Our first SCBWI Victoria event was held on a sunny Saturday at Library at the Docklands. It was lovely to welcome back regular and new members. We kicked off with a warm welcome from our fab ARA Caz Goodwin, followed by our Show and Tell segment. Here are some of the creators and their new books we were able to celebrate.
Next we heard from our member speaker, Judy Watson (below right). Judy is an illustrator of picture books and junior fiction. She talked about many of her works and stories and her illustration techniques. We were then taken on a deep dive into her latest picture book with Sofie Laguna, WHEN YOU’RE OLDER. Judy focussed on key elements of one particular spread. We learned about how she created pace, adventure, real world and fantasy, a child’s view, the Australian beach and the relationship between two brothers. Judy’s art style varies based on which technique best suits the story she’s working on. For Goodnight Mice with Frances Watts, Judy used digital colour for the first time. For Thunderstorm Dancing with Katrina Germein, she began drawing with red pencil and fine liner. Judy’s work is amazing and it was wonderful to see how much thought she gives to the many elements of making a picture book.
Our guest speaker was Cristina Pase (above left and below) of Windy Hollow Books. Cristina provided a fascinating insight into what led her to join the team at Windy Hollow where she has been an editor for seventeen years. Cristina spoke about her lifelong love of reading, some of her favourite books, and what she looks for in a manuscript. Caz Goodwin opened up the talk to Q&A between Cristina and the audience and we learned even more about Cristina’s and Windy Hollow’s processes.
We then held a raffle and the lucky winner of a copy of Sofie Laguna and Judy Watson’s WHEN YOU’RE OLDER was won by Nene McKenzie! Congratulations Nene.
Jess Racklyeft SCBWI Vic Committee Member (above right) always saves the day with any tech issues. Thanks Jess! We finished off with more chatting and drinks at the Waterfront at Docklands. All in all we had a fabulous afternoon and we are looking forward to our next event on May 6.