Story Street is a monthly newsletter from children’s author & illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and growing-in-confidence fiddle player. Story Street is a guaranteed AI-free zone.

I’ve spent July doing LOTS of drawing, and it’s been lovely. I’ve even been filmed drawing up a tree for an exciting project! I’ll tell you more about my role as a film extra in the spring. Despite appearances, I did use a ladder to get up on that branch: sadly I’m not nimble enough to manage without one. But I can report that the tree was exceptionally comfy, and I’d like to go up there again soon.

I also had a marvellous day in Alnmouth on the Northumberland coast, sketching with illustrator friend Marloes de Vries from Rotterdam. It’s the first time we’ve met in person, and it was so much fun chatting over pencils and paint in this highly picturesque hut:

The character goldmine

Meanwhile comics term ended, as it always does, with a drawing game very loosely inspired by the legendary Lynda Barry. We all took turns to describe a neighbour, then drew each neighbour as an animal. Here’s a sweet 8 year old with a strong sales strategy…

A soft-hearted swearing cab driver…

My elderly neighbours of many decades ago - one prim, one a little bit saucy…

And the brilliant Major Higginbottom, who used to take his glass eye out to play dominoes!

Honestly, there’s story inspiration for LIFE from this game! If you’d like to join ten weeks of online fun comics classes next term, enrolment is now open. Term starts on Wednesday 23rd September, sessions are live on zoom, and you will feel part of a lovely, warm community. There are three time slots to choose from and you can find all the details here (the evening group is very nearly full, so don’t delay if that’s your preference):

Weekly Online Comics Class

If you’d like support with a bigger project over the coming year, keep reading to to the end to find out about the brand new Comics Coaching Club.

A last letter to my childhood home

After a year of clearing, it’s almost time to hand over the keys to my parents’ home and let the house start a new life with a new family. I know how privileged I am to have had the stability of a single parental home in my life for over 60 years. But letting it go is painful. I found a letter my grandfather had written to my father on 17th February 1963:

“This is something of an occasion, the first letter I shall address to your own house. What a lot of different addresses I have put on your letters, from student lodgings to the high seas. I hope you and Margaret will be happy in your house, and settled there for good…”

This inspired me to write a last letter to the house…

and secretly posted it between some floorboards! I felt so much better afterwards.

A Pitzhanger gem

I grew up loving the library. We’d visit it most weeks, and I’d come home with at least three new books. I didn’t realise it at the time, but my local library was housed in what was once John Soane’s country mansion, Pitzhanger Manor. Now it’s an art gallery and museum, and well worth a visit if you find yourself in Ealing, West London. The most recent exhibition, of wallpaper designer Marthe Armitage, had me raring to get out the lino cutters - and I’d LOVE a floor-to-ceiling pinboard like this one (shown below). There are two more excellent exhibitions coming up there this year - definitely worth keeping an eye out for if you’re nearby.

Comics Coaching Club

I promised to tell you a bit more about my new teaching venture: it’s called…

I’ve been planning something like this for a while, knowing that lots of my comics students have a bigger project inside them that just needs a bit of regular, gentle but firm support and target-setting to help bring it into the world. Comics Coaching Club will happen on the second Tuesday of the month from September 2026 to June 2027. Over those ten online sessions in a small, nurturing group, you’ll develop your personal project - whether it’s a graphic memoir, a story, or even an illustrated manual of instructions for life - into something that’s made substantial progress over those months. I can’t promise it will be finished, but I will do my best to get you there! If this appeals, you can find out more through the link below:

All about Comics Coaching Club

The perambulating banner

The encroachment of AI into every aspect of life is something I am firmly resisting for a great many reasons - from the ludicrous amounts of water and land needed by the data centres, to the fact that humans in the near future are simply going to lose the ability to think. Earlier in the year I made a banner for a protest, specifically referencing the theft of copyrighted material for training purposes. This month I took it along to the Illustrators’ Fair in Granary Square near Kings Cross for Momoko Abe to display it on her stand - and I was delighted that some fellow campaigners from We Are Better Than This then took it along to photograph it outside some local businesses...

If you’d like to keep up with developments in the campaign, here are three very useful links for you - don’t miss the EXCELLENT animation on the first one:

We Are Better Than This

Against the Box

Charting Gen AI

I’m going to spend some of August working on another banner - and in the run-up to Comics Coaching Club, I’ll be attempting to make substantial progress on my own graphic novel, The Ghost Carp. Wish me luck, and see you in September.

P.S. One last thing - I made some tabard costumes for a play, then I went to see the play and it was A LOT OF FUN. If you are in or near Berwick upon Tweed, you still have time to catch The Three Musketeers in action at The Straw Yard: highly recommended as an upliftingly silly night out, don’t miss it.

This last month has seen me splashing about in the mud showing children how to be citizen scientists, playing my fiddle on the beach, and bundling up and posting many, many delightful mini-comics, otherwise known as zines.

I’ve also had a very special experience on a tiny Scottish island. I’m sworn to secrecy about the location (I’ll tell you if you really want to know) but the week there made me decide to do something I thought I would NEVER, EVER do. Read on to find out what, then keep going because there are some beautiful (and useful) vintage colour mixing charts coming up and you don’t want to miss those.

Creative adrenaline

The delightful bundles I’ve been dropping into postboxes were made by students on my online comics class. Each term we do a postal zine swap, and it never fails to enchant me. If you like the sound of it, enrolments are now open for the autumn term starting on Wednesday 23rd September - AND for the brand new Comics Coaching Club!

“I can’t tell you the absolute joy and creative adrenaline comics class is bringing me!” Jackie, Northumberland

“Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying the course - so great to see other people’s ideas and artwork - and having your input has been invaluable.” Kathryn, Cumbria

“I’ve so enjoyed the classes and am very grateful that I’ve found your approach to encouraging and supporting people to be more creative.” Diana, Hertfordshire

You can find out all the details about how to enrol by clicking the button below:

Online Comics Class

If you’d like a year of comics mentoring and support…

…you can now also enrol for my brand-new Comics Coaching Club. This involves ten x monthly sessions, running from September 2026 to June 2027 to help you complete (or make significant progress with) a bigger project. If you have a half-finished graphic novel (I know I do), or a just-started memoir, this could be the very thing to help you take the next steps. Click the button below for all the info.

Comics Coaching Club

Joining the dots

I’ve been learning the fiddle for nine years now. I’ve still got a LOT to learn, but it’s taken me to some wonderful places - most recently a Scottish island with FORESTS of wildflowers everywhere, at an inspirational fiddle retreat run by Mairi Campbell. I’ve found the courage to stand up and play in front of people, I’ve met lots of new friends, and I’ve learned about different regional styles of fiddle music - and tried very hard to relax my bowing arm.

But all along I’ve been playing by ear, as I can’t read music and have a phobia of ‘THE DOTS’. However to my astonishment, last week I found myself resolving to learn not only how to read them, but how to write them too. During the week we had a little concert just for each other, and I played the tune I composed a couple of summers ago on a rowing trip in Ireland (you’ll find it here if you’d like to play it).

One of the many brilliant things about the trip (which included the most delicious cooking and singing by Ada Francis) was the other people, who were all inspiring in completely different ways. Carol from the Isle of Arran is a very talented composer and arranger, and I can’t tell you how proud I was when the following week she sent me a 5-part arrangement of my tune and said it’s going to be played regularly on Arran!

I left feeling moved to attempt to write more tunes, and I even found myself standing in a 2000-year-old-broch (iron age circular fort) humming fragments of a tune to my phone (and some sheep) inspired by this unusual sight in the island churchyard:

That splendid bird also inspired me to write a poem. I hope you enjoy it. I do think the peacock was trying to tell us something...

Gamboge, Madder and Lake

As if that wasn’t enough colour to thrill you, now take a look at this delightful and also very useful paint chart, purchased at Cameron Robertson’s pop up shop in Berwick upon Tweed. Cameron was selling some TREASURES. This ‘Reeves Chart Guide to Colour Mixing’ originally cost sixpence and was made for schools - what lucky schools. I didn’t discover the secrets of colour mixing until loooong after I’d left school. Just the colour names alone are a treat - isn’t gamboge a beautiful word?

June began with a school visit, and ended with some time on the beach. There was a drawing picnic (part of an illustrators’ weekender packed with gardens, strawberries, bagpipes, a storytime for the utterly charming Salty Dog and Pals with Helen Stephens and Katie Chappell, and naturally, some sketching too):

And then there were some tunes for the solstice with a new friend from the fiddle week. (Yes, I did have to hoover some sand out of those cases afterwards, but it was worth it…)

I hope your July won’t be too overheated. Wish me luck with the dots, and see you next month. Thankyou to everyone who joined in with the discussion after my Story Street Special on the picture book industry last week. If you missed it, you can catch up here:

Story Street Special

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This is the first in a new, occasional series of newsletters from author/illustrator Jane Porter, exploring a single topic. If you’re here for the usual snippets about random things I’ve been up to, don’t worry, normal service will be resumed on 1st July in my next newsletter.

I’ve tried to put into words some thoughts I’ve been having lately about picture books - specifically, the rapidly changing business of picture books. If you are interested in stories as a reader, or you are (or would like to be) a picture book maker, I’d love to know what you think. Do join in with some comments if something resonates. Let’s get a discussion going…

Oh, and if you’d like to know more about the process behind producing picture books, I interviewed a series of brilliant creatives on YouTube a while back and the videos are still worth a watch.

'Looking at Picture Books' videos

A bit of background

I’ve been very lucky to have changed career in my 40s (previously I was a writer and editor on magazines about landscape and horticulture). I’ve had a decent number of picture books published, as author or illustrator or both, with some major publishers. I’ve worked with some lovely people, and learned a lot. I’ve lived the dream!

But it’s been a while since I had a contract.

The picture book industry is like a very long conveyor belt. You have to put things on that conveyor belt constantly if you want anything to come out at the very distant far end, especially as 90% of what you put on it falls off along the way.

When my Dad died in 2021, I stopped shovelling ideas onto that conveyor belt. And the result was a long hiatus, which fortunately was filled with the fun of my online comics class. Then my Mum died at the beginning of this year, and now I am wondering if there’s any point in getting back on the conveyor belt.

I’m genuinely thinking hard about this at the moment. I developed a new story with a lovely creatively-minded and generous-hearted agent who showed it to publishers a few months back. And they liked it - but only if someone other than me would illustrate it. Then there’s the ‘quiet’ problem.

