Workshop blog
Find out what really happened at each of the workshops as the team creates their graphic novel.
Workshop 1
By Tina Campbell (Libraries Without Walls)
'It was a good start to the workshops. Fran used his brilliant storytelling skills and expertise to break the ice which put the teenage audience at ease right away. He showed us his portfolio sketches and illustrations and explained the story memories behind each of them.
Fran engaged the teenagers with simple cartoon doodling techniques such as drawing faces, hands and animals along with amusing captions. This lead us onto an exercise where the teenagers had to dream up their own text for pre-prepared comic sketches.
This was followed by another exercise where participants drew their own character and made up story captions. The task was to highlight individual strengths so that everyone has a role they will enjoy.
I'm looking forward to next week!'
Workshop 2
By Tina Campbell (Libraries Without Walls)
'Today everyone was smiley and chatting - they seemed much more relaxed. Fran lead a brainstorm session thinking about ideas for plots, themes, storylines, characters and twists and turns of the potential novel. The production team were then divided into smaller working groups:
- Writers: Paige, Lindsay & Sherrie
- Editors: Richard, Philip, Kiran, Seema & Sabrina
- Artists: Caitlan, Talsia, Christina, Conor, Charlotte & Marium
- Colourists: Marium, Sabrina, Conor, Caitlan & Talsia
Some group members were allocated more than one task.
Fran interacted with the groups so fast you'd believe he was on skates or juggling balls in the air - never losing sight of the objective!
A sneak preview of the storyline so far:
A young teenage girl in a steady relationship finds herself pregnant. Her boyfriend feels trapped and doesn't want the responsibility. She visits a voodoo nurse and obtains a potion for her boyfriend which means he now experiences her pregnancy symptoms - sickness, enlarged tummy and mood swings too!'
Catch up with us next week for more funny moments.
Workshop 3
By Philip - from the Editors' Group
The mood was good today - everyone was chatting and joking. To begin with we looked back at what we did last week and evaluated what we were going to do today. We split into groups - the writers carried on with the story.
Fran organised the groups and got everybody working on the project. It went well. The story was eventually completed though changes were needed about the fight scene. Mrs Parker's role was to look after and help the illustrators which was done really well.
A discussion happened when the ending of the novel could not be resolved. There has been a lot more of the story going on - 4 pages of the comic strip have been completed and coloured. Lots of drawing has been done to put together our illustrations for the book.
Draft illustrations of the main characters can be downloaded below:
Find out how workshop 4 goes next week!
Workshop 4
By Sabrina - from the Lining and Scriptwriting Group
Today everything's going well, everyone knows what jobs they are doing. We've reached page 7.
Amy has started colouring on the first page of the graphic novel. She was nervous because she thought she would mess it up but it's actually going really well.
Myself and Sherrie are focusing on the lining and the writing of the script. It's hard but we've built our confidence. Paige and Lindsey have been allocated different jobs on the colouring so they've got their heads down.
Conor is bringing up ideas of the front page. Talsia and Caitlan are drawing up neat the drawings on the original script paper. Charlotte's drawing up the backgrounds of the script.
Mariam, Philip, Richard, Seems, Kiran and Christina are talking through ideas of the title page, thinking about images and texts. With Fran to help them along the way, they're coming up with really good ideas. Editors have approved a front cover and they're working on it.
Join us next week for the final graphic novel workshop - will everything get finished in time?
Workshop 5
By Seema, Kiran and Philip
Firstly, Conor began to draw 'the fight scene'. meanwhile Mariam is drawing. Also, Christina is the artist. Talsia is getting information for the writers. Sabrina is colouring in using beautiful colours.
Philip, Seema and me (Kiran) are the editors, basically we edit most of what the writers write! Sabrina is getting all the work that the artists are doing and is going over it in black so it stands out! She is also repsonsible for writing in the story text on the comic strip.
Charlotte draws the background scenes and then her work is passed to the artists, Talsia, Christina Caitlan, Conor and Mariam - they draw in what happens next to the main characters. Sherrie, Linzy and Amy are all painting the comic strips.
The group as a whole feel relieved that the graphic novel looks set to be completed but somewhat sad that it is over. Disappointed at the fact that everyone could not be on the photo.
From everyone from Parkfield's to value the experience of creating the graphic novel has been great and we can use it to make the school newspaper.
Library Challenge 1 - Stock Selection
By Amy
Today we have been reviewing books - giving our opinions on the new books which have come into the library. We have had to give our opinions on whether the books should be put into the library.
It's been fun looking at all the different types of comics. Mrs Parker is joining in with us and helping us out with choosing whether the books are appropriate for children in the library.
Charlotte found Philip funny at lunchtime when he ate lettuce dipped in chocolate with strawberry sauce. Errr.
Library challenge 2 - Improving the library for young people
By Mariam
As everyone was arriving in the library the atmosphere was buzzing. We couldn't wait for the adventures in store. We soon realised that there were surprises round every corner.
First we explored the adult's library and then we were enthralled by the reference library. The learning centre was electrifying. We were all amazed by the vast technology.
We then stepped into the magical world of the children's library. The enchanting books beckoned us to read them. Our minds were absorbing the information. Just as we were ready to burst with excitement ... it was BREAK.
We groaned, we moaned and we slumped/stomped up the stairs. But we were delightfully invited by the exquisite scents of exotic cakes. It was a feast for the eyes (and the stomachs). My fellow companions and I stuffed our faces with glee. All forgetting our diets and enjoying the deliciousness. Our hearts jumped for joy as we were welcomed by the the tangyness of the orange juice. But still the insecurity of not exploring started creeping in.
We were faced with a challenge to improve the perfect library. But we discussed and discussed till we all finally found the solution. We came to realise that we can all join in the fun!
The end of the day was dawning upon us, the gloom was building in us. How could this groovy, great, perfect day end? The lunch was a great feast of sandwiches, Doritos and more exotic fruits. But the end came and we left the magical world of ... the library!
Library challenge 3 - A Career in Graphic Novels?
By Mariam
The last session was a memorable thing for the ages. We will remember it for the rest of our lives. All of my companions were in tears with deep sadness. Our hearts filled with dread as the end neared. Mel (Melanie) Gibson made a 'special appearance'. Her voice was comic to begin with but her fantastic jokes inspired us all to write our own novel.
My face burned with laughter, I was on the floor in tears - she was funny. We were all in a hypnotic trance, gazing at her fantastic comic collection. The collection was never ending and it's a story I'll pass down through the generations.
The end came and we said last goodbyes. It was the hardest thing to do. We will always remember this experience forever. We love you ... Tina, Fran, Mel, Marion and Den ...
The End!!