Pupil Referral Unit - Digital Illustration Workshops.

I have recently been working with the Pupil Referral Unit at Bradley, Huddersfield, delivering a series of digital illustration workshops using photographic manipulation and computer aided illustrative techniques. The children created some brilliant images. Here are some of the portrait illustrations from the workshops. Some lovely work and some great expressions!

Whitechapel C of E Primary School - MONSTERS and HEROES

Character Illustration workshop with Key Stage 1 pupils at Whitechapel Primary School. 

This was a fantastic project from beginning to end. The children worked extremely hard and were diligent throughout. We also had a lot of fun in the process. 

We set out to create some characters based on Heroes and Monsters. (I say we, because I joined in also). 

The children came up with numerous ideas using Biro pens and A4 paper. They drew an immense amount of material and it was great to listen to some of the narratives that had begun to form based around the wild and wonderful characters that were taking shape. 

The tricky part of the project was translating their favourite images from A4 paper onto A1 card in order for it to be painted. I was absolutely flabbergasted at the ease with which they were able to achieve this and in such a short space of time. 

The paints came out and there was soon a hive of activity as colour brought extra depth to each of the children’s designs. At times there was such concentration in the classroom that you could have heard a pin drop. 

This was a lovely school to work with. Fab staff and the children were brilliant. The results of their efforts are marvellous as I’m sure you will agree. 

Inspire to be Inspired

I do a lot of creative work in different schools over the course of each passing year and I am witness to some immensely fabulous talent on a constant basis. 

Young people have such magnificent imaginations and amazingly creative ideas. They generally pursue these ideas without fear of failure. They step forward without the worry that they might not be doing it right or indeed without a thought that they might get it wrong. Without any anxiety, they vigorously march forward with their conceptions and create amazing characters, creatures, scenarios, stories, situations, worlds etc. 
It is a pleasure to behold. 

Recently a group of year 3 students from Gomersal Primary School created a character, each taking their inspiration from my work. 
This was not a project that I was involved with at all apart from that fact that it was my work that was used as the catalyst for their fantastic creativity. 

Upon visiting the school I was told about this project and was able to talk to the young people that had created these fab images. They kindly gave me permission to photograph the work in order to make this blog post.

Inspiring young people to use their imaginations and to have fun in the process fills me with an enormous amount of pride and purpose. Being able to impart the things that I have learned over the years and seeing young people connect, engage and run with their own ideas is something that I will never tire of.

All that said, I have to admit that the inspiration that I get from working creatively along side young people, is absolutely priceless! 

These are the creations that the year 3 students at Gomersal came up with. 
They are AWESOME!