Leigh Hobbs came to the UK in October 2018, visiting schools in London and Norfolk, and students of the MA in Children’s Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art.
Books Go Walkabout are really pleased to be working with Leigh to plan and arrange visits in the UK. He is a real inspiration and his characters are incredible.
Mr Chicken, Old Tom, Horrible Harriet – are full of adventure and fun in the midst of the city. Leigh related how the characters were formed, and showed the children just how to create their own characters in their drawings.
Books Go Walkabout are now planning ahead for Spring 2019. Leigh loves London, the people, the architecture, the history and best of all plotting adventures for his characters during his visits.
As well as working in schools, Leigh gave the first ‘visiting lecture’ to over two hundred M.A. students of Children’s Illustration, in the Cambridge School of Art, at Anglia Ruskin University . Leigh explained to his audience that all he had ever wanted to be was be an artist and to visit England.
At William Tyndale Primary School in Islington, Leigh worked with classes of years 12,3 & 4. The atmosphere was electric. Mr Chicken was drawn by the children in many varied ways, a different farmyard fowl springing from the mind of each child. They learnt all about creating characters through their drawings.
A great visit and Books Go Walkabout team are delighted to continue working with Leigh on UK visits in 2019.
Sue Martin