Article by Cynthia Baudette, courtesy of the Muscatine Journal.
MUSCATINE, Iowa. July 11, 2006
Parents and children enjoyed a good laugh Tuesday at the Musser Public Library thanks to the humorous perspective of cartoonist Phil Yeh.
"He was hilarious," said Cathy Marston, a Muscatine County resident. "And he was also educational and fun."
Yeh, a California resident, and his fellow cartoonist, Klaus Leven of Germany, were guest speakers in one of a series of activities that have been scheduled for the library's summer reading program.
The library was an appropriate backdrop for Yeh, 51, and Leven, 46, who encourage children and adults to learn more about literature, society and the environment. Both artists create characters who strive to make the world a better place.
In his comic books, Leven includes pictures created by children and encourages youngsters to develop their cartooning skills.
One of his cartoon characters is a 16-year-old Italian teen named Joey. Joey is based on a real person who lives in an old coal mining town in Germany.
In Leven's comic book "Joey & Gonz," Joey meets an alien named Gonz on a summer day in the town of Recklinghausen. The pair bond over their desire to urge children to be creative.
Yeh said real life provides useful inspiration for artists and writers.
"Write about what you know," said Yeh. "So you can talk about the details, quirkiness and little eccentricities."
When the creative process doesn't flow, Yeh said to put the work aside.
"Let your mind clear, and it will come to you," he said.
Yeh, who founded the group Cartoonists Across America & the World in 1985, promotes literacy, creativity and the arts, using cartoons and humor. This weekend, Yeh and Leven will join George Gladir, creator of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, an "Archie" series comic book character, and "Simpsons" cartoonist Phil Ortiz along with other cartoonists for the "Building a World of Readers, Artists and Dreamers" event in San Bernardino, CA.
Yeh said he won't create violent characters and promotes peaceful solutions to problems big and small.
"My books are blueprints for how I'd actually like the world to act," he said.
Yeh's graphic novels include "The Winged Tiger," which contains no text so it can be interpreted by people of all nationalities.
His character, Patrick Rabbit, travels across America learning about geography and history.
Yeh and Leven also gave out free autographed copies of their comic books, Yeh's "Dinosaurs Across America" and Leven's "Joey & Gonz."
Yeh suggested the audience members read classical literature as well as contemporary.
"We tend to make fun of some kids who are smart in this county," said Yeh. "Until they become Bill Gates."
Yeh also encourages adults to be concerned about the issues that affect the nation and world.
"The way I sell the environment is I say, 'You must remember, beer is made from water, so you must have clear, fresh water,'" he said, smiling.
During the workshop, Yeh had the children and adults join him in drawing a cartoon character and creating a dialogue.
Yeh used a large, blank piece of paper positioned on an easel in front of the audience and asked them for drawing and writing ideas.
"We learned how to make cartoon panels," said Sariah Garrido, 11, of Muscatine. "It was fun."
"I thought he (Yeh) was a really good artist," said Kimberly Halpain, 12, of Muscatine. "He taught me to be creative and I should think from my own mind."
Ida Cochran of Muscatine brought her great grandson, Quinn Christianson, to the workshop and had fun herself.
"I really enjoyed Phil Yeh," said Cochran. "I was very impressed with the whole program."
Contact Cynthia Beaudette at 563-263-2331, ext. 323, or cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com
Learn more about cartoonist Phil Yeh at http://www.wingedtiger.com/
To see more of Klaus Leven's work, go to the Web site: http://www.east-side-cartoons.de/
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