I’ve had the ‘quiet’ conversation many times with picture book maker friends. In a world that’s getting faster and louder, stories deemed to be ‘quiet’ or ‘gentle’ are not what sells - or so publishers believe.

But I like writing quiet stories, they are the ones that are true to my inner self. And I KNOW there are plenty of quiet children out there who enjoy them. I don’t want to start writing ‘loud’ stories that don’t feel authentic.

Earlier this year I sprung awake early.

And I didn’t stop thinking about it all day…

I went off to see a friend, feeling a bit like Fungus the Bogeyman when he cycles to work in a state of existential gloom (the Raymond Briggs classic was a book I loved aged 15, and that spread has stayed with me and pops into my mind whenever I cycle).

Do I really want to pour so much of my creative energy into something that’s unlikely to see the light of day? I’ve been lucky to have other work to keep me going - teaching, workshops, illustration work for some lovely clients like Historic Royal Palaces and the National Trust. But…

The value - and the price - of picture books

I’ve just been devouring ‘A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now’ by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. It’s brilliant. He talks about how being repeatedly read a favourite picture book has immensely beneficial physiological effects on a young child’s brain development. So picture books are very, very important in the creation of happy, grounded humans. And yet…

A few weeks ago I was reading a story to my nursery group. I glanced at the back, and was startled to see that the cover price on this 20-year-old picture book was pretty much the same as it would be now. One the one hand, it’s good that in these inflationary, cost-of-living crisis times, something that’s so important to young children’s development remains accessibly priced. But on the other hand, it felt utterly crushing to realise how undervalued our work is when the price of literally EVERYTHING else has gone up significantly.

The whole industry depends on writers and illustrators spending months and months developing projects speculatively, initiating ideas that may never see the light of day. Return on investment: nil. How can this be possible for anyone without another income stream? And yet there are glorious stories to be told, and pictures to be made, by people who can’t afford to take this time to develop. Stories that will forever remain un-made.

Let’s talk about the money

If the cover price has remained depressingly static, the situation with advances is even worse. They seem to be shrinking - for most of us.

Sometimes people will say to me “So, how’s your latest book selling?” and I always say sheepishly, “I don’t know”.

The longer, more truthful answer would be, “There’s no way for me to find out unless I pester the publisher, and I don’t want to know anyway because the answer is unlikely to be ‘stratospherically’ and it will just be depressing.

And even if a book was selling moderately, I wouldn’t be making a penny: that only happens when sales are large enough to ‘earn out’ the advance - something which only a tiny percentage of picture books achieve.

I was cheered when I spotted Abie Longstaff (who does a great Publishing Peptalk newsletter) report that 92% of books published in the UK sell fewer than 1000 copies. It was sad to read, but consoling. Once, an editor in a major publisher told me that they see it like horse racing - they spread-bet on 10 picture book ‘horses’ knowing only one will jump all the sales hurdles. But that was several years ago, and they are now much more reluctant to gamble.

The curse of the co-editions

There are many things I had no idea about when I got into this business. But the one that feels the most like a guillotine above my head is the book fairs and the floods of co-editions that are meant to follow. A co-edition is what happens when your publisher makes a series of deals with other publishers around the world for your book to be translated into different languages and sold around the world. Very exciting when it happens, of course. But when it doesn’t? Your book is dead in the water before it’s even been published. It will sink like a stone to the bottom of the priority list.

The social media trap

Over the last ten years or more, social media has changed the landscape. On the upside, I know in the early days many illustrators were able to break through as a result of catching the eye of a publisher online. But on the downside, your numbers are scrutinised - big follower numbers suggest a ready audience, making a publisher feel you might be a good bet. Smaller numbers, not so much. And this is one of the reasons why celebrity authors have become such a big deal. There is an expectation that you, the creator, will bend over backwards to promote your book. It’s hard work and for most of us who are not celebrities, you do it alone. I’ve just had an interesting chat with Polly Noakes, who wrote about pausing Instagram today in her newsletter.

Polly was talking about the pressure to promote and to ‘stay relevant’, and how much has changed since she started in the industry in the late 80s. Back in those days, and even more so in the 1960s, publishers would take a chance on books they believed in without looking at the bottom line first. Legendary picture book editor Ursula Nordstrom’s collected letters ‘Dear Genius’ are utterly fascinating about how it all worked back then - they’re really worth a read.

Yet the very same industry that is still profiting from 60s classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Where the Wild Things Are is no longer prepared to take a chance and create the conditions where books like that can emerge - everything has to be a proven commercial success before it even starts. Lists are shrinking and with them, diversity in every sense, and creativity, and bravery. Safe bets triumph over inventiveness and daring. Your sales track record is all.

Often we will do our very, time-consuming best to promote a book, yet it will still sink without trace. Read this article by Tasmina Perry at We Are All Creatives if you’d like some reassurance that it’s not your fault if your book doesn’t sell.

The End of the Career Author

A loveliness of librarians

I know this really the collective noun for ladybirds, but librarians really are the BEST people. This is some of the team from Wandsworth Libraries who supported me when I did an event at Balham Library recently. They showed utter dedication and enthusiasm throughout - it was like a powerful shot of vitamins to this rather disheartened picture book maker. The event was for the GLL Literary Foundation, which I was delighted too be picked to be part of. I really felt so much better afterwards!

I’m a life-long library lover, but once upon a time I would timidly borrow only one or two books thinking I didn’t want to put the librarians to the trouble of re-shelving them. WRONG! Libraries need the borrowing figures to stay high - if anything can save them from cuts, it’s this.

Please use your local library, and borrow LOTS of books frequently. They are amazing places that deserve to be treasured.

Not many people outside the industry know about this, but Public Lending Rights (PLR) gives authors and illustrators a little sum of money every time your book is borrowed. This is a lifeline for many picture book makers when it comes into the bank account around February each year. So that’s all the more reason to use your library if you want to support authors and illustrators.

Unpublished but not unloved

Like all my fellow picture book makers, I have MOUNTAINS of unpublished, unwanted ideas - most of which I still look at and think, hey, that wasn’t too bad. What went wrong? Did I try hard enough? Were they too quiet? Did not enough editors see them? For now, I’m going to keep them in a drawer and think of them as exclusive secret stories rather than a terrible time sink. I’m going to retain my right to still feel proud of them.

Where does AI leave us?

I’m not a fan of AI when it comes to creative endeavours, though I’m sure it will be valuable for things like medical research. Here’s a reminder of the banner I made earlier in the year…

…and I have not changed my mind since. Will publishers turn to AI for both story and artwork generation? It will be a depressing day when they do, but given the commercial pressures I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see something that soulless in a bookshop one day soon. I can’t understand why anyone would want to use it for anything creative.

The whole point of being creative is enjoying the sometimes joyful, sometimes painful process of making something yourself with your heart and hands and mind. I do worry that human brains will simply atrophy in the future. Please don’t let that happen.

Does Finland have the answer?

I’ve been thinking about the whole problem of a commercially-driven picture book sector for many years, and have long held the dream that a government subsidy could transform everything. Then I found out this actually already happens in Finland! Finnish illustrator Maria Sann (you can find her on Instagram at maria.sann) wrote:

“In Finland most picture books are funded by artistic grants. Both the writer and the illustrator apply for funding for their work. These grants make sure the artists are working free from commercially driven outcomes and protect the artists from having to sell out their rights to make ends meet.”

Imagine that. A picture book world where you could be free to develop something that excited you - and will undoubtedly excite children - without the crushing thought that it might not sell enough copies or get enough co-editions to keep your career alive. And in the overall scheme of things, the government investment needed would be minuscule. Shall we make it happen? Given how beneficial books are to child development, surely it would be a worthwhile investment? Arts Council DYCP grants are helpful if you can get one, but something specifically for picture books, with a guarantee of publication at the end, would be a dream.

So what can we do, both as creators, and as people who enjoy picture books? I don’t have the answers, but I’m going to keep making for the joy of it, keep borrowing from libraries and continue supporting independent bookshops by buying in person. What will you do?

I hope this hasn’t been too depressing. Do let me know what you think!

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Story Street is a monthly newsletter from children’s author & illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and growing-in-confidence fiddle player. Story Street is a guaranteed AI-free zone.

This is the time of year when I find it very, very hard to stay at my desk. There are far too many temptations outdoors, and I tend to be powerless to resist. I’ve been taking my sketchbook out on the coast path, with skylarks singing overhead and the coconut smell of gorse on the wind. What a pleasure it is to get absorbed with paint on such days…

However I have managed to be a little bit strict with myself, and have been making big progress on my project about play. This has also involved buying plastic dinosaurs, cars, buses and a £3 bag of Lego at a village fete from which I (and my family) have derived well over £3 worth of pleasure. You can’t make a book about play without playing, after all. Here we are building tiny structures in a pub beer garden - I’m not sure what the hushing mum made of three grown adults playing with Lego, but in my opinion we should all be doing more of it!

Meanwhile on Kilburn High Road…

Last year I spent a few weeks running creative sessions in Kingsgate Primary School in Kilburn, north west London. It was part of a clean air campaign run by Camden Council, and I delivered the workshops with Jonathan Dean from the council, who had some wonderfully inventive ways of teaching the children about things like particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide and making it feel really fun. My part was to design a wrapper for an air pollution monitor using the children’s artwork, and it is now finally installed, right opposite Kilburn High Road overground station.

A couple of weeks ago we had a grand opening - Jonathan draped the monitor with curtains, I tied a satin ribbon around it, and we invited the children to meet us on the corner to unveil their work.

It was lovely to watch their faces as they spotted their own drawings and collages. And here’s me with Jonathan, feeling proud of the results! The artwork covers all four sides of the main monitor plus additional boxes to the top and sides, and doors. It was complicated to make, to say the least, and I was SO relieved when I saw that all the artwork fitted exactly as it was supposed to.

Clean Air for Camden

Announcing a new course

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know how much I LOVE teaching my online comics class. I have many students who return again and again, and I know some of them have a big project inside them that’s bursting to get out.

So I’ve decided to start a new course for anyone who has a longer comics story they’d like support with, once a month, over a whole year - and it’s going to be called…

I’m still fine-tuning the details, but here’s what it will definitely involve:

Starting September 2026, a two-hour Zoom session once a month until June 2027 (ten sessions in all) for a small group, maximum 10. A Padlet to share work, and an option for 1-1 breakout room chats with me, and little nudges of encouragement between sessions. It will be very interactive and a supportive, warm environment.

