ICEBREAKERS FOR YOUR ILLUSTRATOR EVENT Part V

Have you ever wondered how to break the ice and get more audience participation at your illustrator event? Rita Lazaro, an artist and SCBWI member based in Bath, has some great ideas to get things started! Part V of a series.
(Part I)
(Part II)
(Part III)
(Part IV)

PICK A TOPIC

A4 paper
Pens, crayons, or pencils

Ask one person to pick a subject. Ideally it will be something quite specific and narrow. Ask people to draw a picture that tells a story. 

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RUNNING YOUR ILLUSTRATOR EVENT

Look back through the posts in these series to select different activities for your event (see the links above). I imagine in any one meeting there will be enough time for only two or three games. As the group matures as a social circle, you might not need the Name Tag Game, or you will only do that one when new members join. Also, I’m sure that by using your own creativity and group dynamic you can come up with improvements, or new games all together.

I would like to encourage a team leader or a Network Organiser  to collect all work created in such a way and bring them out again after several such meetings or at the end of the year for one final, reflective game:

WHO DREW THAT?

This collection itself could work as a great team-building game: reflecting over the artwork and guessing who drew which part of what. 

If you have the means, organise an exhibition in a local library, social club or pub room. If that’s not possible, take pictures and write an article for Words & Pictures telling us about the experience and the result. 

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Rita Lazaro is a visual artist based in Bath. However, she has been admiring illustrators for a while and even curated an illustration exhibition as part of the Fringe Arts Bath festival. After a year as a member of SCBWI, she might soon be ready to bring her own picture books to the world, but for now, she is busy bringing illustrators and picture-book enthusiasts together as a Network Organiser for SCBWI South West.

You can see Rita's work here.

Twitter: @RitaLazaroArt 



Photo credits: 
Illustrator Games by Rita Lazaro