Nick Sharratt, who is behind the illustrations in books including The Story of Tracey Beaker, The Lottie Project and Little Darlings, was at The Key Theatre on Tuesday, with hundreds of children in the audience taking part in a ‘Right Royal Draw Along’ session. Youngsters were given a pad of paper and pencils, as Nick taught them how to draw some of his most famous characters. Nick was in Peterborough to coincide with the Pirates, Pants and Wellyphants: The Illustrated World of Nick Sharratt exhibition currently on display at Peterborough Museum. Visitors to the exhibition can immerse themselves in Nick’s world, find out about his childhood and what inspired him to become an illustrator, and meet a host of the characters that he has created throughout his career. The exhibition includes a recreation of Nick’s studio where visitors can have a go at drawing a selection of his characters using a light box. A wipe clean wall is available for everyone to have a go at drawing their own Nick Sharratt-inspired picture, and young visitors can enjoy dressing up in a selection of wacky costumes, including a mermaid’s tail, some very fancy pants and a pineapple. When the exhibition opened, Nick launched a short story competition, which was won by Sabreen Parker (9) with her story ‘The Missing Wellies’. She was able to meet Nick, and pick up a selection of prizes on Tuesday. Sheena Carman, Vivacity’s Gallery Curator and Community Engagement & Arts Development Manager said: “It was a tough decision selecting the winner of Vivacity’s short story competition, so we decided to place the responsibility in the capable hands of local secondary school students, who picked the witty ‘The Missing Wellies’ written by Sabreen Parker. We’d like to thank everyone who entered the competition as part of Peterborough Celebrates Reading and Nick Sharratt for supporting the opportunity. As an organisation, we at Vivacity are committed to developing children’s reading and encouraging the enjoyment of books through our libraries; and inspiring creativity and imagination through our arts and gallery programme. This year we were delighted to present ‘Pirates, Pants and Wellyphants: The Illustrated World of Nick Sharratt’, a fun and exciting interactive exhibition combining books, illustration and music at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. So far we have welcomed hundreds of families to the show and hope to see more as the exhibition continues until March 29.” For more information about the exhibition, visit www.vivacity.org/.