I won’t be giving you prompts as I do with the regular comics class (though there might be some speedy warm-up exercises now and again). Instead I’ll be setting you targets and encouraging you to share progress with the group each month - each session I’ll invite two students to share their work in progress in detail. But it won’t be scary! The aim will be to get your project significantly closer to completion by summer 2027. Or maybe even finished…

If you like the sound of that, let me know and I’ll email you with all the details as soon as I open enrolment. Also let me know in the comments if you have any questions or indeed suggestions for Comics Coaching Club. I’m thinking of an afternoon slot on the second Tuesday of the month though this could be flexible. (My online comics class will still continue as normal alongside, by the way). I liked the idea of calling this one a club - I think it’s the first club I have started since I was at school and launched the Bono Club where everyone had to adopt the persona of a dog. But I won’t make you do that this time, I promise!

Thankyou all you playful people

In my last newsletter I mentioned that I was looking for play ideas - and I was bowled over by the response. Thankyou so much for all the brilliant tips and inspiration last time. Do keep them coming - especially if they are about keeping playful with teenagers, and how to stay playful when life is hard (eg. depression/illness or if you have a disability).

I really appreciate the help - I’m hoping this book will prove a useful resource for lots of people and I am determined to make it happen and get it in as many hands as possible (if you can help with that, or know any large yet reasonably ethical corporations that would like to sponsor it, let me know!).

A timely boost

I’ve been having lots of big thoughts about whether to continue making picture books. Too many thoughts to fit into a regular issue of Story Street - that’s why I’m saving them for a special post, which I really do promise is coming very soon. Just as I was talking myself into quitting, a student I’ve been mentoring on her picture book proposal sent me this email about two things that happened when she read my books with a school class - all the way out in San Francisco:

“After reading ‘Be Bold Bob’ and completing a journal activity to draw themselves in a situation where they’d had to be bold, the children had gone outside for their PE class. An imaginative boy, Mario, was delaying by showing me items in his backpack. I asked him if he really shouldn’t be outside with his class, and he said he didn’t want to go. “Why not?” I asked. “It’s hard!” he said. “Be bold, Mario!” I said. The look of absolute astonishment as he made the connection between the story message and this moment in his life was absolutely priceless. (He did run out right then to catch up with the others.)

“The ‘Pink Lion’ activity sheets were also a big hit. Students brainstormed as a class what could be added to each before choosing one sheet for themselves. To them were added T Rex’s (to overpower the crocodile); bath bubble makers of various kinds, bath toys with pull strings, hair dryers to dry the lion’s mane after the bath, soap; and for the picnic pizza, chicken drumsticks, roast beef, watermelon, bananas, cake, ice cream, and a rainbow. One child added to Arnold’s mane a long ‘prehensile’ mane braid that could reach out and pick up food.”

Needless to say this made me feel very happy - thankyou so much Terry! Keep an eye out for a ‘Story Street Special’ all about picture books soon. And if you’d like to download those activity sheets yourself, you can find them all here:

Activity sheets

Giant barnacles and a unicycling mussel

May ended with a treat: ‘The Visitors’ - an interactive art experience and community celebration laid on by The Maltings at the Barracks in Berwick upon Tweed. Created by playwright Lewis Hetherington, the event consisted of a startling parade of creatures and costumes navigating the town’s historic walls.

Everyone who took part got kitted out with a beautiful ruff, then we could choose which team to be in: barnacle, pearl or salmon. When I was offered the chance to operate an eye for Susan Barnacle, I seized it and had so much fun bending my eye to peer at dogs, bins and passers-by.

What made the event even more special were some participants who came to meet The Visitors in costumes they had made specially - a tin-foil robot was brilliant, but best of all was a mussel shell head-dress, made with great thought and creativity from the packaging materials from gravestones. Its creator Lee wore it while unicycling, a stunning feat!

I’m off on a school visit today, then on Friday 5th June I’ll be doing my first GLL Literary Foundation event at Balham Library. It’s at 4pm, there will be a story and a craft activity, it’s free and all are welcome! If you’d like to come along, just email balham.library@gll.org to let the team know. Hope to see you there…

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and growing-in-confidence fiddle player.

Did you ever play Sleeping Lions when you were little - or maybe you play it with your children or grandchildren now? Perhaps you have some other games and playful activities that became family favourites? I’m looking for ideas! More on this shortly - and keep reading to find out about why I played a secret sad tune in a churchyard, my market stall adventure, and some spectacularly strange postcards from the south of France.

Sleeping Lions and other playful pastimes

Now, more about those bite-sized bits of play I’m looking out for. I’m developing a very big project which I hope will become a picture book for parents, with lots of little tips and ideas for how to be playful with children, from birth onwards.

I don’t think play comes naturally to everyone. And I am worried that, with competition from screens, it’s becoming a lost art. But the benefits of play for child development are ENORMOUS, and it’s something I believe in passionately.

The book is coming together well, but what will make it even better is some snippets of real-life playfulness from YOU. I’m looking for ideas for mini-interactions with children that spark fun and make them feel loved.

If you have any tips or ideas you’d like to share with me, I’d be most grateful. I can’t offer remuneration but I can definitely promise you a credit in the book if it happens. You can get in touch just by replying to this email, or leaving a comment. Thankyou!

A sad lament

Sometimes I get a bit behind with my comic diary (I’ve been keeping it for over 11 years now, so I know not to get too worried when this happens). Here’s something that actually happened in March when I went to the Niel Gow Fiddle Festival - but I didn’t manage to catch up with the drawings till April.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter a while, you’ll know that I’m a late-in-life learner of the fiddle, and that my fiddle belonged to my great-grandfather. (You can read all about it in the comic I made a while ago, Shed Job.). The festival takes place in Niel Gow’s home, Birnam and Dunkeld in Perthshire, Scotland. It’s also where my grandfather grew up, and a place I often visited as a child. My mother died very recently, so being there was freighted with emotion, especially when we played ‘Margaret’s Waltz’ at a session. I sneaked away to the churchyard to stand at the family grave and do something I’ve wanted to do for ages, but was never quite brave enough…

As a still un-confident player I thought I’d checked pretty thoroughly that there was no-one in ear-shot. But it turned out someone WAS listening:

And it felt good! (the tune, by the way, was ‘Niel Gow’s Lament on the Death of His Second Wife’).

Butter Market trader

I had a lovely day recently running at stall at the Butter Market, Berwick upon Tweed, selling drawings, comics, books and prints. The market is new (though it’s in a beautiful historic marketplace setting) and was packed with tempting stalls selling candles, jewelry, art and antiques. It’s every Saturday from 9-3, so do check it out if you’re local. I’ll definitely do another stall there in the future, I’ll let you know when…

French treasures

Last week I was very lucky to have a mini-break with my sister to the south of France. We grew up watching The Wombles and Bagpuss, which left us hooked on litter-picking and “making good use of the things that we find”. So when my sister spotted a citizen science project to comb a French beach for polystyrene and plastics, we signed up immediately. It was organised by Émergence, who work to improve marine biodiversity. Here are our pickings! And the reward was home-made rhubarb cake and a spectacular coast walk.

Another highlight was the Antibes Postcard Museum, which had a lot of delightfully surreal exhibits…

…as well as some astoundingly saucy ones from the early 1900s. You’ll just have to visit if you want to see them.

I’ll leave you with this beautiful single rose from the Cap d’Antibes. It was every bit as fragrant as it looks and just looking at this picture makes me feel as if I’m back on holiday.

See you in June! Don’t forget to send me your best play ideas… and do share this post with friends if you have enjoyed reading it.

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I’ve had a lovely time this month opening parcels of zines from students on my online comics course. Keep reading for more on this, but I just wanted to let you know enrolment is now open for next term - click the button below if you’d like to know more!

Comics Class info

What else have I been up to? On March 5th, World Book Day, I did what authors and illustrators always do on that day: I got up very early, and travelled to a school to spend the day talking about books and making stories. After a whole school assembly I walked back to a classroom ready to do my story map workshop, and had a slightly sad conversation that went like this…

BUT guess who was one of the keenest suppliers of ideas in the workshop!

If ever you needed evidence of the value of an author/illustrator visit, here it is. It’s a joy to get reluctant readers or children who have turned away from books re-enthused and buzzing with that special feeling you get when your ideas are flowing - and being taken seriously.

The experience gave me a boost too. I’ve been in a bit of a slump about picture books lately, wondering really if it’s worth carrying on (more reflections on this to come in a special edition of this newsletter). Then two more things happened that put a spring back in my step…

A lovely surprise and honour

I was honoured and delighted to find out last month that I’ve been picked to be part of the GLL literary foundation for 2026. I’d been nominated by Otter Barry Books, but I didn’t know! Thankyou to the team there, and to GLL for choosing me to be part of the project. It’s going to involve a school visit, a library visit and an online event, as well as mentoring and support from the wonderful Wandsworth Libraries team and access to some really interesting events. As a lifelong library lover, being part of this feels really special. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes throughout the year.

Thankyou so much to Jenny, Rebecca, October and the GLL team, I am really looking forward to being part of it all.

Treason and treachery

The third thing was this lovely message, which came out of the blue from a complete stranger:

“My grand-daughter (two and a half) found King Otter at the library. She is obsessed - and can be heard shouting ‘Treachery!’ and ‘Treason!’ in her buggy and I keep suddenly hearing “Birds, come here!” at any given moment - it’s priceless! Thankyou for creating such a gem, it’s giving us all so much pleasure.”

Definitely my best book review ever! And it’s motivated me to write more stories for sure.

Here’s His Majesty basking in glory. If you’d like YOUR grandchildren to go round shouting out orders to hedgehogs, you know what to do…

Buy King Otter

A documentary about AI

Remember last month I made a banner for a demo against the over-hasty development of AI? About a week later I had an email from documentary maker Tom de Regibus of TDR film. He wanted to interview me about the banner, and my thoughts about how AI is affecting the creative industries. I introduced him to illustrator friends Simona Ciraolo, Momoko Abe and Ged Adamson who have all been campaigning hard on this topic (check Against the Box for updates), and went along to Belsize Park ready to be interviewed. Tom asked all sorts of things, including what I thought the government should do to support creatives. And here’s my suggestion:

AI isn’t going to go away, it’s going to grow and grow. We can’t stop that happening, and it’s almost inevitable that some publishers will start releasing children’s books made that way. But what if there was a government-endorsed, really well designed kitemark that could go on books, art, music etc. to show that it had been made by humans? US illustrator Beth Spencer was the first person I saw talking about this (two years ago), and she designed a wonderful logo and encouraged other illustrators to do the same. So I’m calling for an official, nationally (or even internationally) recognised version that would become a guarantee that something had been made without AI?

