“How many of you like to draw? How many of you like to make up stories? How many of you like to read?”

Jerry Craft, above, the creator of the “Mama’s Boyz” cartoon strip and the author and illustrator of numerous books for children, spoke to the Lower School this morning about his work.

As a child growing up in Washington Heights, he liked to draw more than he liked to read. "I have always, always, always liked to draw," he said. He created his first comic book in sixth grade. He attended Fieldston, went to art school, and then worked in advertising and publishing before launching “Mama’s Boyz,” which features an African-American family, in the 1990s. “When I was younger, there weren’t a lot of books about kids like me,” he said.

He went on to create drawings for a range of projects -- board games, bus posters, magazines. He said he especially enjoys creating work for kids.

Craft demonstrated how drawings can be made using simple shapes. He often reviews his work, and thinks about how it can be improved. “Don’t be afraid to do stuff over,” he said. Ask questions, be open to new ideas, keep learning. “Make stuff out of your mistakes.”