Kate Leiper

Type of Artist:

Illustrator

Illustration workshops

How to illustrate a story:
Suitable for ages 10 and upwards
Recommended number of participants: approx 20-25
With the aid of a powerpoint presentation and using lots of my own work as examples, I explain the process and techniques I use when illustrating a book. I then invite participants to design and illustrate their own double page spread, using stories from the Treasuries as inspiration.

Selkie Tales:
Suitable for ages 7-11/adult and child if the event is out with school

Recommended number of participants: approx 20-25
In this very hands-on workshop we look at seals and the tradition of Selkie stories. Selkies are magical seals who can remove their skins and take on human form. They are popular amongst the fishing communities of the British Isles, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, and come with a wealth of folklore. Participants are invited to make their own Selkie sock puppet (using both sides of the sock for the Selkie transformation) and I also share one of my favourite Selkie stories.

How to create characters/How to draw your dragon
Suitable for ages 7 and upwards/ has also worked well with both adult groups and mixed adult and children groups

Recommended number of participants: approx 20-25
This event looks at ideas on how to create and develop characters visually and is great for both children and adults. “How to draw you dragon” follows the same idea and theme but is aimed more towards groups of younger children. I use both the Treasuries and The Book of the Howlat as inspiration in this workshop.

I’m also very open to working with event organisers who are looking for a workshop which addresses a particular topic or theme (eg. a festival may be linked to a theme, a school teacher may wish to link the event with a class project/study). Recently, as part of a festival celebrating the work of Dickens, I was invited to give a workshop aimed at adults and older students. Using Dickens’ writing as inspiration, we looked at different techniques on how to visually represent characters, after which participants were invited to sketch out their own character studies. (We had a lot of fun and there were some super drawings! )

Details

Three

45-60 minutes for a talk

Workshops/Events with a practical activity can take 1-2 hours, depending on the selected workshop

I live in Edinburgh, but happy to travel anywhere as long as expenses are covered

2nd class rail or coach plus taxi if necessary to reach venue.

Please email us for details

PVG scheme member (DBS in Scotland)

www.kateleiper.co.uk

An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures
The Book of the Howlat (English version)
The Buke of the Howlat (Scots version)

Kate Leiper has worked closely with Floris Books for seven years; she illustrated and continues to promote two of the most important books we have published, and we are now developing a third with her. Kate is an exceptionally talented artist, is committed and thoughtful about bringing her work to a wide variety of audiences, and has always been a joy to work with. We recommend her to Authors Aloud without hesitation.

Kate is an experienced presenter: she has talked and illustrated for diverse groups of children and parents in many settings, often in tandem with the acclaimed Scottish children’s author Theresa Breslin. Theresa and Kate took a large and very well attended session at the Edinburgh Book Festival, and one of our staff members who was there says:

“Kate's enthusiasm and love for her work was evident during her event with Theresa Breslin at EIBF, and her friendly, approachable style allowed the audience to really get involved.”

I have seen Kate present at the Scottish Storytelling Centre where she was very much herself in front of a crowd. You will find Kate is an inspiration for children who like to draw, and that she brings a warm, gentle manner to all her interactions.
 

Kate Leiper Amazon page