Student Successes: Robert Martin

As our children's book illustration certificate students head out into the "real world" to pursue their dreams, news of successes have been coming my way. I need to crow a bit about their accomplishments, so here is one story. More will follow. 

Bob with his family at RISD CE graduation, 2014

Robert Martin teaches photography at Wheeler School in Providence, RI. He embarked on a personal project to turn the story of the school's founder, Mary C. Wheeler, into a children's book.

To bring this dream into reality, he took his manuscript to Marlo Garnsworthy's Writing for Children class at RISD-CE. Then he signed up for the children's book illustration certificate, and used the classes to hone his drawing, color, digital, and designing skills.

"Mary Wants to Draw" © Robert Martin

He took Book Dummy to do his prototype, during which he took a vacation to France where he tracked down and photographed some of the locations Mary visited in the late 1800's. While he did venture all the way to Germany to find the bridge connected to Mary's arrest on suspicion of espionage, he ended up using one of the stone bridges from our very own Roger William Park instead.

Bob used Final Projects to complete many of the illustrations. After he graduated from the program, he  continued work on his own, and Wheeler School published the completed book in 2015.

Illustrations of Mary Wheeler as a child © Robert Martin

Mary Wheeler was born in 1846 in Concord, Massachusetts, a neighbor of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was a time when her dreams of becoming an artist were not supported by American society.

After traveling to Europe to study art, she returned to Providence RI and established Miss Wheeler's Studio, at 26 Cabot street.

Mary Wheeler studying art in France.

 In 1889, she turned the art school into a college preparatory school for young ladies. Wheeler school still provides a fine education in Providence, RI today.

Congratulations, Bob, for following your dream!   

Mary being arrested!