School year is finished and so ends another round of author/illustrator visits and workshops. I found it really rewarding to work with Creative Partnerships (now sadly gone) and with schools direct.
The life of an illustrator can often be insular, so doing school projects gives me the opportunity to get out there and meet some great people – teachers, pupils, fellow practitioners, creative agents…
Below are some of the best bits.
St Matthews Junior School, Luton
Designing cardboard display cabinets/ storage boxes – year 6 project. These open up to reveal dinosaurs + eggs which were made in a previous workshop .
Pop-up instruction manuals – how to make a dinosaur – explained using words, pictures and pop ups.
The finished work is displayed at the Festival of Learning at
UKCCA Luton Carnival Arts
Lee Manor High School, Luton
Working with year 7 classes, bringing the school’s charter to life, through illustration and lettering.
St Matthews Junior School, Luton
Screenprinting – three Year 6 classes developing designs and printing on t-shirts
Putney Park School
Book Box (Years 1 & 2)
The idea behind this group project was a box as a book – words on the outside, pictures on the inside.
Please note, the second image is during the prep stage – I try not to bring to bring large tins of Dulux paint into the classroom.
Pop-up workshop with Year 3 – 6
And a giant pop-up double-page spread with reception class.The children added their drawings to an existing framework which can be opened and closed.
Richmond School, Sheerness
4 different year groups, four different pop-up devices.
Y 3
Y 4
Y 5
Y 6
Enjoy the Summer, everyone – I’m off back to the
drawing board.
John O'Leary 
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