[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-surrey-libraries-childrens-book-festival":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"First, a quick announcement! Remember that amazing weekly comics magazine that got me going with \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>, The DFC? Well, it's coming back! Renamed \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/\">\u003Ci>The Phoenix\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, we're getting back some of our fab editorial staff, lots of the original comics creators, and a whole bunch more! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/phoenix-e541884ebb.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nSince my sister, \u003Ca href=\"http://marymcintyre.wordpress.com\">Mary McIntyre\u003C/a>, lives so far away, today was the first time she's ever seen me do an event. Here's a pen sketch I made of her on the train-ride out to Surrey. I'm having to come to terms with the fact that whenever I draw someone in my family, it never comes out looking much like them. And the train went over a bump just as I was drawing her nose.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mary_sketch-5caa1d2426.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAt Ewell Library, Mary even helped me with my Comics Jam workshop! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_4-ce5c21a804.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Loads more pics under the cut!-->\\r\nHere's the quick jam session we did while the kids were drawing their comics:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_5-a10e078461.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe kids in the first comics session made me very happy with this character we came up with together, the Mad Scientist Heffalump.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_6-17d51b7b16.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSometimes unexpected things happen at events. This time I got to hold an owl! A very large owl!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_owl-52967fe460.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe library atrium had an amazing array of live birds of prey, gathered for a medieval spring fayre. The owl was very friendly, I saw this man on the left giving him lots of kisses (but I decided not to be quite that forward with it). The lady in the other picture looked particularly fetching in her wimple.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_3-e3bed91207.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the fab team who helped me run the comics workshop at Ewell Library: Pat, Joan and Rosemary. Thanks, ladies! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_7-9a34a8a912.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_2-f196c93a55.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI didn't give the comics kids much time to design their characters, but I very much liked the look of this Police Mouse with rocket boots.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_9-de578e41d5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAfter a tasty gastropub lunch with Rosemary, she took us down the road to Stoneleigh Library, where we led a packed-out Monster Making session. Before we even got going, one girl drew this monster, which I totally loved and may at some point be tempted to steal for a story.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_8-d5e97b1044.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLots of fabulous monsters; I gave the kids the choice of drawing on plain paper or using my \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/morris.php\">Make-your-own-Monster sheets\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_10-6d92441ff9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis guy got nicely side-tracked drawing a snail comic at the Monster workshop. Love that weeping snail on a fork.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_13-e414d5bd91.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThey're a bit hard to make out from the photos, but here are a couple of the comics jams from Ewell Library. Thanks to everyone who came, that was a lot of fun! My next two kids' events are at the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.oundlelitfest.org.uk/kids-events/#112\">Oundle Festival\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com/#Childrens\">Oxford Lit Fest\u003C/a>, do book if you want to come along! (\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/events.php\">Event info here on my website.\u003C/a>)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_11-8b65395eb4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ewell_library_12-d4b15edd27.jpg\">","2011-03-05T20:59:00.000Z","surrey-libraries-childrens-book-festival",[],"surrey libraries children's book festival",1776628719829]