Tuesday 1 May 2018

Fred Astaire & Chief Wiggum - comics by kids in Switzerland


I was delighted this week to get the chance to return to the Swiss Alps. In fact I liked it so much, I'm going back again in a fortnight. All thanks to Authors Abroad who, this time, arranged a two day visit to Aiglon College, which is in Villars Sur Ollon in Switzerland, the same village where you'll find Beau Soleil, the school I visited three years ago, and whence I'll be returning later this month. Here are the comics produced by two groups of Year 8s. Fred Astaire wasn't their idea, that was my indulgence.


My second day at Aiglon saw me working with years 4 through 7, and here are their various productions. The college looked after me marvellously, feeding me three times a day if I needed it, to the highest standard. I think the prize for Best School Meals ever has been won, if only by the desserts made by their pastry chef. It puts crumble & custard in the shade.



The previous week I journeyed to North Kent College in Dartford, where I worked with one group all day, all college aged. This is a fun variation on my usual routine of working with mostly primary school kids, giving me the chance to up my game, do something more than the same old same old, and work with students who, in some cases, can draw better than me.


Here's an example of some of the stuff I did on the flipchart with the North Kent students. The left hand page shows me helping them break down their stories. I'm chuffed with myself when I can help them in this way. With younger groups, either they don't understand what I'm talking about when we get on to montages, different angles, and more sophisticated techniques, or maybe there's just not enough time. Here, clearly, there was. Oh, and that's a drawing of a dinosaur, for reasons I can't now remember.


The celebrities these five groups chose to appear in my legendary demonstration strip were Vladimir Putin, Eddie Redmayne, Gigi Hadid (I'm told she's a model, m'lud), David Beckham, and Pablo Escobar.


Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. View the promo video here

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