ROCHELLE — Rochelle-based creative company Do Art Productions has seen recent growth in its workshop offerings in recent years and has added a new performer.

Do Art Productions was established by Rochelle native Jerry Moffitt and his best friend, Chester Roush. The business creates comics and art and offers a variety of workshops in a variety of art mediums to inspire community members. It has recently added a new performer in Karen "Miss Karen" Peterson, who specializes in arts and crafts, namely bead art workshops. Do Art Productions will host a bead art workshop at the Flagg-Rochelle Public Library May 6 and has others planned for later on in the summer in Creston, Malta and Mt. Morris.

“We've been expanding our workshops into other states,” Moffitt said. “We went to Florida twice. We did some workshops along the way there and visited some libraries. We have another performer and we've been going to more places. It's allowed us to reach more people and get the word out there more. We've been working in a lot of schools with assemblies with large audiences of 300-500 kids. That's been fun working with school kids and having larger audiences. We recently did 13 workshops in two days in Lake Zurich. A whole school got to experience our comic book workshop. We've been focusing on getting into schools, more states, and doing more workshops.”

Do Art Productions’ comic book workshops consist of the performers and attendees drawing comics on a whiteboard. Moffitt will often do something like juggling, riding a unicycle or playing the guitar to spur attendees’ imagination, and they’re asked  to draw him as an animal such as a  panda bear or giraffe. Moffitt said small dry erase boards are handed out so the audience can participate and connect through the creative process. 

Moffitt said Do Art Productions has traveled to 17 states so far, stretching from Florida to North Dakota. It will travel to 10 new states in the west and south this summer. 

“Seeing the growth has been unexpected,” Moffitt said. “We weren't necessarily planning on doing workshops and being performers. We get so much of a response from parents, teachers and librarians. That's very motivating and helps us to keep moving forward. The biggest impact is seeing a shy kid come out of their shell and do art. It's rewarding to be the catalyst for that.”

Moffitt said that working with kids is a big reason for why Do Art Productions does the work it does. He’s enjoyed being able to implement the things he’s learned in comics to get a response from people and making a hobby into a career path.

Free Comic Book Day is May 3. Do Art Productions has created a comic to give out on that day, titled “Adventure into Comic Books with Mr. Jerry.” The free comic book is geared around what happens at their workshops and how to make a comic.

Peterson has been involved with Do Art Productions since it started up, but recently got involved full-time.

“I want to bring creativity to others,” Peterson said. “I really enjoy it and it makes me happy to see others become creative and be happy themselves. I find it rewarding when kids come up to you after workshops and thank you. I do it for the kids and it makes me happy.”

Moffitt said workshops make up about 30 percent of Do Art Productions’ work. The rest is made up of traveling, scheduling, networking, and creating content. Do Art Productions is currently preparing for the summer, when it will be presenting workshops for kids in libraries and park districts and offering team building workshops for staff at schools and businesses.

“It's a really empowering feeling to see how far we've come since we started,” Moffitt said. “It shows that the work we've put in is paying off. It makes me want to take another step forward and take on more performances or bigger events and more crowds. It makes me want to get out of my comfort zone more.”