AN AUDIENCE of 100 children and parents at Artrix were magnificently mesmerised by illustrator and writer Nick Sharratt.
Both my daughters have grown up with his books right from when they were first read to and, delighted and transfixed by his work, have always loved hearing his stories and looking at his pictures over and over again.
From when they were toddlers, in shops and libraries, the two of them have been drawn to picking up his books, such as Shark in the Park, Pants, Once Upon a Time and You Choose.
To meet the master behind these colourful creations was a must-see event and he did not disappoint.
He began by talking about how he got into his art, showing pictures of him both at work as a youngster and some of the drawings he had produced.
The afternoon simply flew by as he demonstrated how he crafted his characters, with the children and their parents having great fun drawing along with him.
From sketching simple faces, facial expressions and Tracy Beaker – probably one of his most famous depictions – to an array of animals, including cats, dogs, a drum-playing elephant and a pig playing the clarinet, he was enthralling.
Not only did he hold the whole audience’s attention throughout, he was an inspiration and you could almost hear the concentration during the drawing as young and old alike carefully copied the techniques he showcased.
I was never a fan of art at school and was frequently clock-watching throughout lessons at secondary school, but in this afternoon, even I was inspired to ‘have a go’ and feel I learnt more in that hour or so than I did in those five years of my youth.
As well as that, he stayed behind after the event, looking at the children’s drawings, talking to them all individually, having his picture taken with them and signing copies of his books they had either brought along or bought from the stall outside.
Putting on this workshop with Nick Sharratt was a master stroke by LittleWORDS and you can guarantee that when they got home, those who were there – whether young or older, will still have been talking about and showing off what they had learnt.
Most are probably now still trying their hand at drawing and improving their art skills now and will be for a long time to come after being inspired on a wonderfully creative afternoon.
