Learning and creating together - the SCBWI Japan Art + Writing Café is open to all.

October 2023 - Report on SCBWI Japan Digital Café Workshops - comments from the team.

 Learning and creating together - the SCBWI Japan Art + Writing Café is open to all. 

 

Introduction, by Kazumi Wilds, with further comments from Dan Schallau and Petar Tasev. 

From May through to September 2023, SCBWI Japan ran a series of workshops, ‘The Digital Café Workshops’ at the Tokyo Women’s Plaza. These in-person meetings were an opportunity for attendees to explore how using an iPad with the app Procreate might help their illustration careers. This program was made possible by an Illustrator Grant from SCBWI. We thank them for their generosity in funding these workshops.

As both the organizer and one of the participants, I would like to thank the instructors, Daniel Schallau and Petar Tasev, who generously offered their preparation and knowledge through this workshop series. The workshop room was like an elementary school classroom. Daniel, the homeroom teacher, provided step by step instructions and gave us homework, and Petar, the assistant homeroom teacher, walked around busily between the novice students who were having trouble understanding what was going on. Every time someone took their eyes off the screen when they shouldn’t, they were ‘cautioned’ by the teacher, and then we broke into warm laughter. Despite the focus on learning how to use the app, I realized the great joy of having our members working in the same place and a lot of information about each other's activities and prospects was exchanged spontaneously. The three hours of the workshop flew by, but the questions and discussion did not stop there. They continued as we went to a local restaurant to share a meal. 

We creators spend a lot of time working individually, and sometimes our activities become stagnant. While answers to technical questions can often be found on Google, and conversations can be held online, I  still believe that time spent together with like-minded peers in person is priceless. I think there are some things we can inspire each other in, only through this way.

So, despite the Digital Café Workshop Series coming to an end, we decided to continue and expand the original idea of these workshops by creating a "SCBWI Japan - Art and Writing Café". We held our first meeting on October 7th and it was an opportunity for illustrators and writers to come together for a few hours and work on their own projects or seek advice from each other. Everyone who attended was eager to continue with this as a regular event, which we plan to do. 

Comments from Digital Cafe Instructor, Daniel Schallau.

 

The first ‘Art and Writing Café’  event felt like an extension of the Digital Cafe workshops this past summer, but more relaxed and informal—like a bunch of friends getting together. Because I was there as a participant rather than an instructor, it also meant I didn’t have to worry about equipment failure or cables making the projector flicker and blurry during the workshops.  

I brought some colored pencils and a drawing of my own to work on, but ended up going around the room answering various questions about digital stuff.  It was fun to see people trying Procreate for the first time.  One member usually works on a Wacom tablet in Photoshop, but she said she liked the direct feel working on the iPad gives when using the Apple Pencil stylus.  I talked to her about increasing the resolution of her drawings so that they print better.  I usually recommend working as big as possible in case a client or publisher wants to make a poster after the fact.  It’s great to be able to share tips like this in a casual setting. 

Petar Tasev, who I’d worked with on the ‘Digital Café Workshops’ had his usual digital expertise to share with other members in the group who were busy working on drawings on their iPads. There were writers too, who also brought their computers to work on and were discussing their W-I-P. 

The white noise from the buzz of 3-4 conversations going on at once made it a nice place to work for a few hours.  It can be fun to work on individual projects amongst others doing the same.  I have wanted to have an event like this for the longest time where nothing is really planned, just to come and talk about stuff that concerns us illustrators, writers and translators—or just to hang out.  

I look forward to the next Art Cafe.  

Comments from Digital Cafe instructor, Petar Tasev.

I believe drawing is fun or at least it should be fun for the most part, and digital tools are there to enhance that. They help you do cumbersome things faster and more easily. IF you learn them. Which can be a daunting task – unlike traditional drawing materials where your pencils and paints are limited by physical space and your wallet, in digital you have access to all the colors and all kinds of possible tools! And if you're new to it, the infinite possibilities can make it seem impossible to even know where to start. Of course, there are books and tutorials online, but nothing compares to getting guidance face to face! You can quickly resolve what you're struggling with and get answers to the specific questions only you may have. I was happy to be able to help the participating SCBWI members with exactly that - and share some of the tips and tricks I've learned  on my own over the years. I hope we can continue to meet up, share what we've learned, and encourage each other.

Find out when the next Art + Writers Café event is by checking the events page on our main website.