I’m thinking about something like the iconic Woolmark logo. What do you think?

Here’s me being filmed at my pretend work desk - actually the council chamber of the former Hampstead Council. Who knows how much of the interview will go on the cutting room floor, but it was fun to take part. Tom is planning to submit the film to various documentary festivals, and I wish him success with it!

A comics treasury

It’s been zine swap time again in my online comics class. It’s like having 45 highly creative pen pals, and I tingle with excitement every time I hear the letterbox flap. This is the zine collection from the morning group, all ready to post back out to students. The theme was ‘Hats of the World’ and everyone excelled themselves:

One student has even pledged to make a special container to keep her collection in for posterity. If you’d like to see mine, I’ve added it at the end - it’s always an enjoyable challenge to make a ‘triple theme zine’ (each of the three groups picks a different theme each term).

Here are some lovely testimonials from this term’s students:

“I really find this course wonderful! Great teacher and inspiring artists in the class. I am definitely planning on taking it again.” Julia, Italy

“I wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the class. It has really inspired me and I’ve loved reconnecting with ink and paint and learning new ways of thinking about storytelling. It’s been delightful.” Debra, Massachusetts

“Just to say thank you so much - I thoroughly enjoyed the course - it was all so inspiring and it was a lovely group of people. I am looking forward to doing the course again - this was an excellent time of year to be inspired. I don’t think I could wait a whole year to do it again! Really enjoyed making my first zine too and I can’t wait to get the collection in the post.” Helen, Ireland

“I have taken Jane’s course twice now and I can tell you that it is truly the most fun and inspiring creative therapy around. I highly recommend it!” Erin, US

“Just wanted to thank you for running such a wonderful class. I have felt myself develop so much in many aspects of my comic making, and a cosy couple of hours a week has been so beneficial.” Maya, Dorset

“Jane is a brilliant instructor who helps students bring some very interesting prompts to life on paper. The class helped get me out of a funk. Jane explained, shared demonstrations and encouraged everyone’s style to come to life. There was no judgement. No pushing of her own agenda or personal style. She guided us through every week with encouragement and cheerfulness. If you are a visual thinker like me this is the class to take to help you along in your journey. Money well spent and a lot of creative thinking along the way.” Tara, Pennsylvania

Details on how to enrol are here!

Click the button above if you’d like to join in next term. We start on Wednesday 22nd April and the 10-week live course is fantastic value at £190. There are just a few places left in each time-slot, so don’t leave it too long.

We always end the term with a drawing game - this term our theme was teachers. I’m rather fond of this corduroy-clad history teacher, who apparently was keen to see what would happen if you put a cat on a record player turntable…

Shall I write him a story? I’m tempted… I think it would have to involve the cat finding ways to avoid the experiment.

Giant tweezers

I’ve been to TWO fiddle festivals in the last month, one in Northumberland and the other in Perthshire. Wonderfully inspiring as they were, I have to confess to feeling a little fiddled out by the end of it all. But it was heart-expanding to be so close to landscapes like this one, in Glen Lyon - thankyou Imogen for taking me to see this natural feature!

Is it praying hands, or tweezers to keep a giant’s eyebrows tidy? Well worth the walk either way, especially when we spotted hundreds of frolicking frogs on the way back.

Spring is here… and so is sketchbook weather! It was so nice to spend a morning drawing with a friend, I must do that more often.

I promised earlier to show you my triple theme zine: well, here it is. The three themes this term were ‘Hats of the World’; ‘A Travel Adventure or Misadventure’; and ‘Lost’. Remember those hats from Story Street #41? Let’s hear it for HATS!

One last thing before I go - if you get a chance, do go and see the Beatriz González exhibition at The Barbican (on until 10th May). I didn’t know about this Colombian painter until my daughter suggested going, and I’m so glad she did. It was one of those shows that made me feel really excited, bursting with possibility…

and in love with colour again. Just LOOK at these postcards! See you next month.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and growing-in-confidence fiddle player.

Phew, February was a busy month! I’m planning to put my feet up today. Keep reading to the end to find out about my attempt to get arrested on Hourly Comics Day, an after-dark Tomi Ungerer tribute, and my favourite hobby of all: banner-making.

The banner was for the first ever demonstration calling for a pause in the terrifyingly rapid incursion of AI into almost every aspect of our lives, and it was organised by Pull the Plug.

As an author and illustrator, it grieves me deeply that AI firms are allowed to ‘train’ on our work without recompense, and that they are using that training to replace us.

Here’s my banner, which I hope says it all:

I was joined on the march by picture book friends Angela Brooksbank, Nicola Kent and Ged Adamson - Ged has been involved for over a year in campaigning to protect the copyright of creatives and you can find out more about this by following Against the Box through this button:

Against the Box

And do read Momoko Abe’s article in which she and Simona Ciraolo debunk some of the common myths about creativity and AI:

Momoko's article

It felt good to brandish the banner right outside the Open AI office in London, then march to the Meta and Google Deep Mind HQs to hear some very interesting speeches from Dr Rachel Kent, Maxime Fourmes and Clare Norburn. We were even interviewed by BBC London! How do YOU feel about AI in your life? Has it affected you, either positively or negatively?

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Window Wanderland

For the last few years there’s been a very cheering event in Southfields, perfect to lift spirits as winter grinds on - Window Wanderland. The idea is that you decorate your windows to make an outdoor, after-dark gallery for passers-by to enjoy. It’s beautifully simple, and costs nothing apart from paper and Pritt sticks. I was stuck for a theme this year and looked at my picture book shelf for inspiration…

…and this is what I came up with, inspired by Tomi Ungerer’s 1966 classic Moon Man. I love his work so much and it really lends itself to a stained glass window approach. Despite being 60 years old it’s also a timely book, in which Moon Man arrives on earth as a stranger and is locked up in prison by the suspicious population. There’s a lovely article about the book in The Marginalian here:

Moon Man

The first week of February saw me back at Stepping into Stories Festival in Herne Hill, reading Be Bold Bob. Thankyou to Tricia at Portrayed Photography for this picture, and thankyou to the festival organisers for inviting me back to this lovely event.

A zine museum

Meanwhile it’s that moment when tiny booklets start to arrive on my doormat from all over the world, sent by my comics students. It’s zine swap time! Special mention for an actual fabric lift-the-flap blanket in the first batch of zines to arrive - each term I am amazed by the students’ creativity. I’ve been running this online comics class for six years now, and I have accumulated my very own zine museum - a treasury of little wonders. (I can’t help singing my own version of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ when I look at them - “they took all the zines, put ‘em in the zine museum…”) :

Teaching this class is a real high spot in my week, and it’s always lovely to hear that students enjoy it too:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I’m enjoying the class. I was thrilled yesterday when someone said they loved ‘my style’ on the padlet….. My style, oh yes … at last! So it seems that I have one and this class has helped uncover it. As a beginner to drawing I’ve always been overwhelmed by subject matter and this bite-size approach has made the world of drawing so much more accessible.” Penny, Derbyshire

“I have been joyfully taking an online comics course by the talented artist/illustrator Jane Porter which has helped to nudge me out of my typical comfort zone and revved up my excitement for this practise. I would heartily recommend to any one who wishes to partake in a fun yet growth-enhancing creative course.” Heather, Canada

If you’d like to join in the fun next term, we start on Wednesday 22nd April, and enrolment opens 23rd March. Classes are on Zoom, and there are three time-slots to choose from. You can find all the details through the button below - drop me an email if you’d like a reminder on the day you can sign up.

Online comics class

And now for that disreputable duo…

I’ve been (three times!) to a wonderful exhibition: ‘The Light of Days Past: Photography in Berwick 1840-1980’. It’s full of gems - a Victorian child charmingly captured just after kicking a shoe off, a champion leek-grower, two children dressed as Daleks… and these two reprobates:

They appear under the heading ‘Portrait and Description of Habitual Drunkard’, having been arrested on 5th September 1904 for being drunk on licensed premises. And they don’t even look sorry!

As soon as I saw the two naughty Janes I called my friend Jane, and we decided we simply had to recreate the picture. But how? The answer was a posthumous gift from my mum. She had many, many hats, and I chose two that were just the right shape, then painted them with black acrylic paint.

The final touch was an unfeasibly large bow for ‘my Jane’. I think Mum would have loved this project and thoroughly approved of her hats being used this way.

We made sure every detail was spot on, from a black feather boa for the other Jane to making the right, slightly sardonic expression. We positioned our hands just so, and posed. Then it was time to retire to the local pub and wait for the police. We waited, and waited… but remained free women. Maybe we failed to be naughty enough, or maybe standards have slipped since 1904, but it turns out we didn’t need that bail money after all.

Many thanks to Ben at The Straw Yard for making us into a poster to put behind the bar - our dreams did come true after all!

Thankyou to my partner in crime and Jane-ness, Jane Munro - and to Cameron Robertson for a wonderful, inspiring exhibition. Cheers!

So how did Hourly Comics Day go?

Oh go on then, here it is…

I hope March brings you some sunshine. I’m off for a World Book Day visit in my actual birthplace, followed by TWO fiddle weekends… see you next month, I’ll tell you all about it on April 1st.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. This issue is a special tribute to my mother, who died in January, and is all about how she inspired me to make things from the very start.

It’s been a difficult and sad start to the year: my mother died at the beginning of January, aged 92, after a short illness starting on New Year’s Eve. This picture, taken only a couple of years ago in Devon, captures her perfectly: inquisitive, intelligent, stylish - and very, very fond of cats.

Needless to say I have not been able to do or think about anything else much, so this issue of Story Street is going to be a tribute to Mum. Without question she was the source of my creativity, and I am very thankful to her. She was a teacher professionally, but also a poet, potter, papier-maché queen, puppeteer, playwright. In short, she was an inspiration.

