James, you’re an award-winning author-illustrator known for books like Stellarphant and Brobot. What do you love most about bringing stories to life through both words and illustrations?

Getting to share the stories with audiences is always a buzz; but before that, my favourite part is when I'm pulling the illustrations together and I see the world start to come to life. It's a very exciting and satisfying part of the creative process. 

In this special Story Tools lesson, you guide students through the journey from sketch to finished art. Can you share a little insight into your own creative process?

The longer I do this job, the more I'm learning to relax into the creative process; to trust that ideas will come, that first drafts will be wonky and that's okay, and that final artwork will turn out okay in the end. The creative process is just problem solving; it's working out a big puzzle. And the longer you stay with the puzzle, the closer you get to solving it. 

This competition gives kids a chance to create their own artwork inspired by Stellarphant. What are you hoping to see from the entries?

I'm hoping to see artwork with character and personality in it, a bit of individuality - you can tell when a kid has really enjoyed making their piece of art and has put a bit of themselves into it. So however you decide to make that artwork, I really hope you have fun with it!

For the two winning schools, you’ll be running a writing workshop! What can students expect from a session with you?

A lot of nonsense, really, haha! I love showing kids copies of the silly stories I made when I was their age, so they can see that adult artists don't arrive fully formed; we all start at the same place. And I love working on funny stories together with the audience. 

Your brand-new book, Happy Barry Capybara, is also being filmed for StoryBox Hub. Can you give us a sneak peek into what this story is about?

It's a very silly rhyming story about the chillest, happiest animal in the world, and a very grumpy squirrel monkey who tries to make him crack. It has heart, smarts and farts - what more could you want? 

Finally, what advice would you give to young storytellers and illustrators who want to bring their creative ideas to life?

Just go for it. Don't wait until tomorrow, or the holidays, or when you're older; just start making things. And don't worry if they don't turn out exactly as you like, or you mess up, because the only way to get better at making stuff is to KEEP making stuff. 

We thank James for his time! So Teachers - what are you waiting for?! 

Find James’s Story Tools lesson and the downloadable competition activity here for middle primary and here for upper primary. Your students will think you're the elephant’s trunk!

Get your entries in to us by 12th March, and the StoryBox team and James will select the winners.

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