Handout: Introduction to writing picture books
Handout: Introduction to illustrating picture books
Open the handout to read about our illustration goals for this module.
What is a picture book?
What makes a great picture book?
Zanni talks about what a picture book is and some of the key features of picture books.
What about other children’s books?
Zanni talks about what makes picture books different from other children’s books.
Picture book format
Zanni shows you through the picture book format to help you get familiar with the vocabulary.
Task: The Bookstore Experiment
Open the handout to complete the bookstore experiment.
Task: Study A Picture Book
Open the handout to complete the picture book study.
Picture book ideas
Where do you get your ideas?
Zanni talks about ideas and how to access them.
Interview with honour-award winning author, Edwina Wyatt
Zanni chats with Edwina about where her ideas come from and how her picture book journey began. Edwina talks us through her picture books, Olive, Together Always and Into The Evening.
Interview with picture book author, Kiah Thomas
Zanni chats with Kiah about what inspired her picture book journey. We learn about Kiah’s gorgeous picture book, Allergic Alpaca.
Interview with acclaimed author, Lucy Estela
Zanni chats with Lucy about the genesis of picture book ideas and Lucy talks us through her shortlisted picture books, Suri’s Wall and Girl on Wire.
Task: Gather your ideas
Open the handout to complete the idea generating exercises.
Handout: Freewriting
Open the handout to learn about the value of freewriting daily.
Inspiration and feeling
Tap into inspiration and feeling in your illustration
Anna guides us through how to tap into inspiration and create feeling in your illustration.
Task: Reflect on illustration and feeling
Open the handout to reflect on four different illustrations.
Develop your illustration style
Interview with award-winning author-illustrator, Anna Pignataro
Zanni chats with Anna about how her personal style developed, her work process and how she creates a picture book from start to finish.
Interview with shortlisted author-illustrator, Anna McGregor
Zanni chats with Anna about her shortlisted book, Aenome Is Not The Enemy and her forthcoming book, A Pair Of Pears And An Orange. We learn how Anna’s style evolved.
Sketching Techniques
Anna shares sketching exercises that will help you develop your style.
Sketching Outside
Anna shares sketching exercises you can use outside or looking out your window.
Task: Collect Four Sketchbooks
Open the handout to learn about your illustration sketchbooks.
Task: Study People and Places
Open the handout to learn about illustrating people and places.
Task: Study Objects and Animals
Open the handout to learn about illustrating objects and animals.
Writing in rhyme
Writing in Rhyme
Zanni talks about how to approach writing in rhyme, for those of you interested.
Module One Assignments
Due the last Friday of February.
Writing Assignment: Generate a list of ideas
Open the handout to read about your writing assignment for module one.
Illustration Assignment: Illustrate a short text
Open the handout to read about your illustration assignment for module one.