Puppet fun at Manchester Children's Book Festival

Had lots of puppet fun with SCBWI (Society Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) at Manchester Children's Book Festival family fun day last Saturday. Over 70 characters made by children on the SCBWI stall, including pirates, mermaids, lions, robots, snakes...and a pink yeti!

Workshop making clay mice

Thrilled to run a drop-in mouse-making workshop for children last Saturday at Bolton Museum, as part of the opening of their new exhibition, 'Animals and Us'. The exhibition features Leopold the mascot mouse (drawn and designed by me in black and white).

We made over 60 little mice, using self-hardening clay, string, pink cardboard, small hazel twigs, paper and pencils. Clay is great to use with children because it is so malleable.

Leopold the mascot mouse @annaviolet

Clay workshop in Beech Road Park, Chorlton Arts Festival

I was involved with the Art in the Park event at Beech Road Park on Saturday
Friends of Beech Rd Park, part of Chorlton Arts Festival.
The Clay workshop session had a good turnout, despite the heavy downpours at lunchtime. Lots of wonderful models were made - here's a sample from the session, including dinosaurs, hedgehogs, pigs, the Grufflalo, frogs, trees, pugs, pandas and a robot.

Crocodile workshops using clay

60 hungry clay crocodiles created last Monday afternoon! Had great fun leading an artist-workshop for enthusiastic and imaginative Year 3 children at Pikes Lane Primary School, Bolton, as part of their Arts Week.
Used air-drying clay, pipe-cleaners, feathers, sticks, cardboard and scrapstore materials....plus plenty of inspiration from Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake's 'The Enormous Crocodile'. The feathers are from the Roly-Poly bird, who just escaped the crocodile's jaws in the story.