Here she is with me as a baby. I seem to be sporting some impressively frilly knickers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she made them herself. And just look how glamorous she is in the picture below from the 1950s (she’s second from right, with my aunt in the centre). It’s highly likely she made that beautiful dress too.

Mum brought me and my sister up to be makers right from the start. She had a healthy scorn for ‘craft kits’.

“We don’t need that,” she’d say, “We’ll do it our own way.” And we did.

We had drawers full of interesting fabrics to sew with, scrap paper to draw on, nasturtium seeds to plant, and encouragement to try things out and be inventive rather than following anyone else’s rules. We were very lucky.

I remember some thrilling projects. Once, we had some polystyrene packaging, and Mum heated a skewer to a glowing red on the gas stove, then sliced it fearlessly into interesting shapes. Another time we had a tray of sand, and poked sharp objects into it. The tray was then filled with plaster of Paris, and when it was set hard we inverted it, brushed off the sand - and were left with a wonderful, textured moonscape.

I treasure this cat she carved in the 70s:

and my house is full of other things she made, ranging from papier maché pigs,

to ceramic goats on a mountain, and a Clanger crafted from an old sock when I was little and a huge fan of the TV show.

During lockdown, when Mum was in her late 80s, I had the idea to start a creative challenge on zoom because I thought she’d need something to keep her busy. Each week we picked a theme, and family members responded with whatever we had to hand - no shopping was possible, and we loved that constraint. We made wigs, puppets, dioramas, bridges, little houses, railways and more, using cereal boxes, sandpaper, knitting wool, old clothes…. All 20 of our challenges are still on YouTube if you’d like to take a look at what we made.

Each week we had barely ended the zoom call before Mum was getting ideas and gathering materials for the next challenge. She was brilliant at lateral thinking, and seeing possibilities in the most unlikely of objects - such as the old handbag that turned into a hippo hat.

Family Creative Challenge videos

Mum also made dozens of bags, masks and hats during that strange time when we weren’t allowed out. They were for key-workers, organised through Little ARK, and later she also made tactile books for the Clear Vision project. She created over many years a wildlife garden from wasteland at the London Museum of Water and Steam. She was absolutely unstoppable when given a project, and tackled all tasks with energy, imagination and skill.

Margaret Mackay Wallace was born on the outskirts of Glasgow in 1933. (It’s only in writing these words now that it occurs to me that’s why I’m so drawn to Orkney poet George Mackay Brown: we’re practically related!) Her father’s family were deep Scottish, going back many generations, and it’s her grandfather’s fiddle (made in Aberdeenshire in 1885) that I learned to play on - and still play nearly every day. After university Mum came to London and trained to be a teacher, and met my Dad at Scottish dancing (which would explain why I love a ceilidh so much, and so does my sister).

It’s been a comfort to me since Mum died to look through my diaries and remember funny or touching moments we shared. Here’s where we went to a school reunion and two of her former pupils came to say hello. (Mum used to make amazing soft toys for the school fairs).

I’ve been finding all sorts of conversations I’d forgotten. Mum had a healthy contempt for convention…

and a certain disrespect for revered figures: here we are watching the Coronation a couple of years ago…

She had no time for Trump or Putin - here we are enjoying political discussion over ice cream at Fouberts in Chiswick:

She loved feeding birds too - and I really wish we had done more to realise this plan…

Bras and department stores

The day after Mum died, I went out for a walk. And without thinking about it at all, my feet found their way into a department store, where I bought a new bra and had tea in the cafe. That’s when I realised: I was on a tribute outing. Mum LOVED department stores and often met her oldest friend in John Lewis where they’d do the ‘triple’ by going to THREE cafes. Here’s what happened when we went to the furniture department a couple of years ago looking for a new armchair:

That chair is DANGEROUSLY comfortable. Mum also loved bra shopping, and a few years ago bought one that she was so delighted with, she wrote it a poem. It was shortly before her birthday, and both me and my sister made her bra-themed cards that year.

Life notes

When Mum moved into a care home a year ago they asked about her favourite things. I told them she loved listening to countertenor Hugh Cutting, male soprano Samuel Mariño (you can see them singing together here), watching early episodes of crime drama ‘Shetland’ (while Dougie Henshall was still in it), Charlie Bigham’s fish pie, and kittens. Thanks to her ipad, she was able to listen to lots of music at the home, and there was even a ‘pet therapy’ day where kittens (and rabbits and guinea pigs) were brought in for handling.

She had been diagnosed with dementia. Her words disappeared with frightening rapidity, but she still understood and enjoyed hearing stories about her own life. Luckily, around nine years ago I sat down with each of my parents and made a PDF of their life story. I am SO glad I did. Reading extracts of this memoir to her always brought a smile, and it felt like giving her a little bit of herself back each time I visited.

If you have an ageing relation, I heartily recommend talking to them about their life story, and writing it down. Don’t put it off, do it this weekend! I learned so many interesting things along the way too - for instance at university, Mum had a boyfriend called Robert Burns.

A lovely illustrator friend asked me to tell her all about Mum a couple of weeks ago - she was curious to know if that was where my creativity came from. “100%!” I said, and told her some stories to prove it. “No wonder creativity for you is your oxygen. It’s what you were fed,” she said, and that is so true. I actually feel a little bit suffocated whenever I have a few days when I can’t make anything - and I think Mum was the same.

Here we are in Devon a couple of years ago with my sister on the left. We were visiting Coleton Fishacre, and when we got back we had fun creating an imaginary character of that name. Mum even drew a picture of Sir Coleton, with handlebar moustache!

I’ll really miss Mum - her practical problem-solving, her unique take on life, her inventive mind. I’ll miss showing her things I’ve made, talking about family history, and looking at old photos (here she is looking at an album with my daughter):

One thing that has been an enormous comfort these last few weeks is reading old family letters - we have a HUGE boxful, including some Mum wrote to her parents as a new student in the early 50s, and others that my Dad received from his parents as a young man. I was really amused to see these notes on the back - he must have left them as messages to his flat-mates. ‘Gone to sea, back Thurs’ sounds like the kind of thing Moominpapa would have written, but Dad really did frequently go to sea as a young marine engineer.

Hourly comics day

Well, I’ve spent the last month thoroughly steeped in the past - but jumping right to the present, Hourly Comics Day is fast approaching! I’ve just discovered it’s now the 8th, not the 1st February, though I might do a warm-up today anyway as I have some interesting adventures planned. You can find out all about it, and the reason for the date change, with this button:

Hourly Comics Day

Last time I mentioned I was going to write a ‘Story Street Special’ about my take on the picture book industry. Well, that got derailed by events - but it will come, I promise.

Make sure you’re subscribed for this, and more. See you next time! And if you’re with family in reach of Herne Hill, south London, on Saturday 7th, February, do come along to my session at Stepping into Stories. It’s at 11am, booking details through the link below - and do check out all the other brilliant author/illustrator events that are part of the festival.

Stepping into Stories

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Welcome to 2026! The year that’s just ended had some ups and downs for me, and I’m glad it’s over. But there’s lots to look forward to - not least the start of term for my online comics class, which is genuinely one of the highlights of my week. There’s still time to join - click below to find out how. Keep reading for a trip to Paris, some illustration TREASURE featuring a quiz… and a very sad piano.

Online Comics Class

Here’s a linocut curlew to welcome you to whatever 2026 may bring. I’ll be at Stepping into Stories Kids’ Literature Festival in Herne Hill, south London on Saturday 7th February - the full programme isn’t up yet but save this link to find out more nearer the time:

Stepping into Stories

I’m also making plans for lots of fiddle-playing and sea-swimming, as well as developing some new ideas. But where do those ideas come from?

The character goldmine

Each term in my online comics class, we end with a party game. We take turns to describe someone we’ve met in our life, then we all draw that someone - but as an animal. I now have a book full of these characters that mix imagination with a spark of truth - perfect for dipping into for new story inspiration. It’s like a vault for sparking ideas.

Last term our theme was ‘former colleagues’. Here’s a few that I drew. The fun really starts when you put them together and see how they might interact: what would happen if Sally met Reg and fell for his wonky sausages?

If the idea of joining in with the game appeals, you still have time to sign up for the new term. We start on Wednesday 14th January, and it’s all live on zoom so you can join from anywhere in the world. There are three time slots: Morning 11-1, Afternoon 2.30-4.30pm and Evening 7-9pm (all UK time) and the cost is just £190 for ten x 2 hour sessions. STOP PRESS: the afternoon and evening groups are now FULL. A small number of places are still available in the morning group, so don’t delay if you’d like to book one. If you can only do afternoon or evening, it’s worth getting in touch anyway as occasionally students swap slots.

You can find all the info by clicking below, together with lots of generous testimonials from former students.

Online Comics Class

A continental jaunt

Late last year I was lucky enough to go on a weekend trip to Paris. Highlights included a Senegalese meal, a Greek lunch, a Japanese fabric shop, and some glimpses of medieval life at the Musée de Cluny. I particularly enjoyed the glorious carved curls and facial expression of this exasperated apostle…

…and the nonchalance of this Polish Madonna, casually holding a baby Jesus and an apple, while inside her all THIS is going on!

The tapestries were marvellous, strewn with bunnies and wildflowers, and I loved this detail: a workbasket of yarn which somehow builds a bridge from the 14th century to now.

A complete quadrat

Remember the project I started last month with Prior Park Primary School in Tweedmouth? Just before Christmas I spent another day at the school - and we made this 7x7 grid of collages, all inspired by the river and sea, and the algae I’ve been sampling as a citizen scientist. I was so proud of what these Year 4 and Year 5 children made.

Buried Treasure

I recently found something utterly delightful deep in the basment of a charity shop: a huge stash of reading primers from the late 60s and early 70s, for 50p each.

I particularly loved these pictures about writing, illustrated by someone I hadn’t heard of before: Ron Sandford. Do you know his work? Aren’t they solid gold treasure? I just looked him up, btw, and he’s still painting and living in Shetland, where he had an exhibition last year.

Several of the books feature work by illustrators who later became very well known. Here’s a mini-quiz for you to guess the artist - answers at the end.

A: Starting with a very, very easy one…

B:

C:

D:

Keep reading to find out who illustrated these books. I’d love to show you more but there are too many for one newsletter… I might share a few more next time.

