[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-sketchmeet-jam-session-at-londons-house-of-illustration":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Last night I met up with \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/maczerwinski\">Michael Czerwinski\u003C/a>, the guy who hosts Sketchmeet at the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/whats-on\">House of Illustration\u003C/a>, and we thought up some drawing challenged set around the theme of \u003Cb>\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 1.4em\">JAM\u003C/span>\u003C/b>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/143532_original-5a57aa69da.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a video from the last Sketchmeet I went to, with my \u003Ci>Jampires\u003C/i> co-author \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/davidoconnell\">David O'Connell\u003C/a> (who also appears in the video): \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"3474\"/>\\r\n\\r\nThe biggest surprise this time was discovering someone had one of my VERY FIRST books! It was one I'd made at a children's book night class with tutor Elizabeth Harbour about 17 years ago, and I'd only made perhaps three copies of this book, printed out on my computer and hand-bound. Suddenly I clicked and realised this was Anna Sørensen Sargent, a friend I hadn't seen in over a decade; we'd taken the same class together and continued to meet up for illustration critique groups at Borders cafe on Charing Cross Road (which isn't there anymore). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/142484_original-8716f2de32.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\nSuch a massive and great surprise! Anna told me she didn't do illustration so much these days, but she'd gone down the route of historical costume design and wig making with her company \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Fat-Cat-Fabrications-725405914236150/\">Fat Cat Fabrications\u003C/a>, which sounds pretty awesome to me. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/142730_original-7002e51f9f.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nSo for our Jam Session, I thought we'd have a real collaborative focus to the evening, since the reason so many people come to Sketchmeet is exactly that, to meet people and do stuff you couldn't do if we were sitting alone at home at our desks. We started with the wonderful old-fashioned game of \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_consequences\">Consequences\u003C/a>: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/142940_original-92b8aaaa3e.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/143192_original-76087045f9.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nSome people were illustrators, but there were a lot of people who don't draw all that much but just came along for the fun of it (which was great). The second task Mike and I set was to ask people to draw someone on the theme of 'What's your Jam?'\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/142209_original-82576271ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nThen we took the tack of 'stuck in a jam'. What could this mean in a picture? \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/141894_original-62643a4d28.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/141508_original-f3f399860b.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nNext we had everyone draw three pictures to make a story along the lines of 'stuck in a jam'. \\r\n \\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/140745_original-2d968c458d.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's my studio mate \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ElissaElwick\">Elissa Elwick\u003C/a>! :) \\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/141116_original-bcb0c1e6a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/141676_original-2272dbaca1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/140963_original-435888cdcc.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nAfter a drinks break, we all designed characters, starting with 'Jam Thief', whatever that could mean. Then people passed their papers to the left and someone else designed the character a sidekick. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/140142_original-41e80cd5e1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/140307_original-75eab46289.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/139730_original-8fb9e206bf.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd then we launched into a four-panel Comic Jam! Everyone drew a panel for five minutes, then we passed them to the left, and everyone picked up a new story where the last person had left off, and drew the next part of their story. And we kept passing every five minutes until all four panels were filled! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/139941_original-2051699c5e.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a little graphic and a printable page on how to set up a Comic Jam\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jampires.com/activities/set-up-your-own-comics-jam/\"> on our Jampires website!\u003C/a> \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/138985_original-8af78dbb17.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nI often use Comic Jams in workshops and you can see some videos I made with Booktrust so people can use them in classrooms (or at home). \u003Ca href=\"http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/primary/the-write-book/sarah-mcintyre-video/\">Click here for all four videos\u003C/a>. And if you'd like to take part in some online drawing with me, visit the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/virtual-studio/\">Virtual Studio\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/StudioTeaBreak\">@StudioTeaBreak\u003C/a>, on Twitter and jump in to our daily drawing challenges. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/virtual-studio/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/143773_original-19df88a3b1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nTo finish, everyone drew a portrait of the person across the table, and by this time everyone was friendly and chatting and it was a lot of fun and and really quite cosy. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/139080_original-7ff392f8c2.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/139350_original-c0dfb733e5.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nSketchmeet happens regularly, so keep an eye on the House of Illustration \u003Ca href=\"http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/whats-on\">events page\u003C/a>, Twitter account (\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/illustrationHQ\">@illustrationHQ\u003C/a>) and \u003Ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/HouseofIllustration/?fref=ts\">Facebook page\u003C/a> for updates on the next one! All abilities welcome. And a big thanks to sponsor \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/winsorandnewton\">Winsor & Newton\u003C/a> who supplied the pens and drawing pads!","2016-10-06T15:26:00.000Z","sketchmeet-jam-session-at-londons-house-of-illustration",[],"sketchmeet jam session at london's house of illustration",1776628728653]