Yellowknife (May 12/06) - A Toronto illustrator broke down her techniques for an important audience last week - future artists.

At the Yellowknife Public Library Saturday, Maryann Kovalski, author and illustrator of childrens' books "Omar on the Ice" and "Brenda and Edward," exposed her talents for what they were: a series of steps that anyone could follow.

Maryann Kovalksi signs complementary copies of her book "Omar on the Ice," for kids after her drawing workshop at the Yellowknife Public Library Saturday. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

Kovalski said she tries to "de-mystify" the process of illustrating, by showing children how many accidents, re-dos and flat out mistakes artists work with and around.

"It's the things that go wrong that make the best stories," she said.

She emphasized this by drawing simple shapes, such as squares, circles and triangles as the building blocks of art on a dry-erase board.

She demonstrated how a pair of squares can become a bed, a speeding truck or a comfy chair, depending on how you draw (and erase) the lines.

The small but attentive audience took a break from Saturday's sun and soccer to sit in awe of Kovalski's art and stories.

A big hit was her last tale, which followed a young boy's journey into a forbidden house.

The scene was drawn and redrawn as a rectangle that, with a few lines and erases, became a hallway; a staircase; and a train tunnel, complete with an approaching train.

"It was kind of scary," said Camille Rourke, 7, of the way the last story built up.

Darcy Larochelle, 5, an self-admitted "dinosaur-kind-of-guy" said he was inspired by the drawing workshop.

"I liked those big squares the best," he said. "I'm thinking about drawing underground as well."

This is Kovalski's second trip to Yellowknife.

She hoped to have a positive impact on her pupils.

"If there's one mission I have, it's to show every single person that they can draw," she said.

"It's the same way anyone can be taught to read."