A Selection of Andy's Books
Andy Riley
Type of Artist:
An audience event, with Andy doing live drawing – suitable for both school visits and festivals
A workshop for around 10-12 children, where the children draw along with Andy to build a story.
In Andy’s stand-up audience event, he shows us how he came to write and draw the ACTION DUDE book series. The emphasis is on fun, comedy, and the power of the imagination as Andy tells us about the movies and comics which inspired him. Children who are nervous about their drawing ability get a lot of encouragement, as Andy shows how the character of Action Dude can be drawn by pretty much anybody with just ten lines. But the most fun and energetic parts are at the beginning and the end of the event, as Andy draws cartoons from audience suggestions. Andy brings their own ideas come to life before their eyes.
Andy’s workshop session suits a group numbering between ten or fifteen children. First, Andy shows everyone how pretty much anyone can draw Action Dude with just ten lines. The children each use that character to draw their own exciting action sequences on paper, with Andy helping them and giving them tips. The Andy brings all those different sequences together, and leads the whole group as they weave the pictures together to make the story of a big fun action movie. Andy is also a screenwriter (Gnomeo + Juliet, Ron’s Gone Wrong, amongst others) - so he knows how to put a film together, and will help the children gain confidence in their storytelling abilities.
Details
Preferred age range:6 to 10, for the children. When doing festivals, Andy is sure to keep the grown-ups engaged too.
Maximum number in any one session:
No upper limit for the audience event – Andy once performed happily to a room of about 500 at a festival. Lower end for the audience event would be around 30 children, i.e. a single class size. The usual school number seems to be more like 100, which works very nicely.
No of sessions per day:
Maximum of three – precise times of day not important.
Session Length:
45 to 60 minutes for the audience event.
45 to 60 minutes for the workshop event.
Areas prepared to travel to:
Anywhere, if travel/accommodation expenses are met.
Transport:
Train much preferred, but can drive if necessary.
Fees:
DBS/CRB:
No
Hold PLI (public liability insurance):
No
Website:
Twitter:
@AndyRileyish
Titles include:
Action Dude
Action Dude: Holiday On The Moon
King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor
King Flashypants and the Creature from Crong
King Flashypants and the Toys of Terror
King Flashypants and the Boo-Hoo Witches
King Flashypants and the Snowball of Doom
Other information:
Andy is an Emmy-winning comedy scriptwriter, who has also written BAFTA-winning sitcom episodes – so the feel of the audience event is very much that of a comedy gig. It’s more or less a stand-up show for children... with live cartooning.
