Luis is a Superhero"
I wish I can post all the spreads, but I don't have a scanner, so the manuscript will have to suffice. I hope you like it! :)
Luis is a Superhero
4-5 Hello! My name’s Luis and I want to be a superhero.
But the thing is, I’m not yet sure what kind of superhero I want to be.
6-7 I want to be like that hero with his long golden hair, swaying with him as he fights the bad guys.
But the thing is, my hair falls off and is not gold enough. I barely have any hair to be swayed by the wind.
8-9 Or maybe I can be the kind of hero who fights the villains in the middle of the night, when everyone else is fast asleep.
But the thing is, I’m always sleepy. I can’t even stay up to watch the evening news!
10-11 I also thought of becoming like the hero who can lift tables and cars effortlessly!
But the thing is, I don’t think I’m strong enough. I mean, I can’t even lift my baby sister.
12-13 Maybe I can be that superhero with knives on his hands and who never seemed to get scratches and burns.
But the thing is, I have these cuts and bruises that don’t seem to heal very fast. See, my paper cut from last week’s still here.
14-15 I think I can be like the superhero who runs like the speed of light.
But the thing is, I get tired very easily. Walking from my home to the park can really tire me out.
16-17 I really want to be a superhero, but I’m not sure what kind of hero I can be.
Can you help me figure out what kind of superhero I can be?
18-19 Mom and I are visiting the doctor today, just a few check-ups and tests.
I don’t really like going to the hospital, it makes me feel queasy all over.
20-21 You noticed my mask?
I wear this whenever I go outside, or sometimes, even inside the house. Mom says it’s to protect me from the bad cells.
22-23 We had to wait for a really long time before the lady in white called my name.
I got really bored and sleepy, so mom asked me to tell her a story.
24-25 So I told her about my master plan of becoming a superhero.
I told her all about the heroes I thought I can be and how I can’t be like them because I have cancer.
26-27 Mom hugged me and told me this:
“But Luis, you’re already a superhero!“
28-29 “Do you remember how brave you were when the doctors injected all sorts of things on you? Or how strong you were that you didn’t cry even if the chemotherapy hurt really bad?”
30-31 So maybe I am a superhero, even if my hair falls off, or even if I feel tired and sleepy most of the time, or if I can’t lift my baby sister.
32-33 Hello! My name’s Luis, and I am a superhero!
I do hope it did not make you feel sad, because that's not really what I intended to make my readers feel. It's really just to give you how cancer makes kids like Luis feel and how, despite the disease, a child's imagination is as colorful and bright as any other kid in this world.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
