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Questions...And Answers!
I receive hundreds of fantastic letters and drawings every day from cool, creative geniuses - like YOU! Each and every one of them is important to me. I wish I could personally answer every e-mail letter I receive, but because I am 'on the road' visiting schools throughout the country for most of the year, I can't always respond. However, my incredibly cool staff at the Imagination Station saves every one of them for me to read later and I love to get your mail! So, keep sending those e-mails and drawings - they help to keep me inspired!
I appreciate your questions so much - here are some answers to the questions I am asked most often:
Q. What time or channel is IMAGINATION STATION on in my area?
A. Click on this link for the PBS Television website...and it will take you to the U.S. map. Click on your state and you will find a list of PBS stations broadcasting in your area, along with their e-mail addresses. The best thing to do is to e-mail the PROGRAM DIRECTOR of those stations and ask what time the show is on near you.
Q. My PBS station does not broadcast The IMAGINATION STATION. Is there any way I can help get the show on the air in my area?
and
I used to have art attacks with you all the time when I watched The IMAGINATION STATION. Now, my PBS station doesn't show it anymore. Is there anything I can do?
A. YES! - is the answer to both questions! Because I believe so much in your creative potential, I donate my 65-episode series to PBS stations across the country. You can help keep IMAGINATION STATION on the air in your area! Here's how:
Each PBS station has a cool person called a program director, who decides what shows to broadcast based largely upon response from viewers. When a PBS station receives an e-mail from a viewer about a show, they count it as the opinion of 100 viewers! (WOW!) So, just think- If you send an e-mail, then your family, your friends, your friends' friends and their relatives, your teachers, your mailman and...oh, you get the idea! So, again, click this www.PBS.org link, find your local PBS station and e-mail the PROGRAM DIRECTOR. Tell the PROGRAM DIRECTOR that you want to be able to watch "Mark Kistler's IMAGINATION STATION" in your area. THANKS!
Q. How can I have you visit my school?
A. Please have a parent or teacher e-mail us for the necessary information at: info@markkistler.com. Please address the subject line: SCHOOL ASSEMBLY INFORMATION REQUEST. That will help us get the information to you quickly! You may also click to Mark Kistler's School Assembly Information.
Q. Do you teach any summer art camps?
A. Yes! Each summer, I travel to different cities throughout the USA teaching Week Long Drawing in 3D Super Summer Workshops!. Click here for the Summer Workshop Schedule and see where I'll be this year. Maybe you can join me at one of the camps, or learn how you can coordinate a week long Kistler workshop in your city.
Q. What is your address so that I can mail you my drawings or get a free student drawing lesson?
A. If you would like a student drawing lesson, please send me a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to:
P.O. Box 19336
Kalamazoo, MI 49019
Q. What books have you written and where can I get them?
A. I have authored and illustrated ten books. I've listed a few below. For a complete listing, go to Amazon.com.
Mark Kistler's DRAW SQUAD - 256 fun-filled pages with over 300 drawing adventures. Over 150,000 copies of this book have been sold, an all-time favorite for budding 3-D Genius Artists!
Mark Kistler's IMAGINATION STATION - 256 pages of action-packed, step-by-step drawing adventures. Includes 30 drawing lessons for a total of seventy 3-D pictures to learn!
DRAWING IN 3-D WITH MARK KISTLER - This newly released title contains 285 pages of exciting drawing lessons. Organized in an idea encyclopedia A-Z format, it is packed full of 333 neat things to draw in 3-D! Be sure to check out the companion workbook listed below.
Mark Kistler's DRAWING IN 3-D WACKY WORKBOOK - This companion workbook to the above listed "Drawing in 3-D with Mark Kistler" lesson book is 175 pages of pencil power practice pages! It is packed full of pencil tips, lesson suggestions, assignments, word games and plenty of sketching space.
Mark Kistler's WEB WIZARDS - Look for my latest book, which will teach kids how to draw and design their own web pages!
All major and local bookstores across the country carry my books, however, they sell quickly, so if you can't find it on the shelf, order it at the counter. There is no extra charge and they should have it in about one week. You can also order my books online. Here's how: You can go to one of the big on-line booksellers and type "Mark Kistler" in the author section of Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or borders.com.. If you do order over the internet, please be sure to write a reader review about what you think of the book. Then post it on the web site of the online bookstore that you bought the book from. I love reading these reader reviews and it's fun knowing that other kids from all over the world can read your comments about the book, as well!
Or you can order books RIGHT HERE...from the Mark Kistler website...books, videos, T-shirts and lots of really cool stuff! Just click to go to Mark's Store!
Q. What kind of pencils are best to draw with?
A. When you are preparing to have a full-on ART ATTACK, just grab ANY pencil quickly and DRAW, DRAW, DRAW! Any pencil is a great pencil! If you have time to build a portable Art Attack 3-D Drawing Kit (a shoebox or plastic lunchbox), you might want to include 2H, 4H, B, 2B, and 4B pencils. Experiment with the different leads and see how the H pencils have a sharper line and the B pencils are darker and blend beautifully for nice, smooth shading. Experiment, explore, explode across that paper with your genius ideas!
Q. What is a paper stump and where can I get one?
A. A paper stump is one of my favorite Drawing-in-3D tools on the entire planet! It is basically a stick of rolled, compressed paper shaped like a tiny pencil. You use this paper stump to smoothly blend your shading from dark to light on a round, curving edge or to smooth a solid value on a square object. Paper stumps are also fantastic for blending a nice, long cast shadow on the ground next to your 3-dimensional object. They can really impact your drawings!
Paper stumps are available in a variety of sizes in professional art supply stores, and range from about 25 cents to $2.00. They are commonly found, but you must look in the right places! Usually, you cannot find them in the art supply section of large chain department-type stores. You will really need to grab your yellow pages and look under Art Supplies or Drafting Supplies. I would also suggest that you look under Art/Craft Supplies. While in the store, you may want to ask a salesperson for some softer drawing pencils to use with your paper stump. The graphite in these smears really easily - lots of fun! But, be forewarned - they can be messy!
Q. How can I support your mission to teach the planet how to draw in 3-D?
A.
1. You can e-mail us back with your city and state or the call letters from your PBS station. This helps us to direct your notes of support to the proper folks. It also provides us with the information that potential underwriters of the show may need. They like to have an idea of how many kids from how many states are watching!
2. Your family can purchase Mark Kistler books, videos and T-shirts off the web. A huge portion of the proceeds from product sales are used to fund the television production and satellite broadcast fees. Just click to go to Mark's Store!.
3. Follow the instructions to e-mail your support to your PBS station in question number 2.
4. Tell a friend about the show and share my books and videos with them. If you teach a friend and they get excited and teach their entire class, and the teacher gets excited and teaches their friend visiting from Italy, and they get excited and teach everyone in Paris how to draw in 3-D, and they...well, you see how creative enthusiasm can ignite the imagination of our human race?
I hope these answers will help you have many major art attacks to come! Keep blasting off with pencil power and remember the 3D's of 3D drawing...DREAM IT! DRAW IT! DO IT! Thumbs up for cool, creative, artistic, e-mailing geniuses like you! YEAH!!!!
