By Michael P. McConnell, Daily Tribune Staff Writer
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Craig Gaffield/Daily Tribune Larry Ball, right, a laid-off autoworker from Oak Park, began a new career as an illustrator with his son Matthew, left, of Clawson, who publishes children's books.
Laid-off GM worker launches second career as illustrator.
OAK PARK — Downsized out of his tool-and-die supervisor's job with General Motors, Larry Ball is drawing on his artistic talent for a second career as an illustrator.
Ball, 59, of Oak Park recently completed illustrations for a 28-page children's book, "Minnie & Melvira," just published by William Joseph K Publications.
The company is owned by his son, Matthew, and his wife, Lisa Ball of Clawson. Matthew wrote the text about finding true friendship.
"My father has this talent he hasn't been able to use before because he was always working at GM and taking care of the family, taking whatever overtime he could," said Matthew Ball, 38, who talked his father into doing the illustrations. "This was my way of getting him to rediscover something that is unique and special about himself."
Larry Ball always liked drawing and even painted murals on his sons' bedroom walls when they were growing up. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served from 1969-71 and remembers painting cartoon and other figures on the barracks' walls.
"They allowed us to paint the walls," Ball said. "We really pushed the envelope. We used to copy R. Crumb comics."
Ball's second son, Joshua, is an illustrator who helped his father put his drawings into Adobe Photoshop, a graphics editing program, on the computer to enhance the colors.
Ball worked for 23 years until one day in 2006 when he learned his career was finished at GM's Grand Blanc plant.
"There was no warning," he remembered. "I got a tap on the shoulder at 9 in the morning and that was it. You feel bitter initially but come to the realization this is just the way things are now."
Ball was hired 13 months later by American Axle, but was downsized out of that job also after 16 months.
"You learn to count your blessings," he said. "Otherwise you end up a bitter old man."
Because he qualifies for financial help under the state's No Worker Left Behind program to retrain workers, Ball is looking into schools to learn more about computer skills and applications for illustration.
"I'd really like to get into the Photoshop end of it," he said.
Besides being a publisher, Mathew Ball is a former attorney
who gave up practicing law to become a fulltime blues and boogie-woogie musician and teacher.
"I understand what it is to have to start over again in life," Matthew said. "The children's book projects we did this year were part of an effort to expand, but also to give my dad an opportunity to share his talent with a larger world."
Larry Ball is happy his son pressed him to do the illustrations for "Minnie & Melvira," which is now available online at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
He plans to do another book next year called "Fred D. Fly," a comic children's story he made up and told to his children before bedtime 30 years ago.
"The fly lives in a garbage can outside and wants to see if the grass is greener inside the house," Ball said. "He comes to the realization things are not always what they seem."
Contact Michael P. McConnell at mike.mcconnell@dailytribune.com or at (586) 783-0269.
