Unlocking your creative energy

Yvette de Beer will facilitate the workshop.

Venue: Witbank Dam (Address will be sent to respondents)

Date: Tuesday 15 April 2014

Time: 10:00 - 15:00

Cost: R80 SCBWI members, R150 non-members

RSVP: By 8 April to Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

Yvette de Beer will facilitate a workshop using mixed media, drawing, painting and collage.

Please note: • We will organise lifts so that attendees can travel together. It’s not as far as it sounds if you think that you won’t be going through Joburg traffic! • The workshop is for illustrators and writers. • A light lunch will be provided.

The aim of the day is to have a lot of fun and to experiment with our own idea of what creativity is and how it shapes our live and work. We are going to explore our creative thinking in a series of exercises ( using unconventional methods and tools), and in the end build a final work of art or illustration with the images we create.

Open Studios of 2010

Illustrators and writers visited one another's studios during 2010 and learnt about how different people worked. Each illustrator / writer generously shared individual experiences, knowledge and techniques. This SCBWI project provided an incredible opportunity to learn from one another and helped to weld together a supportive group in Gauteng.

March

Paddy (Marleen Visser) showed how she works by hand as well as on computer. She talked about some of the paintings in her house and where they've been exhibited.

April

Julia du Plessis showed how she uses kokis and works by hand. She talked about her work in graphic art and cartooning.

May

Yvette  de  Beer talked about how she had been influence by a wide range of books, showed her ceramic work and talked about her paintings.

July

 

Adelle van Zyl shared some of her technical expertise in using computer programs for illustrations.

August

Rob Owen talked about some of his experiences as an illustrator and described how he works.

September

Hazel Cuthbertson described her journey towards working in children's books. She used Molly Bang's book, Colour This, to talk about how size, shape and colour are used in

 illustrating.

October

Joan Rankin showed some of her early as well as later work as an artist and illustrator. She inspired writers and illustrators to continue to be creative and challenge themselves.

Thank you to all these wonderful people for being so welcoming and generous in opening their houses and studios to others.

Cape Town Book Fair

SCBWI had a stand at the Cape Town Book Fair where members of SCBWI displayed examples of their work. LeAnne Hardy from Jo'burg was one writer who took advantage of the opportunity to display her books. Other authors included Wendy Hartman and Reviva Schermbrucker. Illustrators also displayed their books as well as examples of their work. Gauteng illustrators whose work was on display included Joan Rankin and Yvette de Beer. Other illustrators who displayed their work included Marjorie van Heerden and Paddy Bouma. The stand was very busy throughout the fair. Many people went through portfolios and looked at the books published by SCBWI members. They took down names of writers and illustrators whose work they could commission. A popular attraction were the beautiful posters for sale. These were done by renowned artists such as Piet Grobler and were snapped up by eager teachers and librarians. The SCBWI stand was next to the IBBY stand which displayed some wonderful examples of South African books. A large number of exciting children's events were also organised. All in all, children's books were prominent at the Cape Town Book Fair.