We require that the individually created drawings that the kids submit to us for consideration in an Invisibles story have a name, job, likes/dislikes, fear, problem, and secret. This information is put on the back of each drawing and is referred to as the back-of-the-page information.
We request that the kids provide cohesive back-of-the-page information, that the information gels. Here is an example of such a cohesive personality:
Name: Mango Tango
Job: Growing up
Likes/Dislikes: sun/insects
Fear: She is near the bottom of the tree; easy to reach
Problem: to be picked before she’s ripe
Secret: never wants to leave home
This character has a unique personality; is drawn with care, and the six descriptors on the back-of-the-page information gel. Any one of the descriptors could be turned into a good story because the personality suggested here by the drawing and the descriptors is so strong.
Here is an example of an Invisibles character that is lovable but not cohesive in its personality:
Name: Mel the Meatball
Job: School IT Director
Likes/Dislikes: Disco music/noodles and carbs
Fear: Claustrophobic
Problem: Gluten Intolerant
Secret: Loves Justin Bieber
So this would be a hard character to work with even if the image is well drawn. Invisibles characters need to have both the big and colorful and attractive carefully drawn art but also the well-thought out back-of-the-page information. The six things I am asking that they provide on the back-of-the-page information don’t gel enough in this example, aren’t cohesive, don’t form a character that is believable and invites a story. We want, as the French say, vraisemblance.
There are no rules, of course, but it is far easier to get excited about doing a story when the character “speaks” to us. The big deal with the Invisibles is that the teacher must RESONATE with the artwork and the character before starting a story with it. Kind of like life. We resonate with some people more than others, and in their boring days it is good when we offer the children images with which everyone resonates with. One could add, certainly, that it sure is easier to resonate with one of these Invisibles characters than with an indirect object pronoun, or even a direct object pronoun.
It’s amazing how these drawings are often cartoon manifestations of the inner psychological state of the kids. They reveal a lot. This, of course, is why I prefer them to the class created images (OWI).