LIVE Workshop: Collage a Character

Collage an Animal Character with Contemporary Publishing Appeal

Join author and illustrator Claire Alexander for an inspiring evening exploring the joyful world of picture book characters and create a compelling animal character that stands out to publishers and commissioners.

You’ll look at successful picture book characters, then you’ll sketch your chosen animal to understand its unique characteristics, proportions, and shapes — before bringing it to life in a colourful collage.

The workshop wraps up with a Q&A — an invaluable chance to gain insight into a professional picture book maker’s creative process, published projects, and how to present your ideas confidently to publishers and agents.

When booking, you will receive an online resource page with a small pre-workshop task to complete and a selection of printable collage papers you can use if you wish. If not, you can make your own papers and bring them along. Collage papers will not be supplied on the night.

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop is for beginners and anyone at any level who'd like to design a picture book character in collage. This workshop may also be useful for artists or illustrators in other fields.

Only 12 spots available.

Materials to bring:

(You will need to print some coloured paper textures OR you can create sheets of paper you have painted yourself to collage with).

• Some sheets of white A4 paper
• A pen, pencil, eraser & pencil sharpener
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Coloured pencils
• A selection of around 6 photographic images of the animal you would like to study. Choose photos showing different poses and shots from different angles. These can be saved to your mobile phone.
• Please bring a drink of your choice with a lid to the session if you wish. 

About Your Tutor:

Claire is an internationally award-winning author-illustrator based in London, with over 20 years’ experience creating picture books for publishers including Walker Books, Egmont, and The Quarto Group. Her recent titles include The Think-Ups!, Dear Little One by Mara Bergman, and Pudding! by Emma Perry. She has also collaborated with Sean Taylor on The Snowbear and Humperdink, Our Elephant Friend. Alongside her own creative practice, Claire designs and teaches her bespoke courses and workshops, and mentors aspiring and professional illustrators and writers.

Testimonials:

"I loved Claire's practical and personalised feedback. She was also very generous in sharing her knowledge of the industry."

"I had such a great afternoon! It was so interesting to hear from Claire and her insights and useful tips, and it was lovely to see work from other people too. I found the workshop challenging yet enjoyable."

"The workshop was very well structured, with clear, actionable steps that were useful in developing my ideas. The tutor was knowledgeable, helpful, stayed on topic and kept to time, as well as offering helpful feedback throughout."

Fees:

£42 (Pay in three interest-free payments with PayPal)
Please note: Tickets are non-refundable. In the event of workshop cancellation, a full refund will be given.