All ages Edward Gorey envelope competition

1. Top row - Marker pens, coloured pencils and pastel pencils. The base is drawn using marker pens and the details added with coloured pencils/pastel pencils

2. Bottom row - used waterwater colour for the base/body - intention to add the fine detail using colour pencils and pastel pencils.

*Look after materials and equipment, and help to put away materials, clean brushes, tables etc

*Do our best to be punctual - as everyone is affected.

* Vary seating position to meet everyone

*Share inspiration - favourite illustrators, exhibitions; resources ideas and any competitions you think the group would like to enter

*Try to meet up regularly with others in the group for drawing sessions out of class.

Breakfast in the chaos - WolfGirl one of 6 siblings- Big Bro 12/13, Big Sis 10, Big twin Bros 6/7, wolf girl 4/5, Baby Bro 18 months.

Charlie McDowell, Finland, 2024, 101m.

Director Charlie McDowell will join us for a Q&A following the screening.

Based on Tove Jansson’s beloved novel and starring Glenn Close, The Summer Book tells the story of Sophia, a nine-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother (Glenn Close), who is nearing the end of her life. Together with Sophia’s father, they spend time at their family’s summer home on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland, exploring the islet, talking about life, nature and everything but their feelings about Sophia's mother's death and their love for one another. By the end of the summer, emotional wounds are healed, bonds are deepened, and the grandmother is able to leave this life peacefully.

The Advanced Practice programme area holds a termly Board of Studies (BoS). It provides a space for us to hear from students directly about their experience on advanced year-long courses, both positive and negative, as well as an opportunity for learners to contribute to the development of the Programme area. We are looking for students who would be interested in participating for the 25/26 academic year.

Participants will be asked to present the views of their classmates, and feed back to them as and where appropriate. One representative will be selected from each course, up to a maximum of 8, on a first-come basis.

The time commitment will be one meeting per term each academic year (3 in total). Meetings will last around 90 minutes, on Zoom. Our first BoS will take place in December 2025, on a date to be confirmed, at 1800 (6:00 pm). Subsequent meetings will be scheduled in March and June 2026.

If you are interested in representing your course and contributing to the quality enhancement and development of the Advanced Practice programme area, please let me know by email: raz.barfield@citylit.ac.uk before 24th November. Please be sure only to offer to take part if you are confident that you will be available to attend.

Once we have the requisite number of representatives, I will send a meeting invitation, with more detailed information about the BoS purpose, structure and process.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks,

Raz Barfield, Head of Advanced Programmes, School of Visual Arts

Soft Pastels on coloured paper

Has brushes, papers, grains & 1x video guide, thought might be worth a try.

Seems like the guy made it mainly in PS & then adapted brushes for Procreate :

https://xiaogabe.gumroad.com/l/Digiwatercolor?layout=profile

I'll be covering for Dee on Tuesday. We've got an industry visit from the wonderful Sam Arthur from Flying Eye/Nobrow Books for a hour in the afternoon. There will be 10 minute tutorials in the morning. Timing will be tight, with timer, so I won't be able to look in detail through everything. I have though been reviewing padlet uploads. If you have project questions, then it'd be great if possible to make a note of them beforehand.

For those of you colouring sketches in Procreate and Digital Painting, check out these online tutorials. They show different ways with great tips and tricks. Don't worry if you don't have time into practice before Tuesday, they can be useful for next steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrZqruyj1uY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FyNtDbd9Gw

Best Wishes,

Tim

Works best on clean artwork / without much background noise;

Copy artwork layer

Make new layer & fill with black

Add a mask to black layer

Paste copied artwork layer into the mask

Invert the mask

Merge (pinch together) the mask & black layer

= hopefully line art's on a clear background now

The sea could also represent the antagonist.

https://theaoi.com/inside-illustration/handmade-illustration-season/inside-illustration-podcast-8/

Super helpful for drawing characters

Pinterest:

https://pin.it/1Jou9Y22j

Great seeing everyone's project work and having Sam come in for a talk. He's more than happy for everyone to have a copy of his presentation, but not to share with anyone outside of the course. Also, if anyone took any photographs of the books brought in, please keep these off the socials as there were books not yet published.

Homework was to continue development based on tutorial, mini crit feedback, but as an extra, you could work up quick/rough sketches for a 2 pages for a Young Comic.

This has a base grid of three rows of two panels and maximum of six panels a page.

Think about one action or emotion per frame, and think about having a bigger panel for establishing shots, big reveals, more impactful moments, and smaller panels for smaller beats.

Check out Hupo, Avery and Detective Stanley for examples:

https://flyingeyebooks.com/books/age/5-7years/

Best Wishes,

Tim

Best Wishes,

Tim

Playing with colour- instead of Cool vs Warm, I’m going to try Pastel vs Vibrant

I am Arthur and all my life I have wanted a dog.

