Year 3 recently visited Fairfield Halls in Croydon to participate in the London Schools Literature Festival. The pupils had the opportunity to meet author and comic artist Neill Cameron, whose work on The Donut Squad and the weekly magazine The Phoenix is a popular choice among the classes.
During the session, Mr Cameron explained the process he uses to create a book. He then guided the children through a practical illustration lesson, teaching them how to draw his signature donut characters.
He also shared his core writing formula, which involves taking two awesome ideas and combining them to create totally super awesome book character.
To demonstrate how this formula works in practice, Mr Cameron invited suggestions from the audience.
Ahmed’s idea of a “flaming skeleton” won the majority of the audience vote. Mr Cameron drew the character live on stage, allowing the children and adults to follow along with their own pencils.
Zeyanah-Lee also impressed the author with her unique concept, which he chose to display to the entire auditorium.
The event concluded with each pupil receiving a copy of The Phoenix magazine to take home. The children returned to school with practical drawing techniques and plenty of inspiration for their own writing and illustration projects.
