Fears and tears – but highly recommended!
I’ve recently submitted my first two pieces for the Children’s Book Illustration course with Maggy Roberts. The last time I submitted artwork for judging was when I did my a-levels over twenty years ago, so I was pretty nervous about it. It took three pages of terrible scribblings, which made me start to think I’d made a dreadful mistake in signing up to the course, before my hand suddenly remembered it could draw! Then I really enjoyed trying out a brand new technique ‘wet on wet’ for my cactus collage. Working to a specific brief for the ‘Row, row, row your boat’ illustration was an exciting challenge too.
So much for the fears – this return to art has been wonderful, like meeting an old and very dear friend after a long absence. As for the tears, they came later. To be honest, I got a bit misty eyed at Maggy’s lovely feedback about my first submission. By coincidence, Maggy was the illustrator for a series of books my son adored when he was little, and her positive words meant a great deal to me.
It’s a big thing, this art malarkey, for me. I’m so grateful to have the time and headspace to draw again. Thank you. To anyone who’s wondering whether or not to sign up, I’d say “just DO IT”!
Rachel Duffield
Illustrating Children’s Books Diploma