This is my tortoise - he is no ordinary tortoise, but when he first arrived I thought he was the most boring pet in the world.

He was slow

He couldn’t sit

Or fetch

He couldn’t even wag his tail

Then one day he helped me with a school art project and we won! Triumphant … I named him Torcaso!

To my amazement he leaned in close and whispered …

“Arthur … I was Merlin’s Tortoise …”

But I also wanted to send you a big thank you for your adorable card. I was so touched. I am now out of hospital (thank goodness!) and on the mend, so I am really looking forward to seeing your work evolving. Have a wonderful day tomorrow xxx

Really enjoyed seeing you all last week for tutorials, mini crit and Sam's inspiring talk. Just came across this Australia illustration competition that is open to international illustrators.

https://paperbird.com.au/illustration-exhibition-award/

All Best Wishes,

Tim

1. Homework to show next Tuesday at 10.15am: Rough composition Either refering to your projects or do something new. A sequence of 3 rough compositions (doesn't have to be spreads, just a sequence like Fiona Woodcock's illustration in Five Little Friends) where there is change from illustration one to illustration three. Can be change in action or change in emotion, change in composition/scale, or all of these things. THIS IS IN ROUGH (rough like example here) for next week. But do consider the format of the sequence.

2. In class next week: Artwork (or you can start before if you have time) you sequence considering texture in your work. Does not have to be collage - could be done digitally.

3. AND you could (optional extra) produce something unrelated at least ONE character and ONE landscape using texture/monoprint/collage in your work. THIS CAN BE SEPERATE from your projects. You never know, even if you have a style you're happy with (like you Jo!) this experimentation could be a great addition to your folio!!

All this to show Tim on Tuesday 18th November.

I will share some examples of Fiona Woodcock's book here to remind you of some simple sequences that aren't spreads. Lovely, and happy creating!!

£15 for the first work (£5 for under25's) and £5 for each additional work.

https://artopps.co.uk/opportunities/derwent-artprize

Just a reminder of what to present to Tim on Tueday. Ideally to create some artwork for part or all of the sequence you have been working on.

1. Could be a character/s sequence showing emotional change (like Josie, Van, Cy, maybe Paul)

2. or a sequence of change in landscape with a character in it (like Claire, Jo or Tom)

3. or to focus on creating artwork for one image from your sequence you have roughed out (maybe Jo, Caroline). Jenny, Deborah and Toni I think you could do any of the above! And if anyone changes their minde they can too. Hope this is clear.

Tim will want to see your thumbnails/rough sequences and your final colour piece/s.

Emma, hope you're feeling better and hope this makes sense if you are able to catch up - GREAT! You could do any of the above!

And finally I wanted to share these illustrators who use cut out paper that I mentioned for Caroline, but that is really interesting for all!!! Shawn Harris's book A Polar Bear In The Snow (is quite different from some of his other work) https://www.shawnharris.info/polarbear and also Rob Ryan https://robryanstudio.com/

I look forward to seeing you in 3.5 weeks on Tues 9th Dec for tutorials. I will be in for 3 hours so I'll get to see you for about 10-12 mins each. x

Look forward to seeing everyone's work in studio on Tuesday. Sam from Flying Eye talked about the international market in his talk. Here's a link to Cat Bird, a boutique children's book illustration agency in NYC representing including worldwide artists, including some British ones, such as Frann Preston-Gannon, who I taught at Kingston many, many moons ago. Check out the diverse range of work, styles, colour palettes and use of media. https://catbirdagency.com/

(Get another 50 brushes you might use 5 of 🤷🏼...)

Look forward to catching up with everyone's wordless narrative projects tomorrow.

All Best Wishes,

Tim

https://www.instagram.com/adilsonfarias/

Discount Code on his Insta is AFPACK10

Isabella dreams about her birthday present. A teddy

When she wakes up she sits at the door waiting for the parcel.

Only a letter. A letter with one seed in the envelope.

Furious she throws the seed out of the window.

Next morning there is beautiful blossom tree outside. Underneath the parcel.

Inside the teddy hurrah

Not much work on images yet

https://illustrationdept.com/idpodcast

I’m not 100% sure- I think this idea would work better for a whole book, think I’m trying to squish too much into 4 spreads? I might explore some other ideas, or rethink the problem in this scenario….

Great session on Tuesday. Here's an example of a colour moodboard created by Catherine Booth, drawing from other illustrators, textile design, alongside her portfolio. As a reminder, you can gather colour reference work outside of children's books, it could be paintings, murals, posters. Check out Gallery Nucleus, Maddox Gallery and Redcap Cards for ideas.