Some picture book news

Be Bold Bob is out in paperback TODAY! And it’s only £7.99. It occurred to me recently to check the historical pricing of picture books and I was shocked to discover it’s barely changed in 20 years - while the price of everyday things like milk and beer has doubled or tripled. So why not grab yourself an utter bargain? Be Bold Bob is written by me and beautifully illustrated by Jenni Desmond, published by Walker Books (and Candlewick Press in the US). There’s a link below to order, but the best thing you can do is go to an independent bookshop and order it there.

Be Bold Bob

And if you are interested in picture books, do you know about SHELF magazine? I’ve just received Issue 3 and it really is excellent - thoughtful articles and so many reviews of marvellous titles I would not otherwise have known about. Highly recommended.

SHELF magazine

I’ve been thinking a lot about picture books, what’s involved in creating them, and how the industry works, and I’m contemplating doing a ‘Story Street Special’ with my musings - would you be interested in that? Let me know in the comments.

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That’s all for now. If you’ve enjoyed reading Story Street, do share with friends and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss any. It’s free!

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And finally: the answers to the quiz. A: Quentin Blake, B: Gerald Rose, C: David McKee, D: Posy Simmonds.

I’ll leave you with a sad piano I spotted, abandoned in the road. It was mesmerising, but look away now if you’re a piano player…

Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and growing-in-confidence fiddle player.

I’ve been reminiscing about my 200 childhood pets this month, as one of the themes in my comics class was ‘a pet diary’. Keep reading to find out what I unexpectedly had in common with these tiny green fiends. We had so much fun sharing our zines online in class - if that sounds like something that would cheer up your January, enrolment opens TODAY for next term! There’s more about the class later in the newsletter, or click this link now if you’d like to get straight to it…

Comics class info

Coastal collages

Here’s a collage I made as a demonstration for an art project I’ve been developing with Prior Park Primary School in Tweedmouth. It’s inspired by the citizen science sampling project I’ve been involved with since last year. We’ve been using quadrats to monitor the development of green algae - its growth is an indicator that too many nutrients are finding their way into the river Tweed. The children have had a session learning about the science side of it, and now each child is going to make a square collage inspired by the river and sea - collectively creating a 7x7 ‘quadrat’ of art. I hope to show you the finished work next time.

First, we made the ingredients: we had a lovely time finding out just how many different greens you can make with blue, yellow, white - and a microscopic dot of red. I showed my FAVOURITE art equipment - a Sticklebrick. I’ve used this simple toy in so many projects to create swirls, grids and wave-like textures.

We also made mono-printed textures - using the same techniques that I used with Kingsgate Primary School Camden earlier in the year to create artwork for a clean air monitor. We’re hoping the monitor will be launched early next year, but in the meantime if you’d like to know more, you can take a look through this link:

All about Clean Air for Camden

Or watch this video, which shows me demonstrating mono-printing and Sticklebricks in a school workshop, about half way through:

Pets, memories and instructions

In November all these beautiful zines arrived on my doormat from my comics students all over the world. I packaged them up into collections, and posted them out again - and I am happy to say they all arrived safely.

Each class chose a theme: we had ‘A Beginners’ Guide To…’; ‘A Childhood Memory’; and ‘A Pet Diary’. I always like to join in, but I didn’t have time to make three, so I had to think of something that would work for all the themes. Once I thought about it as a Venn diagram, there was only one thing in that intersection: stick insects! Here’s my zine, a 100% true story:

Did anyone else have dancing stick insects? You can find some evidence on YouTube if you’re curious.

It’s always lovely to hear how much the students have enjoyed the class:

“Your course has been an absolute joy.” Anna, London

“This has been such a fun and interesting course, and Jane is an amazing teacher! So much information in each session, and then lots of time to practise during the workshop. The group is really nice too – comics seem to allow full expression, maybe in a way that picture books don’t. We all get the same prompts and end up with very different work. If you’re thinking of having a go at comics, Jane’s course is a perfect starting point.” Claire, Devon

“Jane is a great teacher – I highly recommend the class if you get a chance!” Christie, Denver, Colorado

“I’ve really enjoyed the course. It’s definitely reinvigorated my storytelling muscles,” Clare, London

“This class has been such a joy to do, and the deeply black subject matter of both my zine attempts provided me with an outlet for my deeply black thoughts. I will reveal my mega-zine after Jane’s deadline when alongside fourteen classmates, we’ll exchange real, hard copies of our newly hatched zines and hopefully emit loud snorts of laughter.” Debi, Scotland

Those snorts of laughter were REAL. And we even had a song!

Enrolment is now open for next term, so if you’d like to join the fun, get in touch. It’s still a tremendous bargain at £190 for 10 live, interactive sessions. The first class is on Wednesday 14th January. There are three time-slots (all UK time): 11-1pm, 2.30-4.30pm and 7-9pm. The morning group always fills very fast, so don’t delay if you have got your eye on that one. Click this link for all the info:

Online Comics Class

Who knows what’s around the korna?

Meanwhile I’ve been continuing, with my sister, to clear our parents’ house for sale, now that my Mum is comfortably settled in a care home. It’s been physically and emotionally draining - but also in many ways a wonderful revelation, a gentle parting, and a fond farewell. There are thousands of hand written or hand-typed letters, from my parents to each other, from my grandparents, from great aunts, and many more besides.

Boxes of neatly-folded onion-skin airmail paper (Dad worked in Japan for a while in the 1970s) offer so many memories and insights. Updates about the guinea pigs (yes, we did eventually upgrade from stick insects), car breakdowns on the way to the Lake District, an outbreak of chicken pox - all these tiny family dramas are there to re-live on demand.

While it’s difficult to know what to do with all this paperwork, it’s also a rare thing to be able to see so vividly into the past, and to witness the same events from multiple perspectives. There were dutiful thank-you letters written by me that made me cringe - but this one gets to the point with perfect economy:

Who still writes letters now? What are we leaving behind from the 21st century, apart from several mountain ranges of tangled charger cables and bubble wrap… Shall we all start writing letters again? Hands up for pen pals! I came across this project recently which is valiantly trying to re-start letter writing if you fancy signing the pledge:

The Sunday Letter Project

I also discovered my first ever story. Here it is - I typed it myself aged 6:

If there are any publishers out there reading this, then yes, I AM still open to offers on this one.

Book shopping

If you are thinking about buying any presents for children over the next few weeks, how about a lovely picture book? You can buy all of mine as well as lots I can thoroughly recommend at my bookshop here:

Jane's bookshop

And if you fancy making a book-related charitable donation, here’s a couple of good causes that get books into the hands of children who might not have any otherwise:

Doorstep Library

Booktrust

I’m going to leave you with this autumnal stunner I saw in south Wales. The colours, the shape and the jaunty angle of the cap combined to give me a real thrill. I believe this mushroom is known as a Scarlet Waxcap, isn’t it a beauty?

If you’ve enjoyed reading Story Street, do share with friends and leave me a comment, I love getting those! See you in 2026, I’ll write again on January 1st.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

I’ve had a fiddle adventure and a footwear revolution this past month, as well as some delightfully productive days - and a sprinkling of strange dreams.

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes drawing from my diary showing me teaching my online comics class - wearing my brand-new shoes. They are the most comfortable ones I’ve ever had. Sadly I have got to an age where foot trouble seems to go with the territory, but I think I may have found a solution…or at least the beginnings of one.

On my bedside table is a copy of Wuthering Heights, which provided a fruitful prompt for the comics class - and also a rather disturbing dream featuring these two:

That small slimy girl placed her algae-covered hand in mine and wouldn’t let go - what can it mean? Meanwhile in my waking hours I’ve been making strides with two new projects. It’s a lovely feeling being on a roll with a new idea. There have been lots of days like this one:

…but some special events too.

A full fiddle circle

October is one of my favourite months, partly because I love yellow leaves, fungus and a chill in the air but ALSO because it’s Blazin’ in Beauly. This is a week of fiddle playing in the Highlands of Scotland led by folk superstars Blazin’ Fiddles.

(by the way, they are playing in London NEXT WEEK at King’s Place on 7th November, don’t miss it!)

This was my fourth year attending, and I really could feel the progress I’ve made since my first visit when I knew none of the tunes - and none of the people - and was a very, very hesitant player. This time I was joining in the sessions with a moderate amount of confidence, surrounded by friends!

When I went to Blazin in Beauly for the first time in 2022, I had just finished writing Be Bold Bob, the story of an elephant who yearns to sing in public but is too nervous to perform. The story is actually about me and my fiddle playing, and for some reason that year I decided to put myself RIGHT out of my comfort zone, and stood up with trembling knees to play in front of EVERYONE.

They couldn’t have been a kinder audience, and proved that what I wrote in the story was true: nobody minds if you get it wrong.

This year I took to the stage again - but this time, I read everyone the story, which is now a picture book (illustrated by Jenni Desmond). What a joy it was to be able to tell it to this warm wonderful group of people who helped me, like Bob, to overcome my fear of performing in public.

It was a glorious week featuring medieval dancing, a whisky fountain at the fun run, brilliant tutors and spectacular concerts, and all topped off with a ceilidh that left me barely able to move the next morning.

But the most thrilling event of the week was spotting in the bar in the small hours of the morning the very person who inspired me to take up the fiddle in the first place, nine years ago, on the Isle of Colonsay. And best of all, playing a tune with her at 3am! Thankyou Jen, what a treat and an honour, I feel a natural circle has been completed.

A Bob in the window

Berwick Literary Festival was a blast - I went to lots of events and even appeared in one. Thankyou to everyone at the library for making me so welcome - it was great fun to make story maps with 15 children and hear them tell their stories back to the group at the end. I read them Be Bold Bob, and Bob himself had a lovely week in the window of stationery shop Grieves:

Another highlight was a poetry workshop with Tasneim Zyada , a British-Palestinian poet with some wonderful techniques for extracting emotional gems from the psyche.

And then there was the…

Print factory tour

Who doesn’t love a great big bucket of gloopy egg-yolk printing ink? This was one of many delights in a tour of Martin’s print works in Spittal.

As well as printing books, Martin’s is the home of Pith Supply sketchbooks (they have no spine so open beautifully flat). I’ve been using one all year and it was good to see where (and how) they are made.

The building used to be a spade factory, and here’s all the digging implement remnants they found under the floor.

Don’t you love a giant hopper of offcuts? I was dying to grab a handful and make them into something… maybe some hedgehogs, or wigs? Anyway, I resisted…. for now.

Thankyou Andrew and everyone at Martin’s for the brilliant tour!

