Bragging Time
It’s time for bragging because my sister got her first job! And she didn’t just get any job. She got a super stellar one. My sister, Spencer, is now the lead French teacher at a public high school in a small town of Massachusetts. She went from French student not knowing what she wanted to do, to a teacher without a job, to a lead high school teacher. It was perfect. Oh, to better illustrate how big of a deal this is, here are a few other thoughts my sister had before even reaching a college French student:
- Interior decorator
- Choreographer
- French ambassador
- Formula 1 driver
- NFL lineman
- Ballerina
- Part-time NFL lineman/part-time ballerina
- and there was probably more but I can’t think of them right now
Spencer has had a very bumpy ride to the place where she is now (she even got kicked out of France!) but I am so proud to see her finally blossom and quick but at her new school.
Pronouns
For one of the first things she wanted to do as a new teacher, was to decorate her walls. For the most part, she had all of her posters/decorations. She had been collecting things for over a year. But one thing she was missing was a poster demonstrating the different French pronouns:
| English | Singular | Plural | Formal |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | je | nous | |
| You | tu | vous | vous |
| He/She | il/elle | ils/elles |
Illustration Process
When I sat down to illustrate them, I knew I wanted to do something quick and easy but still of quality. I also wanted it to be subtly French inspired. I decided on using the same style I used for a thank you card I made for my aunt and uncle when they helped pay for a flight for me to see Spencer in France.
The style is largely influenced by one of the most popular comic strips in France: The Adventures of Tintin. It started out as a Belgian comic in the 1920’s and grew to become an international hit including a US tv show and movie. The comic used minimal, flat colors and bold lines with little varying weights. A perfect style for Illustrator’s Blob brush tool. The tool instantly turns your brush strokes into an editable vector shape. Its a great way to sketch and creat finished products at the same time.
My sister loved the illustrations and I have yet to hear how they do to assist in the teaching, but hopefully they do the job.