All Best Wishes,

Tim

I did it before the course. Still working on the homework but I thought I’d share anyway.

Here's a reflective task for your Wordless stories. Watch/Look through the four wordless picture books in the links above. Make notes on your thoughts on the following: How do the illustrations move the story forward with action, emotion or both? How does the story build? How does the composition framing and focus add to the story? Is there any foreshadowing? Is the ending satisfying? Are there any narrative devices or compositions that could inspire your own wordless picture book?

If you can watch the examples tonight and make a few notes, we’ll have more time for discussion in the studio tomorrow.

All Best Wishes,

Tim

All Best Wishes,

Tim

https://www.instagram.com/isrossart/

I want to complete my current wordless narrative first, but I’d like to do some sketches at the same time towards this idea- exploring different media and different monster characters.

Issy’s Birthday Surprise page 4

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.wigglypaint.android&hl=en-US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wigglypaint-draw-shake-share/id6751747069

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.wigglypaint.android&hl=en-US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wigglypaint-draw-shake-share/id6751747069

Willa Werewolf

Vanessa Vampire

Apila Ediciones Illustration Prize - free entry, it's a Spanish comp, for English OR Spanish entrees

Narwhal research sketches

Mia lives in a fancy world x

Mia adores unicorns and so …

Next page - she goes out to search for one

I’ve decided to leave Monster club on the drawing board for now and jump back to my Disco idea as I’m finding I’m procrastinating too much- I’m not leaving it completely, but in the time we have left I’m going to extend my last wordless narrative.

instead of 3rd, 2nd, 1st prizes, just announcing ‘most original/most glamorous/best home-made’ etc. so I will change the podiums on spread 10 and 11 to be just a little stage. Winners standing with medals 🏅

https://silentbookcontest.com/

Spread 11 opens in two halves and 12 is two double spreads inside. Hope that makes some sense

I’m having trouble getting decent enough photos of my work to put into procreate to edit/mock up my book. They are too big for me to scan at home - I’ve tried laying flat near natural lighting, but are still quite grey, and even when i try really hard - they can be quite wonky which is frustrating! I’ve had a lot of issues with childcare this week, so have fallen further behind than I wanted to be. I was hoping to really get cracking on my colour spreads today, but I have my youngest home again today, so I’m not sure how I can manage!

Roughs with some colour work

The words still need work

I have not gone for dot eyes on this occasion.

Thinking about the sea

Couldn't see much about it on YouTube yesterday, manual's here :https://downloads.plasq.com/vault/ComicDrawUserManual_1.2.pdf

If it's good for the graphic novels project maybe it's worth £10 🤷🏼

https://littletiger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-Catalogue.pdf

It's a beginner animation course, demonstrated on Krita which is free (Android, Windows, Mac & Linux - iPad unavailable) but doable on other software, it was $20 but is free here with the charming code :

FUCKADOBE

https://jessejayjones.gumroad.com/l/animcourse?layout=profile

Spreads 7 - 12

Changed pose of Ginny approaching Brooke on spread 7 and added big sister and changed Brooke's pose on spread 12

Spreads 1 - 6

Redid first spread to add Brooke receving the necklace as a gift. I also took up Dee's suggestion of someone giving her the gift. I went with an older sibling, in this case an older sister, so there is a responsible adult at the start and end of the story that Brooke can return to (I had considered a mum but wasn't too sure if a mother would let a young child out of their sight and a big sister might be a bit more laissez faire of Brooke going off to play)

Sister added to start of spread 2 as Brooke runs off to play with her new toy in the park; approaches pond as before. Spread 4 has new composition with a below water view of the trinkets that Ginny spies and leads to her coming up to the surface to investigate. Spread 5 now has a single page of the surprise moment as I felt this was a key moment of the story. I also got rid of the cut away views on all images on this spread, which I didn't think were working. On spread 6, I flipped the direction Brooke was running and where she was looking out of the bushes to hook up with spread 5. I don't know if there needs to be more of a set up at the start, but I managed to keep the key beats within the 12 spread layout for now. Maybe there could be a spread 0 but I'll wait til Tuesday's feedback session to discuss further.

https://kaitfeldmann.gumroad.com/l/pbpagination

This direction is very different from the art style of my Monster story. Working on Wanda was a big learning curve for me, particularly around using texture. Storyboarding was still new to me at the time, and I’m still figuring out how far to push elements like animal fur, trees, and light without losing the graphic simplicity.

I’m currently considering where this project might sit next, as I may take a dummy to upcoming book fairs. I’ve updated a few elements since originally sending it out, as I’ve grown through the course, but I’ll be returning to my Monster story next and continuing with the naïve paint style for that.

If anyone has gentle suggestions on what might strengthen this further, especially with a dummy in mind, I’d love to hear them.