Illustrating and Writing Picture Books

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to make a picture book? As well as being a collaborative effort between author and illustrator, there are many stages of the book making process that readers don’t see.

In this session, Freda will share behind-the-scenes process of making a picture book from start to finish and how she gets her ideas. She will walk students through her storyboards, character sketches, revisions and how she makes her final art. She will talk about what it’s like to be an illustrator and writer—the best bits and the things she finds challenging, but most importantly, why she loves it. Then she will play some drawing games and have a draw along with students.

Topics covered

• Short introduction about Freda as an illustrator/author
• How Freda interprets a manuscript (the story in text form) to illustrate for a picture book
• Freda’s illustration process—from rough sketches to final art
• Growing through making mistakes and experimenting
• How she makes final art with different materials and trying not to draw ‘perfectly’
• Drawing games
• Draw-along (if time permits)
• Q+A