Changing this Blog

I’m going to keep this blog going, but I’m changing its focus. My main blog is now at www.shoorayner.com. I’m going to open out this blog to be more about drawing in general rather than just my own videos on Youtube. Hope you will enjoy seeing how it goes.

How to draw a Squid!

This drawing lesson was inspired by a story we made up at Cwmtridwr Junior School near Caerphilly, recently. Squid are weird and wonderful things. I’m beginning to quite grow fond of them and octopi too. You can see this on my website www.shoo-tube.com if you have difficulty seeing youtube in schools or libraries. if the pages look odd – please update your browser! Some schools are years behind!

Branksome Beach – Walking with my camera

I woke up feeling quite exhausted this morning. I tried to to some writing, but didn’t seem to get anywhere. I’m staying at my Father-in-law’s in Poole, as I’m doing sessions at the new Hamworthy Library opening tomorrow. He’s off on holiday, so I’m here all on my own with Jaffa the very old ginger cat. Jaffa sleeps most of the day, but when he wakes up he wanders around the house meowing his head off, looking for someone to make a fuss of him. It’s quite endearing, but not at three in the morning!

I decided to walk the beach this afternoon. It was glorious – almost warm. Well, not cold. I found one or two shells that I liked. The razor shell had a pattern on one end which I thought made it look a bit like a Viking carving. I also found a complete oyster shell, which is really rather beautiful. There were lots of lumpy shells on the waterline. They seemed to be lots of shells stuck together. I found one I really liked. I was about to put it in my pocket, when one of the shells moved. Most of them were still alive! From one angle they looked like a paw or a fist. I’ve got a pocket full of other stuff. I was going to photograph them, but I was distracted by a cup of tea and a slice of cake!

If you are near Poole, come along for a story tomorrow lunchtime at the fabulous new Hamworthy Library.

World Book Day

Dartmoor – charred remains

Moorland fire on dartmoor

Dartmoor stone walling

Dartmoor stone walling

Dartmoor old and even older bridges

Dartmoor old bridge

Dartmoor rocky outcrop

Dartmoor moorland fire

Dartmoor ponies

Dartmoor prison seen from the school hall!

Princetown school sign

Starlings in Poole

I spent the morning in Tavistock Library being Viking Vik for Whitchurch and St Peter’s School. I’ve visited the library a few times now and always have a good time there.
We had a lot of fun being vikings, telling Vikig Vik stories and teaching the children a few words of Norwegian – “hi” alway goes down well!

After lunch, Library Manager, Jude Jeal, who had organised my visit and I drove up to the high moorland of Dartmoor to Princetown school. The school is at the other end of the village to the prison which dominates the scenery for quite a distance.

The school has the most beautiful hand-painted and gilded sign. so nice to see real signwriting for a change. We had a load of fun but my outfit was criticised because I wa sswearing glasses – not historically correct – It was suggested I should have gone to Viking Specsavers!

Thanks everyone for a Vikingtastic day! I headed off across Dartmoor on my way to Poole in Dorset. It was a beautiful journey, bright and clear. I’ve not been acrosss south dorset before. It’s very beautiful.

Starlings in Poole

As I came into Poole I was held up at the traffic lights. I saw everyone else looking o9ut of their windows at a flock of starlings wheeling around above us. My camera was on the seat next to me and I took this shot as they flew past and before the lights turned green.

Katie Price – Jordan — I’m confused.

I’m often asked if I’ve met any famous authors. I usually ask who the questioner would like me to have met. It’s usually Jaqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo or one of the invented commitee authors who write things like Beast Quest or Animal Ark. But I was flumoxed this week when I was asked if I knew Katie Price!

Ivybridge Library

Yesterday afternoon I began my South Devon Viking Vik Spectacular! Stowford School came in and Librarian Helen Cooper and her gang at the library were ready in their Viking outfits. Even the Ivybridge Library rhino mascot was dressed up. My wife and daughter were up late the night before helping me get the outfit finished. The cats had got my helmet and ripped the mapie wings off so I had to make a new hat. We had a load of fun and the children were last seen walking down the road shouting viking chants of, “Wo ho ah!”

The end of my Silver Birch

My silver birch finally came down and the garden is looking so much lighter. It really had got a bit too big. On benefit is that the view of my neighbour’s Walnut tree has opened up. As if to highlight the fact the sun produced a rainbow to welcome the view.

Drybrook School

World Book Day week got off to a great start today with a visit to Drybrook Primary School, which is just ten minutes down the road.

I often drive past on my way to other school visits if I have to take the M5 north and get clogged for a moment as their children spill out of the narrow, village main road and into school.

The reception year did some lovely work after I’d rad them How the Whale got his Throat. I showed them how to draw a whale and they did the most beautiful drawings. I love to see how very young children interpret my instructions! They did some great writing too.

Thanks for a great day everyone and enjoy the rest of bookweek and your dressing up day on Thursday.

March is Book Month

Never mind World Book Day on Thursday, this seems to be World Book Month. I’m Visiting 12 Schools and three libraries this month! I’m hardly going to be home. I’m looking forward to visiting The Sir James Henderson School in Milan, later in the month.

At least I hope I will be visiting. I had everything set up to fly EasyJet from Bristol, but they cancelled one of the flights, so I had to arrange to go BA from Heathrow. But The BA cabin crews may well go on strike! I suppose I could go the long way, via Eurostar, But I need to be back in time for visits back home.

Meantime, I’m desperately getting my Viking Costume finished for World Book Day, which I’ll be spending in Tavistock Library and Princeton Library on Dartmoor. I’ve made my Viking belt buckle and I hope my daughter is quilting my tunic as I write.

They don’t tell you about this stuff in Wannabeanauthor school.

Bright new day in the studio

The Huge silver birch tree that grows over, and shades, my studio came down today = well, most of it. It started raining at lunchtime, so they’r coming back on Monday to finish the Job.

Now the sun has come out and with all the branches gone, It is really bright in my studio – or is that because I cleaned the windows yesterday. Either way, it’s very bright in here now and there’s going to be a whole lot of gardening to be re-planned.