upcoming Workshops & EVENTS
jane buckley
talks about illustrators, design and publishing
ONLINE: THURSDAY 30th march 7-8.30PM (UK GMT)
Come along to hear Jane’s insight into what makes a good illustrator and how she finds and works with illustrators in the world of publishing.
With over twenty years of experience in Children’s publishing, Jane has worked for a wealth of publishers, including Penguin Random House, Little Tiger Press, Kingfisher and Dorling Kindersley. Throughout her career, she’s worked with various award-winning illustrators such as Benji Davies, Sara Ogilvie, Nadia Shireen, Liz Pichon and Kate Hindley.
Jane started her journey studying Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University as a painter and filmmaker, and with a keen eye for a good story, the picture book world soon beckoned. Through her determination and hard work – she now finds herself as Senior Art Director of Picture Books at Simon & Schuster UK.
Jane was the 2021 British Book Awards Designer of the Year.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Zoom links will be emailed directly to you on the day of the event around 5pm UK time.
The event is LIVE - but buying a ticket will give you access to a recording which will be available to view back for 72 hours afterwards. You will be sent a link for this the day after the event.
hadley paper goods
aka jo waterhouse
ONLINE: THURSDAY 13th april 7-8.30PM (UK GMT)
Hadley Paper Goods: Thoughtfully designed, eco-friendly stationery
Jo Waterhouse founded and runs Hadley Paper Goods, an innovative stationery and greeting card company. You can find her designs in Liberty, Tate, The Conran Shop and Kettles Yard, among other core artistic and creative institutions.
Jo is a collage artist and illustrator. Her work focuses on colour, texture and character, she incorporates many antique and found papers. She has exhibited widely, and her original artworks are internationally sought after. She’s been named ‘one to watch’ by Living Etc and this year will have a solo show at The Old School Gallery in Alnmouth.
She says, ‘I’ve built a life around my artistic practice that not only supports my family and me but gives me a strong sense of identity and all the qualities that brings; resilience, strength, adaptability. I’m looking forward to sharing with you the way I work and my journey to where I am today: the successes and challenges, along with all the personal insights I’ve gleaned along the way.’
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Zoom links will be emailed directly to you on the day of the event around 5pm UK time.
The event is LIVE - but buying a ticket will give you access to a recording which will be available to view back for 72 hours afterwards. You will be sent a link for this the day after the event.
bruce ingman
communication through composition
ONLINE: tuesday 18th april 1PM-4pm (UK bst)
This workshop will give you an insight into how you can develop your compositions to enhance the storytelling in your picture books and illustrations. Bruce will use examples from his own practice to demonstrate the different approaches and elements to think about.
You will have opportunities throughout the workshop to ask Bruce questions about techniques, materials, layout and working in the industry - it’s a brilliant opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s top picture book makers!
The workshop is roughly split into three sections:
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Lecture and Q&A about Bruce Ingman’s practice
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A drawing task created by Bruce relating to composition
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Group discussion
Bruce Ingman is an internationally acclaimed award-winning author and illustrator recognised as one of Britain's most influential picture bookmakers. “An unexpected talent that mixes innocence and sophistication… in something that’s distinctively his own” Sir Quentin Blake.
Bruce studied at the Royal College of Art, London. His first book, When Martha’s Away, won the prestigious Mother Goose Award for the Best British Newcomer to Children’s Picture Books (1996) and The Overall Winner of the V&A Illustration Award (1996). His partnership with author Allan Ahlberg has yielded many successes, including The Runaway Dinner, Previously, My Worst Book Ever and The Pencil, which was Winner of the Redhouse Children’s Picture Book Award and Time magazine’s Children’s Book of the Year. He co-wrote Dick Bruna for the biography series, The Illustrators, published by Thames & Hudson in 2020.
Bruce is Head of the MA Children’s Literature: Children’s Book Illustration course at Goldsmiths, University of London.
He lives in London and West Cork, Ireland.
Bruce is represented by the Wylie Agency.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Zoom links will be emailed directly to you before the event.
