A simple concept that explores the paralysis of being faced with a blank canvas, and the anxiety of perfection. I loved this book and cannot wait to share it with all my teacher friends and family, especially art instructors! Kids and adults alike will relate to the struggle of our protagonist. Benford loves art, but when he receives a massive canvas, he is overwhelmed with where to begin. The illustrations are FANTASTIC; I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

An excellent picture book for children who are perfectionists or are just feeling stuck. Benford receives a new canvas and paints but doesn't know what he wants to paint. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, but just draws a blank and becomes frustrated. He eventually paints and shows himself grace. This would be a great book for children who are very particular about how they want something but become frustrated easily. The lesson is to relax and show persistence.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

🎨 Have you ever experienced a lack of inspiration or creativity? Benford has!

🎨 Benford has a beautiful new canvas to use, but he can’t think of a single thing to paint. His mind is completely blank. His creativity is all gone!

🎨 This cute story emphasizes a few concepts for children – believing in yourself, being confident, and trusting your creativity. I think it also emphasizes patience. Just because ideas aren’t coming immediately or on a preferred timeline, doesn’t mean the ideas won’t come eventually. Sometimes the best inspiration comes when you aren’t trying so hard.

🎨 This adorably illustrated book has a great message for children… and you should definitely get it if you have an artistically-inclined child.

🎨 Publication date: 1 Jan 2023.

Thank you @NetGalley and @CapstonePub for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

What a lovely book! It message is dual fold. Artistic inspiration coupled with solving a vexing problem is so well defined in this book.
The illustrations are so creative and colorful (especially loved the pic where Benford is tossing and turning amid nightmares of his poor illustrations while the pets are sleeping peacefully dreaming of bones). The various fonts add such vibrancy to the story. A blank page , as inserted into these pages, certainly makes its point since everyone can relate to it.
The bio of Vincent Van Gogh at its conclusion added that educational touch and meshing all the information together. A clever and fun read!

I love any book that encourages kids to be artists and love the art that they produce. I always think that we need more of that in this world, so this one was a big hit for me! I loved it! I thought the illustrations were great, I thought the story was super endearing and relatable, and I just thought the overall message of not needing to be perfect, of not needing something to be JUST RIGHT is so important. And I loved that the dog's name was Van Gogh! I also really loved that at the end, there was a list of ways to "unblock" yourself, essentially. I just know teachers will LOVE that!

BENFORD DRAWS A BLANK is simultaneously a cute story of a child working through a problem and a tribute to the creative process. Dufayet creates a wonderful story that is perfectly embellished by Klein’s masterful illustrations.

Going blank - we've all been there! It can be quite frustrating. This is an interesting little story about learning to not force creative ideas and to let them come naturally. I have a soft spot for art, especially painting, so I found this quite enjoyable.

I absolutely LOVE this book. I love everything about it; the illustrations, the colours, the font, the characters, and the storyline. The message is conveys is really important to teach children and I love that this book can be used to stimulate discussion! 10/10!

This book's biggest strength is its unique subject matter - I don't think I've ever seen a picture book on creative blocks before! I do suspect that it's a topic that will appeal more to parents than to kids (in my experience, kids tend to be pretty good at just throwing anything and everything at the page - but maybe I'm wrong, especially as you get toward the older end of the target age range), but sometimes those kinds of books are fun to have on the shelf. I like that it shows Benford working through some pretty concrete steps to work through his block (which are summarized in list form at the back of the book), but without reading like a how to guide.
The book does drag a bit in places and can flip between reality and imagination without being completely clear that's what's happening - for instance, there are 5 pages of Benford thinking he's being followed around town by squares? I honestly had to read that section a couple times before I really understood what was happening, and I'm still not entirely sure if that added anything to the story.
The illustrations are bright and colorful, but didn't quite grab me as something I'd want to pore over extensively. I did love the places where it included Benford's own artwork - they felt very authentic to an early elementary aged child.
Overall, this is a cute book that I enjoyed reading once, but I don't think I'd want to read it over and over again.

