Lois Buchter—Miss Lois to her students—has a lifelong affair with drawing. She loves sharing that passion with kids ages 5 to 10.
Buchter ran the nation’s largest Monart School of Art franchise in Texas from 2008 to 2013. Now she brings her expertise to Sacramento with a new children’s educational television program.
“I want to give that gift of creativity,” Buchter says. “I know how the beast roars. You think you’ll feed it and it’ll be quiet, but no, it wants more. It’s such a rewarding, self-fulfilling elevation. I want to give that to kids on a national basis.”
Ever since a babysitter taught her how to draw a palm tree at age 7, Buchter has been “doodling on everything.” Her creativity extends to stained glass, needlework, painting, sculpting, stone carving and writing. She has two pieces at Washington National Cathedral.
“When I have an idea in my head, it’s always so much better when I get it out,” she says.
Buchter has had various careers. She’s done interior design, sales, creative direction and most recently, fire loss attorney claim management for victims of the Dixie and Camp fires in Northern California. The job she loved most was running four Monart studios in Texas.
Monart is a specialized drawing method developed by Mona Brookes in 1979. It breaks subjects into five elements of shape that serve as a visual language to help children draw realistically. The method is designed to give kids confidence in their abilities while teaching focus and fine motor skills.
“You have to be able to capture focused attention (in kids) before the busyness sets in,” says Buchter, who developed her own method based on Monart that she calls Drawing Magic. “We’re not born with focusing abilities. It’s a learned behavior. Drawing slows your brain down to focus, which expands your opportunities. I love watching kids get it and have that ‘a-ha’ moment.”
Buchter launched a Kickstarter campaign in June to fund production and editing of the first 13 broadcast-ready episodes of Drawing Magic. Her plan is to shop the show to independent public television stations and homeschool networks to help fill the early arts education gap.
If she finds success, she’ll film a total of five seasons and offer the show free to area children’s hospitals.
Drawing Magic finished filming July at Legion Films in Rancho Cordova with an all-female crew, including director Susan Bohl and producers Sally Forcier and Kim Kaplan. The feel of the show is “Bob Ross meets Mister Rogers,” with a simple set and good lighting to help kids focus on Miss Lois and her lessons.
“You don’t have to be cutesy to teach drawing,” Buchter says. “It can be fun and uplifting.”
For information, visit drawingmagictv.com or email info@drawingmagic.org.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