The event is LIVE and will not be recorded.
felicita sala
illustrator/author
ONLINE: THURSDAY 20th april 7-9PM (UK bst)
Join Felicita to hear her discuss her illustration work, process and inspirations.
There will be a Q&A opportunity after the talk.
Felicita Sala lives and works in Rome, Italy. She grew up in Perth and graduated in Philosophy from the University of Western Australia. She moved back to Italy in 2007, where she discovered illustration and very slowly began to learn how to make picture books. Over the years, she collaborated on various papercut animations with sculptor and animator Gianluca Maruotti and has worked with various food magazines.
She now makes picture books full-time, using a mixture of watercolour, gouache and coloured pencils. Her book She Made a Monster about Mary Shelley was selected among the ten best picture books of 2018 by the New York Times, and Your Birthday Was the Best! was one of the picture books of the year for the Children's Book Council of Australia in 2021. Felicita’s self-authored recipe-picture books Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street and A Year in Fleurville have been translated into over 15 languages. In 2020 she won the Premio Andersen as best illustrator in Italy.
Felicita is represented in North America and the UK by Kirsten Hall (Catbird Agency).
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Zoom links will be emailed directly to you on the day of the event around 5pm UK time.
The event is LIVE - but buying a ticket will give you access to a recording which will be available to view back for 72 hours afterwards. You will be sent a link for this the day after the event.
two-day children's book workshop in-person
friday 19th and saturday 20th may
10aM-4.30pm (UK bst)
Join us for this two-day children’s book workshop in Bethnal Green, London. We are delighted to be running an in-person event again, and it’s all brand-new content!
We have created a jam-packed workshop which focuses on the different key ingredients that make a successful book. We will be looking at character, layouts and cover design through talks and activities. Each day will be led by Maisie and Ness, who will be there throughout to answer questions and give feedback on your work and suggestions for going forwards.
PLUS, we have Publisher Libby Hamilton of Rocketbird Books coming to talk about her new exciting picture book list and what she looks for in an illustrator. Libby will also be giving you each feedback on some of the work you create at the workshop.
A brilliant chance to speak to and ask any questions to a publisher.
The workshop is open to all, whatever your experience, you are welcome! It will be a very small group so as to make sure we can individually work with you all. You might be recently graduated or working towards your first book, or perhaps you’re a working illustrator looking for the chance to play with some new ideas.
The content of the day suits anyone interested in sequential work - whether that is a picture book or fiction work.
We start on Friday at 10am with a special guest illustrator to start you off on this workshop. We work until 4.30pm with an hour for lunch each day.
Booking information
The cost of the workshop is £380. There are eight spaces available. To secure your place on the workshop, we require a £100 deposit.
Once you have paid a holding deposit through Eventbrite, we will contact you with details of how to pay the remainder of the balance.
The balance (£280) will be due by April 3rd.
In the unfortunate event that you have to cancel your attendance on the course, no refund will be made unless we are able to fill your place.
Participants will need to arrange their own lunch, transport, and, if needed, accommodation.
spring literary
with literary agent Neil Dunnicliffe
ONLINE: THURSDAY 22nd June 7-8.30PM (UK bst)
Spring Literary are an agency which specialises in children’s and Young Adult writing and illustration. It was set up in 2022 by Neil Dunnicliffe, who has over 20 years of experience working as a publisher for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and Pavilion.
Spring collaborates with authors and illustrators from the first idea onward. They support their clients, helping ensure their work is the best it possibly can be and placing it with the most suitable publisher. Their aim is to bring the most beautiful, entertaining and thought-provoking books to publication, getting them into the hands of as many readers as possible.
They work with all the major publishing houses, plus entertainment companies, to ensure the best match for each book, author and illustrator.
Clients range from established stars such as Sarah Massini, Pam Smy and David Melling to debut authors and illustrators.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Zoom links will be emailed directly to you on the day of the event around 5pm UK time.
The event is LIVE - but buying a ticket will give you access to a recording which will be available to view back for 72 hours afterwards. You will be sent a link for this the day after the event.