Artfully Done

artwork by Sandra Casali LewAllen

Mrs. Casali LewAllen holds up one of her original sketches to show fourth and fifth graders.

Here, she selects another of her original sketches to show the students.

Dear readers: Sometimes when I visit schools, I am lucky to have Mrs. Casali LewAllen come along with me to speak to the students. She brings the original sketches with her to show everyone. She likes to talk about the different types of media, and why she chose to use pencil instead of pen and ink. Pen and ink seemed a little harsh for a story of this type, she explains. She wanted something soft and sweet. She stayed up late into the night, when the house was quiet and still, to do the majority of her work. The results were amazing!

Saint Therese was a huge inspiration to her, she says, and helped her especially with the cover artwork, pictured at the top. She tried a couple different designs, but finally felt a nudge from the Little Flower telling her to make a beautiful, old-fashioned window, much like the one St. Therese would have had to look out of in her room in France. Shaded in colored pencil, the pink rosebush blooming in the background, combined with Olivia holding her St. Therese chaplet, all come together to make a beautiful image for the cover of the book. I especially love how it shows Olivia as a normal, modern girl, in her hoodie sweatshirt and t-shirt.

Mrs. Casali LewAllen is certainly an inspiration to budding artists everywhere!