<b>By Pamela Brownstein</b>

Recently, one of Coosa Elementary’s second grade students from Lisa Pope’s class won first place in an illustration contest sponsored by Scholastic.

[caption id="attachment_16761" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/School-Coosa-Harry-Bliss1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-16761" alt="Harry Bliss talks to second graders at Coosa Elementary School." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/School-Coosa-Harry-Bliss1-300x199.jpg" width="300" height="199" /></a> Harry Bliss talks to second graders at Coosa Elementary School.[/caption]

As part of the award, the school was visited by Harry Bliss, a cartoonist and cover artist for <i>The New Yorker Magazine </i>and illustrator of several children’s books.

He gave a presentation to the second graders where he talked about how he got his start as an artist and showed those gathered in the school’s library examples of some of his favorite New Yorker covers and cartoons.

Mr. Bliss told the students about the drawing process, how he starts with a very rough sketch and makes multiple drafts until it works. He said one of the best things about creating art is that it’s a journey and “your never know where your art will end up.”

Then he played an interactive drawing game with the enthusiastic kids.

Mr. Bliss also brought signed copies of his books, and also attended a pizza party with all the second graders.