Ailing kids can get the 'Doodle' bug

Hospitals are tough enough places for adults.

For children, especially those with chronic illnesses, they can feel like prisons.

Steffanie Lorig, a Seattle graphic designer, decided a couple of years ago that she wanted to bring some joy to youngsters whose health problems kept them confined to hospital beds for days or weeks at a time. She wanted to make them smile, keep them busy and encourage them to exert their youthful creativity even when they felt terrible.

So Lorig, with the help of dozens of others who donated their time and talent, created "Oodles of Doodles," a bright, sturdy, colorful book filled with games, puzzles and other activities designed especially for kids facing long hospital stays.

Lorig's nonprofit organization, Art With Heart, plans to distribute 10,000 copies of "Oodles of Doodles" free to hospitals on the West Coast. Art with Heart is a community outreach branch of the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

The book features the work of 97 top illustrators and designers from around the world, including Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the Harry Potter books; Chip Wass, who draws for Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network; and Sacramento artist Polly Powell, who wrote a children's book called "Just Dessert."

It includes drawings of cartoon animals that children can color and attach to their IV poles; posters to hang on hospital room doors with admonitions such as "Wash Your Hands! Be a Germ Buster!; guest books for visitors to sign; "Imagination Stations" for children to express their thoughts about their illnesses; gaily decorated calendars; finger puppets; word games and lots more.

"The idea is to bring something special to young people who are in a dire situation, and turn these difficult days into a childhood," said Terry Marks, a Seattle graphic artist who collaborated with Lorig on the project.

Marks helped Lorig recruit volunteer artists for the project, a task that turned out to be extraordinarily easy.

"To see it actually come together is so gratifying, because there is not a selfish motive in the entire thing," Marks said. Participants donated more than $100,000 worth of illustrations, he estimated.

Powell, the only Sacramento contributor, said she learned of the project through her artist friend Cathie Bleck in Ohio.

"When I heard what it was about, I absolutely wanted to take part," Powell said. "There is something especially compelling about children who are sick. For children who are confined to the hospital for a long time, a book like this can make a big difference."

One of Powell's contributions to "Oodles of Doodles" is a scene featuring animals including a monkey, a giraffe and a panda bear. "Through your magical powers, you have changed the hospital into a zoo," the exercise reads. "Which animal is your doctor? Your nurse? Your mom? Your dad? Draw them and write about why you chose those animals."

The zoo theme was her idea, she said.

"I just love painting animals so much, and I loved them so much as a child, so I went with it," she explained.

Even the artist profiles are geared toward the book's target audience. New Yorker Elwood Smith's reads, "Elwood draws funny pictures. He wanted to be a doctor, but couldn't find one of those round things doctors wear on their heads in cartoons."

Art With Heart has begun distributing "Oodles of Doodles" to rave reviews, and is looking for funding for a second printing, Marks said.

For more information about the book, visit www.artwithheart.org.

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