Illustration by Sarah McIntyre
Last night Kate and I made our way to The Book Club in Shoreditch for our first Illustrator Salon. Steven Lenton, illustrator of the Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam picture books and author-illustrator of Princess Daisy and the Dragon (and the Nincompoop Knights), had bravely agreed to be our guinea pig for the evening as our first featured illustrator, and so after a fortifying glass of wine and a quick debate between Kate and Steven about exactly WHAT Rob had done in The Archers, we began the evening.
Steven proved to be a FANTASTIC illustrator for our sell-out crowd of fellow illustrators, students, publishers and picture book enthusiasts, talking about his early inspirations (particularly Mary Blair), his career to date, his creative process, the challenges of working in digital and on paper, the process of creating a picture book from start to finish (with all the highs and lows along the way…), the relationships he has with his editors, designers, and authors, the differences he’s found in working with a number of publishers, and his advice for illustrators looking to advance their career (go to bookshops and see what’s selling, try life drawing, draw every day, develop a style, and more).
The length of signing queue alone seemed to be a testament to what a success Steven had been – and here’s what some of those who’d been there had to say on Twitter:
Great evening at @NosyCrow Illustrator Salon with @2dscrumptious. Will never tire of hearing illustrators talk about their work and process.
— Katherine Woodfine (@followtheyellow) September 14, 2015
Excellent evening with @carol_earp at @TheBookClubEC2 for the @NosyCrowBooks Illustrator Salon! #event pic.twitter.com/AEIwyBaO5O — Holly Earp (@hollyearp) September 14, 2015
Great #Illustratorsalon with @2dscrumptious and @NosyCrowBooks tonight. So pleased to have also met @jabberworks. Hope for more.
— Tanya Efthymiou (@TanyaEfthymiou) September 14, 2015
Good night all. Really enjoyed the first @NosyCrowBooks illustrator salon, which I went to after meeting sister in law and niece in London. — Anne Booth (@Bridgeanne) September 14, 2015
Thank you @NosyCrowBooks and @2dscrumptious – wonderful first illustrator salon.
— Ipswich CBG (@IpswichCBG) September 14, 2015
A fabulous evening hearing @2dscrumptious talk about children’s illustration, thanks @NosyCrow, itching to crack out the dip pen — Jennie Vallis (@JennieVallis) September 14, 2015
Great evening at @NosyCrow illustrator salon v informative for someone starting out thanks @2dscrumptious see you @kidslitfestbath
— Nick Swift (@nickswift) September 14, 2015
Great1st illustrator’s salon with @2dscrumptious & @NosyCrow. v.interesting to see perspectives, processes & routes in. Inspiring stuff 😉 — Sarah Horne (@sarahhorne9) September 14, 2015
And, very appropriately, illustrator extraordinaire Sarah McIntyre even drew Steven and Kate together:
Tonight’s #IllustratorSalon with Kate Wilson & Steven Lenton @NosyCrow @2dscrumptious #London pic.twitter.com/RdSbqX4IBA
— Sarah McIntyre (@jabberworks) September 14, 2015
We haven’t yet announced details of our next Salon event, but if you’re interested in attending, sign up to our mailing list and you’ll be the first to find out when a new date is confirmed:
Thank you very much to everyone who came along for making the night such a success!
