ILLUSTRATION EVENTS Cambridge Winter Scrawl Crawl

Illustrators and writers braved the weather for the second Scrawl Crawl event in Cambridge. Organiser Alina Surnaite tells us what happened.

The Winter Scrawl Crawl in Cambridge, which took place on the 10th of February, was a great success. We had ten attendees in total (all SCBWI members), of which half were writers and half illustrators. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet children's book creators, as well as sharpen your observation skills. We sketched and scribbled at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, which was busy with children and parents on a half-term weekend.

I started by sketching giant antlers and built the environment from different angles

Everyone had different interests, such as drawing crystals for fantasy writing or observing children’s feet and the way they stand. It was also nice to see examples of some very impressive storytelling. It shows how differently we see the same place!

Some of the sketches from the group

Writers and illustrators shared their tips and experiences, from writing habits and struggles, to finding inspiration (even on your "day job") and self-publishing. There was lots of good energy and intense conversations between everyone as they shared their favourite books and blogs, or previewed their own projects.

Bernie Eve Shaddock created an incredibly amusing story of a snail exploring Sedgwick Museum

I would like to thank everyone who came to this Scrawl Crawl and our wonderful SCBWI Central-East Coordinator, Debbie Edwards, for her great support!

All images: Alina Surnaite

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Children's book writer and illustrator Alina Surnaite recently published her debut picture book I Love You, Bunny with Lincoln Children's Books. She has been a SCBWI member since 2015 and is currently organising events for writers and illustrators in Cambridge.
www.alinasurnaite.com
Twitter: @AlinaSurnaite