Online Comics Class update

The new term of my online comics class starts on January 14th 2026, and I am already getting enquiries in. Enrolment opens on December 1st - if you’d like a reminder by email, let me know, and in the meantime there’s more info here:

Online Comics Class

I’ve been busy getting my zine ready for our termly International Zine Swap. I don’t want to give too much away, but my story contains a pet that had 200 babies, a childhood CRIME, and a strange side-effect of Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest hits. I’ll show it to you in the next issue of Story Street. Make sure you are subscribed (it’s free) so you can read all about it on December 1st.

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I’m going to leave you in the company of Cosmo and Bryn, two majestic shire horses I met on a golden autumn morning last week. They were in Richmond upon Thames celebrating the arrival of Young’s Winter Warmer, which is launched each year with a hearty cooked breakfast and several pints of beer. These beauties were up at 3am having their manes plaited specially.

I hope your November is not too gloomy. I’m looking forward to getting out my lino cutting tools and I hope finally finishing the hat I’ve been knitting, which I have unravelled THREE TIMES so far due to incompetence. See you in December!

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

It’s been a good month for filling up the inspiration cup. After seeing a colourful 5-person worm costume, and a glorious feminist flag project, I’ve felt prompted to get making. And that includes a first for me: haymaking! Read on to find out more…

I spent a morning in Alnmouth renewing my sketchbook habit - it’s funny how often I put off doing this, then once I start I always find it immensely relaxing. This stained glass window in a church in Alnmouth made me want to get stencilling - look at what elegant toes this sheep has:

A grand day out in Folkestone

Every three years the seaside town of Folkstone holds a big art festival, where sculptures and arty interventions spring up in unexpected locations. And every three years, I have a lovely day trip there with my friend Jill. This year my favourite artwork was this one:

‘Song Dynasty’ by Rae-Yen Song at Folkestone Triennial

It’s a costume for five family members, inspired by an ancient marine worm and reinterpreting a traditional Chinese lion or dragon dance costume. The artist made it with and for her family, using inherited fabrics and ceramic talismans made by her parents. There’s a lovely short video about the piece here if you’d like to see it being made:

Song Dynasty by Rae-Yen Song

The Folkestone Triennial is still on until 19th October, so if you get a chance to go, do! Top tip: if you want to browse the many delightful independent shops in this seaside town, avoid a Monday or Tuesday when they are mostly shut.

A touch of Tolstoy

At the end of September I rolled up my sleeves and took part in some community haymaking in Berwick - raking in the dried wildflowers and grasses after a hot week felt a tiny bit like being in a Tolstoy novel.

I was sad to miss Southfields Harvest this year, but it was nice to know that the basket of papier maché fruit and veg made by my mum a few years ago was on display - just look at that corrugated rhubarb and celery!

Fluttering fabrics and positive stories

Here in the UK our national flags have become somewhat troubled, especially this summer. It’s hard to feel proud of something that’s being flaunted as a symbol of utter unwelcome. Yet colourful fabrics flapping on a pole can still be a lovely thing - as shown by a project currently happening in Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town is fluttering with colours, and each design represents the story of a woman from Berwick’s history, from peace activist Joy Mitchell to sweet shop lady Aggie Knowles who beat rationing during WW2 by giving children broken shards of chocolate. Her Extraordinary Colours was led by artist Beth J Ross, who worked over ten weeks with a group of local women to research the stories and design the flags. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the results by two of the participants - thanks Jane and Aileen!

If you’d like to find out more, click the link below. The flags are going to be fluttering until 12th Ocotober.

Her Extraordinary Colours

Friendly beanies and frilly nightmares

The new comics term has got off to a lovely start - Wednesdays are always a treat. ‘Getting Dressed’ proved a very fruitful prompt last week, with stories about favourite hats and most hated childhood party frocks.

If you’d like to see at taste of what my students have made in class, check out Debi Gliori’s story about dealing with hip pain, Martina Aiko on her high school prom shoes, Caroline Rudge on the eternity it can take to get children ready to go out, and Emma Cavill’s naughty pizza-stealing dog.

This is what Emma says about the course:

Jane’s approach makes comics feel accessible, but thinking in story sequences rather than individual scenes is stretching my brain in the best possible way. It feels like I’m levelling up creatively!

If you fancy joining my online comics class in January, send me a message and I’ll let you know when enrolment opens up.

A big cheese

I’ve been working on a very exciting collaboration lately - more on this soon I hope, but it has involved asking some BIG questions:

If you could ask anyone anything, what would it be?

Come and make a story map with me!

On Saturday 10th October at 2pm I’ll be running a fun family workshop for Berwick Literary Festival - it’s all about inventing stories using my special story map. And I’ll be reading Be Bold Bob too! This one-hour event is free, but you’ll need to book - there’s a link in the button below.

Book for Berwick Literary Festival event

Brain crumbs

I’m going to leave you with a tip. I know it’s been around for 30 years, but I have just picked up a copy of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and I’m now doing Morning Pages - where you scrawl what’s on your mind without stopping over three pages first thing in the morning. It’s like vacuuming crumbs out of your brain before you start the day.

By complete chance, the very day I started I happened to read Lucia Leyfield’s post about the morning pages habit - have you tried it yet? Let me know!

That’s all for now. If you enjoyed reading this, do share with a friend. See you in November, and in the meantime enjoy those misty mornings.

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PS. Thankyou Chris Haughton for organising a statement on Palestine on behalf of children’s authors, illustrators and educators - see the link below for more info.

Statement on Palestine

Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

We’re on the brink of Autumn and I’m looking forward to the new season. On 11th October I’ll be at Berwick Literary Festival running a story map workshop for ages 5-8 - it’s free but pre-booking is required. Do come and join me!

If you’re getting that ‘new pencil case’ feeling and would like some gentle, fun drawing challenges each week in a warm and supportive group, why not join my online comics class? Keep reading for more on this - or find out more right now by clicking this button:

Online comics class info

Now read on to find out how August went - including a glimpse into my teenage years, how I had a go at stone carving, and what’s inspired me lately.

Skipping

The BIG clearing project I was busy with last month continued. I’ve been sorting and sifting and heaving and lifting and trying hard to find new homes for all the things in my Mum’s house. Freecycle has led to some delightful encounters - a paper conservator came for a filing cabinet, and a film-set-designing young couple for a coffee table and piano stool. But I did hit a wall with some things, and that’s where a very big skip came in handy - and so did my son and daughter!

My lovely friend who worked in a library for many years came and sorted out my Dad’s bookshelves in a very professional way - thanks Fee!

I’ve spent a lot of days decluttering and it’s really given me a good chance to say goodbye slowly to the house. This was my actual teenage bedroom wallpaper:

- a proper slice of the 1970s! Can you see the faces in it? It still makes me think of eating Callard & Bowser liquorice toffees in silver and black striped wrappers (anyone else remember those discontinued teeth-wreckers as fondly as I do?) while reading The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

Clearing your childhood home is hard. And when it came to the last day before handing the keys to the estate agent, the sadness hit and I found I was making excuses not to leave. But as always, processing it in my diary really helped. I found so many interesting bits and pieces I decided to switch to a scrap-book format - photographed here on a crochet blanket made by my Granny from unravelled jumble sale jumpers.

If you’d like to keep a comic diary of your own, why not join my online comics class this month? The classes are for ten weeks on Zoom each Wednesday - the morning slot is now full, but I do have some availability in the afternoon group (2.30-4.30pm UK time) or the evening group (7-9pm UK time). The cost is just £190 and we start on Weds 17th September.

Here’s a few testimonials - click the button below for loads more, and all the details about joining.

“I have loved taking Jane’s comics class so much, I’m going to enrol for another session. Taking time aside every week to experiment with different lines and mediums gave me so much inspiration and I learned so much from not only Jane, but the others in the class. The zine activity inspired a whole new comic book series, thank you Jane!” Sandra, Montréal

“This course has given me so much inspiration, energy and ideas. Being given briefs and challenges always reinvigorates my practise but this has been especially wonderful. Thankyou Jane and everyone else on the course for your positivity and warmth.” Georgia, London

“Thanks so much for the lovely and thoughtful class! I’m so glad I joined. It gave me the push to do something I’ve been wanting to try for years. Hope to take the course again down the line” Anne, Chicago

Online Comics Class info

Jurassic smells and sparrow pecks

For many years I’ve wanted to try my hand at stone carving. And thanks to Create Berwick and The Straw Yard I finally got my chance at a wonderful workshop taught by stone carving artist Josephine Crossland, assisted by Luke Batchelor. Under their gentle guidance, eight students spent the day tapping away with chisels at eight blocks of Portland limestone, and it was amazing what we all produced by the end of the day. Here’s mine:

The stippled effect is called ‘sparrow pecking’ - I love learning new vocabularly like that. I can’t wait to try my hand at more carving.

One stone carving fact that blew my mind was that as we tapped, strange bursts of smell would suddenly waft towards our nostrils. It turned out that these were ACTUAL JURASSIC SMELLS trapped in the stone for over 100 million years and released by our chipping!

I still can’t get my head around that. It wasn’t a nice smell (sulphur or rotten eggs), but it was amazing to sense it all the same. A huge thankyou to Jo and Luke, as well as everyone at The Straw Yard and Create Berwick.

Red earth and ferny snakes

I was very inspired by the exhibition Andy Goldsworthy | Fifty Years at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. These ochre cloths are dyed with the reddest earth from each of the United States:

And this giant serpent caught my eye from across the room - I couldn’t work out what it was until I went closer…

…and it turned out to be ferns, stripped on one side and carefully pinned with thorns.

I found the whole exhibition really exciting - it made me want to run out onto a hillside and throw a bunch of sticks wildly into the wind just to see where they would land. If you get a chance, do go - it’s on until 2nd November.

Before I go, here’s a reminder to book your FREE ticket to join me at Berwick Literary Festival on 11th October here - do share the link with friends and family in Northumberland or the Scottish Borders:

Join me at Berwick Literary Festival!