This is a wonderful book to inspire children and adults alike to ignore their critical inner voice when creating any kind of art and instead, just start and have fun! Young Benford serves as the perfect example of this message! This book has definitely inspired me in my pursuit of an illustrator career!

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for the advanced readers copy you sent me!

Thanks to Netgalley and Capstone for a free digital copy.

A fun book about inspiration and fighting the block that comes for artists with the desire to get it just right. Very fun illustrations and a good message.

It's a very cute picture book about art block! I've never had an art block since I don't draw but I've had writer's block and I just think this book and the list inside it is cute but infomational enough for a child.

This story is complex for a children's story. It gave my little readers and I space to talk about valuing something and wanting to use it in the best way, but also not letting fear or perfection get in the way of wasting what we have and enjoying the journey of the best we can do. As a fan of art, the references throughout made me smile and the illustrations supported the text wonderfully.
#netgalley #BenfordDrawsaBlank

This delightful book gives readers permission to be imaginative, creative and unique when it comes to their artistic skills. But wait... what if your mind goes completely blank leaving your canvas empty in front of you? When that happens you are suffering from artist's block. Oh my, now that can be a serious problem right? Or is it?

One year Benford gets the best birthday surprise ever--his very first easel and canvas. He is so excited and suddenly realizes with all the possibilities the one he chooses has to be fantastic, just right, he cannot mess it up, just any old thing won't do. Oh noooo. Benford can't think of anything to paint because his mind is totally BLANK! Will painter's block win or can he free himself and follow his own instincts, ideas and heart to design a picture- perfect masterpiece of his very own?

This inspiring book encourages readers to step out and unleash creative ideas and have great fun while doing so. Who knows you may be the next Vincent Van Gogh if you have confidence in yourself!

The illustrations are vibrant, colourful and adorable. The author has cleverly named Benford's dog after the famous painter Vincent van Gogh and includes a short bio of the maestro at the end of the book which is very educational and interesting.

"If you hear a voice within you say 'You cannot paint; then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

You will also find a list of how to "unblock blanks" which is very helpful. I love the book and highly recommend it.

Benford draws a blank is the perfect book for any classroom. I can’t count the amount of times I have encountered a child (and adults) that just didn’t know what to draw/paint and had themselves convinced that it would not be perfect before they even started.
Benford’s journey takes the reader through his “blank” stages of not knowing what to paint until he decides he should just start. Then the magic happens!
The illustrations have a great 80’s vibe and are some great tips in the back to help the reader through the creative process when you are just drawing a blank.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the advanced copy.

I love this book about having painter's block. It teaches kids (and maybe some adults?) to just have fun when painting. It encourages kids not to give up and get mad when something is going wrong. Just have fun. When trying to come up with something perfect the pressure Benford puts on himself makes him go blank. When he finally relaxes and has fun, he made a masterpiece. Fun illustrations. Look for the dog's antics. They are hilarious.


I received an ARC from Capstone, Capstone Editions through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

My kids really enjoyed this one! When you got to the part where you read "Blank!" they laughed and thought the dramatic pause was so funny, They also got a lot of laughs as the canvas secretly followed Benford around. I loved how at the end you got a lot of tips on how to paint when you are also drawing a blank. Lots of teachable moments about how we don't always know what we are doing, have the answers right away, but taking time to think and breathe can always help.

Delightful illustrations guide you through Benford's struggle to fill a blank canvas when the pressure just becomes too much. Tips in the back help you with your own struggle with creative block.

Bonus: watching the Benford's dog and cat through the story.

EXACTLY!!!
Why force kids (or anyone!) on what to draw and how perfect it should be?!

Never do this to anyone I say. Otherwise you are doing a henous crime, adult.

This book tells the story of a kid who receives his first drawing kits and tries to draw something good. But nothing comes in his mind when there's so much expectations. So ultimately he just draws whatever he likes and puts the colours as much as he's having fun with them!

The book we all need to share!

Thank you, Capstone, for the advance reading copy.

This was a nice concept and I liked the visual of the blank. This is a super common feeling especially when starting new art or a new writing piece in the classroom!

The actual text itself didn’t do much for me and neither did the art style.. but the concept of this book has good bones!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.