A 'Scrawlcrawl' is an outdoor sketching/writing activity for both authors and illustrators, recording or inspired by the surroundings. Alina Surnaite tells us about running the first SCBWI Scrawlcrawl event in Cambridge.
The very first SCBWI Scrawlcrawl in Cambridge took place on the 4th of June. I was joined by my sister Margarita Surnaite and Carolina Rabei, both children's book illustrators, as well as a painter Dan Biggs, comic artist Alistair Cooper and graphic designer Mark Gerhardt.
We met at a cafe where we began the event by introducing ourselves. Helen Moss, the only writer at this scrawl crawl, was very kind and helped us with our introductions. Some attendees were not working in children's books but had a great interest in learning more about this field. They were happy to share their work too, which was nice.
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| Alina's sketch of buildings and people |
We were keen to start drawing on King's Parade street. An hour passed by very quickly, as we sketched, chatted and discovered more about each other. It can be challenging to draw in public on your own, especially for introverts like me, but doing this with a group of passionate people is great fun.
Our next destination was the
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which was a real treat as the collections are spectacular and I am sure writers would have just as much fun as illustrators exploring this interesting place.
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| Sketching at the MAA |
We ended the scrawl crawl with a short critique and discussion about our art techniques and projects. It was a very enjoyable and exciting afternoon and I am glad to have met some lovely people.
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| Our museum sketches together |
I would like to thank the Central East co-ordinators for their support and encouragement and all those who attended. I hope the scrawl crawl in Cambridge grows bigger and both writers and illustrators find it inspiring.
*Feature image: Scrawl Crawl attendees by Alina Surnaite
Alina Surnaite is a children's book writer and illustrator, publishing her debut picture book with Frances Lincoln Children's Books in early 2018. She has been a SCBWI member since finishing her MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in 2015 and recently started organising events for illustrators in Cambridge.
John Shelley is the illustrations feature editor for Words & Pictures
Email:
illustrators@britishscbwi.org
Twitter:
@Godfox
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