The Craft&Making Saturday Club at the Museum of Making had a Masterclass with illustrator Naomi Tipping, exploring character design and book-making.

Naomi began with a presentation about how she got into drawing and how she made and illustrated books. She spoke about the importance of imagination in an art practice and how this matters in the industry.  

Naomi then showed examples of her books and talked a bit about publishing. She walked the group through her original sketches, mock-up design, prototype and different examples before showing the final copy. 

Using a board, she invited Club members to the front to draw a squiggly line and the group then worked together to turn it into a character by adding a few identifiable features.  

Club members were then given a sheet of A2 paper and folded it in different ways until it became the pages of an accordion book with pockets.  

They made a cover using an A3 sheet, which slotted into the side pockets, and were given six smaller bits of card to draw their characters on. 

Club members designed their books and drew their characters, bringing their own individual interests into the work. At the end, Naomi picked a few books to present with the group.