I love author-illustrator Viviane Schwarz’s work. She’s brilliant at inventing crazy, engaging characters and in this video from the British Library website, she shows you one way of doing this! It’s a wonderfully accessible technique and great for anyone trying to create characters for their book, comic or animation. Have a go! 🙂
Komaneko is an animated cat – who makes animations. Here is the first episode where she tries her hand at making her first-ever stop motion animation. It’s a beautiful and super-cute little film, and there are more available on Youtube
Available and free to view for the next week on Film 4, Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a charming feature-length Ghibli-style animation with a bit of a Harry Potter vibe going on! Great for some lockdown escapism for kids – and grownup Ghibli fans! 🙂
There are lots of ways to keep in touch with special people at the moment, but this one from Quentin Blake via the House of Illustration website is one of my favourites.
Choose from a selection of free e-cards to send to loved ones – there are rainbow designs specially created for the coronavirus lockdown, and also birthday, get well cards etc etc, all featuring Quentin Blake’s wonderful, funny drawings.
Follow the link, choose your card, then fill in your greeting and send it off to the person in your life who maybe needs a bit of cheering up at the moment! 🙂
Take care everyone and look after one another ❤
X Claire
This is a brilliant collaborative initiative by Nosy Crow children’s publishers, and has already been downloaded thousands and thousands of times across the world, to help children (and grownups!) understand the coronavirus bug/illness that has disrupted life for so many people across the planet.
It’s illustrated by Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo, Highwayman Rat etc) and is free to download from the Nosy Crow website.
Well done, guys!!! Ü
A beautifully animated French-Swiss stop-motion animation about the adventures of a courgette who wants to travel to Mars…. Oops, sorry, that’s not true! 😉
Do read on…
My Life as a Courgette tells the story of a little boy who likes to be called “Courgette” who has to go and live in a children’s home. Available on Film 4 for the next six days. Highly recommended for all age groups – even grownups 🙂 And it really is beautifully done.
If you feel inspired to make your own stop motion animation afterwards, have a look at my FREE DOWNLOADABLE STOP MOTION ANIMATION WORKSHOP and make your own film. All you need is a smartphone/tablet and some imagination. Have a go!
Fresh up on my Free Downloads page, a Make Your Own Comic Workshop! Click on picture below to download, and send me the results please! I would love to see your work, and I will post it here on my website! 🙂
Created during the lockdown by MC Stevie Youngculture, this is a brilliantly atmospheric music video, featuring Stevie’s own vocals. I love the sound system detail! 🙂
Feeling inspired? Stevie used the 3D animation tutorial download I posted a couple of weeks ago to make this. Why not have a go at making your own and send me the results? I promise I’ll post it on my Youtube channel and here – as long as there are no really rude bits or sweary words etc! 😉
Stay well and stay creative everyone!
X Claire
If I had to choose a favourite children’s illustrator I think it would have to be Quentin Blake – I love his drawing style, and sense of humour! He has a Youtube channel which is really worth subscribing to, to pick up some excellent drawing tips, and just for the pleasure of watching him work.
Inspired? Draw your own Hornswoggler and send it to me, I’d love to see what you come up with 🙂
Stay well, guys, remember to take care and look after one another!
X Claire
