Chris Riddell: Life as an illustrator

Former Children's Laureate Chris Riddell speaks about life as a professional illustrator. Tune in to see him draw and discuss his favourite illustrated characters, writers who inspire him and more!

You can download a full transcript of this event if needed.

If you only do one thing

We know time is tight, so here is just one activity you could do with your class before or after watching the broadcast.

Experimenting with different materials EXA 2-02a

Illustrators often experiment with different materials before they find their preferred ones. This activity will help your pupils compare the effects of using different materials to illustrate the same subject.

Ask pupils to divide a piece of paper (A3 if possible, but A4 is fine if not) into four sections. Give them a subject to illustrate: they could invent a character, or it could be something simple like an animal or building.

Ask pupils to use different materials in each of the four sections. They could compare the uses of watercolours, pencil, chalk and acrylics.

Afterwards, ask pupils which of their four illustrations they like best. Ask them to comment on each other's illustrations.

For shorter clips from this event visit the BBC Scotland Learning(this will open in a new window) website.

Get Young Scot points

If you're a Young Scot member aged 12+, you can claim rewards points for watching a teen Authors Live event on demand! Your points code is MAGRZR2Y