KIDS/SNEAK PEEK: ILLUSTRATOR DELVES INTO LIVES OF FAMOUS ARTISTS WITH HUMOR.

Byline: - Nancy Hewitt

Making art come alive for young kids is a challenge for adults, whether they are teachers, writers or illustrators.

Collaborators Katherine Krull and Kathryn Hewitt faced this very obstacle when assembling ``Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought),'' the third in a series of six books about famous people.

Illustrator Hewitt, who is known for clever caricatures, will be on hand to sign the book at 4 p.m. today at Storyopolis as part of the store's ``Art Alive'' program.

Imagination Station will also perform ``The History of Art in 40 Minutes,'' taking the audience through 200 years of art history in a kooky and whirlwind style.

In order to intrigue young readers but have fun as well, Hewitt decided to illustrate all the characters in an amusing yet accurate way. The series has since become known as the ``big head books'' because of her caricatures featuring large heads on much smaller bodies.

And with this volume on the artists, she has continued the same style.

``I wanted them to be recognizable,'' she says. ``I didn't want them to be too distorted. I would give them a pose that gave a hint to their personality.''

Hewitt says she paid close attention to details, including making sure the clothes were from the correct period. And she used props that gave additional clues to each artist's work, including mini versions of some of their most famous paintings.

Part of the fun of doing this project was learning things about the artists that she didn't know. For example, she says, when Picasso first started out, no one liked his paintings because they were too bizarre.

Hewitt recalls that at one point in the artist's life, ``Burglars broke into his apartment and took everything but his paintings.''

Then there was artist Georgia O'Keeffe, who used to take solitary walks in the desert and would paint skulls and other objects.

``She'd carry a hoe, see a rattlesnake, chop off its head and keep on going,'' Hewitt says.

Michelangelo was known for getting into fistfights and loved to paint at night.

``He strapped on a candle to his forehead with this weird device to paint,'' she says.

And Leonard De Vinci wanted ``to figure out why people laugh when they are tickled.''

``Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought)'' has been in print since 1994 and is still finding new audiences of kids.

``It's fun for them,'' says Hewitt. ``Other than learning about the painting, they can read about the painters themselves.''

If time allows, Hewitt is hoping to do some drawing while at Storyopolis.

``Illustrators usually use real people (as models). I want to point that out to the kids,'' she says.

The event is suggested for kids age 6 and older and includes a craft to take home. Reservations are required; cost is $6.

Storyopolis is at 116 N. Robertson, Plaza A, Los Angeles. Reservations: (31O) 358-2512. Information: [phone].

PLANT A TREE: Learn about Tu B'Shevat, the holiday for celebrating the environment, and make your own kit so you can plant a tree at home in the drop-in workshop ``Birthday of the Trees,'' 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Zimmer Children's Museum.

Workshop is included with paid admission to the museum, which is at 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, Los Angeles. Information: [phone].