Saturdays 1pm – 2:30pm │ 6 weeks │ Age 8 – 12 years
Course Overview
Create and design your own storybook in a fun and hands-on way. Learn how to make your story come alive through words and illustrations. Each week will be a mix of guided writing and art activities to craft your own story and create memorable characters.
Facilitator
Emer Noone is a primary school teacher with a background in journalism. She loves art and creativity and enjoys creating bespoke art pieces for family and friends. She has recently completed a writing for children and young adults course and is really enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge.
Course Outline
Week 1:Introduction and explanation of what to expect. Exploration of the art supplies and group/individual activities. Development of a combined key story and work on individual key stories.
Week 2: Development of ideas for individual stories. Planning and getting to know our characters. Bringing our characters to life through words and illustrations. Group work on designing a character (protagonist and antagonist) together.
Week 3: Introduction to picture book writing and formatting and further work on individual stories. Work on setting and universal themes in stories.
Week 4: Exploring emotions through writing and illustration. Increasing the conflict/raising the stakes in your story.
Week 5: Designing your protagonist’s world: creating a map/plan of their home/area. Group work and individual. Time to work on individual stories.
Week 6: Finalising each participant’s key story and plot using 10 story points to assist.
Week 7 – 8: work on individual stories with a mix of art activities and group and individual work. Presentation of work completed. Option to create zines if time permits.
Key Outcomes of the Course
- Master Story & Character Development: Create compelling protagonists and antagonists, develop universal themes, and construct rich story settings and maps.
- Understand Picture Book & Plot Structure: Format picture books, map story progression using a 10-point plot framework, and heighten narrative conflict.
- Integrate Writing with Illustration: Combine visual art with written narrative to bring characters to life and express complex emotions.
- Deliver a Completed Creative Work: Write, illustrate, and finalize an individual story, presenting the finished piece (or zine) to the group.