I’m going to leave you with a couple of dream homes: first is this lovely seaside hut - wouldn’t this be a fine thing to draw? I spotted it on the Fife coast on a nostalgic trip to more childhood haunts last month…

Then I spotted THIS in a charity shop window in the Scottish Borders and my eyes were on stalks - it’s lucky the shop was shut or I would have bought it on the spot in direct contravention of my new ‘no clutter’ policy:

Don’t forget to subscribe and share if you’ve enjoyed this newsletter! See you on 1st October.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

Waders have been on my mind this month - mainly the rubbery chest-high sort, though I have been listening to curlews too. Being in a lull between commissioned work, I decided to press on with my passion project, and have been racing through bottles of ink finishing artwork for The Ghost Carp. It’s a re-telling of the story of Moby Dick, but set on an urban river - and I have been enormously enjoying working on it again after a shamefully long hiatus. I’m on a roll!

I’ll keep you posted on progress, but in the meantime read on to find out how I ticked something off my (very short) bucket list, how you can sign up for my online comics class starting in September, and a miraculous furniture restoration tip!

Sleeping on an iron…

If you are starting to think about a new activity for autumn, why not try my online comics class? These are some of the zine bundles from our termly swap in July - just imagine something this lovely popping through your letterbox in time for Christmas.

The morning class is now full but there are still some spaces left in the afternoon (2.30-4.30pm) and evening (7-9pm, all UK time) groups. It’s on Zoom, for two hours a week for ten weeks - it’s live, interactive, lots of fun and will definitely get you drawing - all for only £190. Click the button below for all the info.

Online comics class info

We always end each term with drawing games. We take turns to describe a real person while everyone takes notes - then we all draw that person as an animal. This term our theme was grandparents. My favourite Grandma was this Japanese one who claimed to be able to sleep anywhere, and proved it by sleeping on an iron! We had some debate about whether using a pillow as well made it still count…

…and sleeping in a boat!

I’ve always thought of myself as a good sleeper too - though I’ve never thought of resting on any small electrical appliances. But it’s been a long-held dream of mine to sleep under the stars in a rowing boat - and I’ve finally done it. It happened on a three-day expedition with my rowing club, up the Thames from Teddington to Henley. We had an overnight stop in Cookham, and it was a hot clear night. I felt there would never be a better time to tick this off my bucket list, and a friend agreed to sleep in the other boat (thanks Vanessa!)

I settled into my bivvy bag which was nestled in a big sheepskin rug. It was like being in a cradle, gently rocking every time I moved – I didn’t even want to go to sleep. It was magical lying looking up at the stars with bats swooping overhead (and thankyou, bats, for dealing with any biting insects before they spotted me). I didn’t get very much sleep, but it was worth it. Here I am looking a bit dishevelled in my pyjamas at 4am, just as light was creeping into the sky.

What’s on YOUR bucket list? I had only two things on mine and now there’s only one left - can you guess what it is? I’d better think of some more to add, it feels a little bit dangerous having a one-item bucket list.

I love librarians

Back in March I launched a poetry-writing competition at Albemarle Primary School in Southfields. I made the best entries into a little booklet, and last month I went back to the school to present the books to the winning poets in assembly. The theme was ‘an invitation’ and I was so impressed with the ideas the children came up with.

The children were radiating joy at being published in a book, and we all signed each other’s copies afterwards. Then one of the children asked if the book would be in the library - and since I was passing it on the way home, I said I’d see what I could do. I am happy to say the lovely staff at the library accessioned the book on the spot, and are making a special plinth for it to go on ‘reference only’ display!

Here’s Catherine, the children’s librarian, with the poetry book:

I finally made a violin (sort of)

Regular readers will know that almost two years ago I started a course to make a violin. I was a million miles out of my comfort zone and found the precision-measuring required was beyond me, and eventually gave up. Last month I went to Merton College one last time to empty my locker and say goodbye, and I made a violin for my tutor. It included a tiny cardboard bridge and I managed to string it with golden thread - and added teddy bear eyes to the pegs just for fun.

(that’s the Stradivarius ‘Messiah’ on the postcard for comparison). I’ll miss my luthier pals and the workshop banter - but I’m definitely better working with light card and scissors than sycamore and razor-sharp chisels.

Staying earthed

July was a lot of fun but I had hard things to do too. I’ve been clearing my parents’ house to sell, and it is stuffed with 63 years of memories, hard drives, chisels, box files, filing cabinets and crockery, casseroles, socks, thousands of books and THINGS of every description, both home-made and otherwise. I’ve been trying valiantly to find new homes for all these items: the clarinet is going to a music school in Galway - success! My street whatsapp found takers for two tripods, a blood pressure gauge, a tangle of extension leads and a vacuum cleaner - and my daughter has been a whizz with organising Freecycling.

What’s heartbreaking is how hard it is to find homes for things that have been loved. I spent the morning polishing ring marks out of coffee tables -

– only to have them rejected by the charity furniture collection man (“nope, stained”). I had a very dispiriting couple of days, but luckily I had brought my comic diary and documented the frustrations as I went along. It also forced me to sit down and rest for 20 minute bursts.

Afterwards I reflected that if the difficult tasks, sadness and frustration were some kind of electricity, drawing it in my diary was my way of safely earthing that dangerous current and bringing back some calm and control.

If you’d like to know more about my diary practice, I made a video a few months ago celebrating ten years of documenting my life in comic form, and you can watch it here:

Diary video

Mayonnaise Miracle

My frantic attempts to restore a table to please the charity collection man would have gone a lot more smoothly if I had known then what I know now: there is a miracle furniture restoration product in your fridge right now.

A friend told me about this and at first I thought I had misheard - try putting mayonnaise on a table to take out coffee rings. But IT WORKS!

See before and after pictures below and marvel, and do give it a try if you have any furniture in distress…

Two lovely new books

I’d like to recommend to you a couple of beautiful new picture books. Sid and Sam by Zehra Hicks is an utterly charming and heartfelt look at deep friendship and loss, but delivered with humour and a gentle, light touch.

And Five Little Friends by Sean Taylor and Fiona Woodcock is a sumptuous collection of finger rhymes for little ones - it’s playful, interactive and so beautifully illustrated. AND it’s double the normal length of a picture book so bumper value!

Drawing day

It’s become a tradition each July to meet up with some of my former students from Putney School of Art and spend the day sketching in Fulham Palace Walled Garden, in memory of our friend Jane de Rome. While we were drawing, a butterfly visited, and we all had a strong sense that the butterfly was Jane joining in - can you spot it on my hat?

Here’s some flowers from the Walled Garden at Fulham Palace to welcome you to August. See you next month - and if you have enjoyed this newsletter, do make sure you’ve subscribed (it’s free) and share with friends.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

I’m always secretly glad when we tip past the solstice and I can say ‘the nights are drawing in’ - I find it impossible to rest while it’s daylight and I usually end up feeling frazzled by midsummer. I celebrated the switch to longer nights with a late-night swim in a thunderstorm, and it was exhilarating.

In this issue of Story Street: where to look for inspiration, dabbling with kittiwakes, remembering my life-sized papier-maché man - and a little flavour of my online comics class zine swap. Enrolment is now open for the autumn term starting Wednesday 17th September - read on for more about the class later in this newsletter, but if you are in a hurry here’s a link:

Online comics class info

Do read all the reviews, they are RAVES! Here’s just a couple of recent ones:

“I’m currently taking Jane Porter’s fantastic Diary Comics online course, which has been pushing me to think about storytelling in completely new ways. Jane is brilliant at helping you see the narrative potential in everyday moments.” Emma, Somerset

“Thanks for the fab course, I’m loving it and I don’t want it to end!” Catriona, Scottish Borders

The golden coach sparkled as it bumped along…

For the past couple of years I’ve been a regular visitor at a local primary school. It’s something I volunteer to do, as I get so much joy out of the visits. The children know me now, and say hello with great excitement when they spot me in the public library.

For the summer term, the school made my picture book King Otter a focus for the whole of Key Stage 2 - what an honour! The velvet toy I made has been on a couple of visits to the school already, but when I went to the nursery there last week, I was thrilled to see that they had made a golden coach for his majesty. King Otter was delighted to be towed around in style by ‘unicorns’, to many cheers.

Year 2 then showed me the picture books they have been making, and I was dazzled by their imaginings - and a little bit jealous too. ‘DJ Flamingo’ was a favourite - in the story, the flamingo’s parents wanted him to be an archaeologist, but turned out to be tricking him as they loved music all along: a great plot twist. Meantime I’ve also been working on a new story, and I took the opportunity to test an early draft on Year 1 - their response was most encouraging and they gave me a few useful suggestions too. I tried the story with my regular nursery group too - and when I showed them some early sketches they all wanted to kiss the cat, who is now a bit smudgy!

Buy King Otter

My dream man

The new story I’m working on is about a small creature who has a big dream. While I was writing it I remembered that when I was in my early 20s, I dreamed one night of making a huge papier maché crocodile. When I woke up the next morning, I had a strong urge to make the dream come true, but instead of a crocodile, I made a larger-than-life man. Make of that what you will… I think I was definitely feeling inspired by Tim Hunkin at the time. Here he is:

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that my dream man is holding a copy of Horticulture Week - where at the time I was employed as an editorial assistant. He went on to live for a few years in my sister’s bathroom where he scared child visitors, before ending up in a scrap store in Swansea.

Wild Detectives

I was recently asked about where my ideas come from by Katy Dycus for The Wild Detectives, a bookstore and bar in Dallas, Texas. It’s not just from dreams! Katy asked all sorts of interesting questions about what motivates me to write and draw - as well as about the process of collaboration and all the highs and lows along the way to publication. And why reading is so important for developing empathy. Here’s a snippet, and there’s a link to the full interview below.

Katy: Lastly, what motivates you?

Jane: I suppose what completes the circle is doing school visits and reading stories to children and seeing their response. You can tell straight away whether a story is working or not. It’s always very touching when they come up afterwards and say things like “this was the best day of my life!” Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

Read the interview here

Here’s a snippet from my diary that shows just how magical school visits can be:

I can’t tell you how much I treasured those tiny clouds!

Egg yolk and primrose

Sometimes inspiration comes from being out and about. Just soaking in a new place replenishes the creative juices like nothing else. I spent the day in Edinburgh recently with a friend, and we had a delightful potter in galleries and charity shops, all of which left me itching to start painting. I really enjoyed this mural in Stockbridge…

But the thing I was most excited about was this detail, spotted on the way home: freshly painted yellow lines where classic egg-yolk suddenly meets unorthodox primrose. I couldn’t take my eyes off it…

A few days previously I’d been to Newcastle with my cousins, and we loved seeing the kittiwakes nesting below the iconic lettering at the Baltic. I’d recently picked up and primed two charity shop canvases, so I had a go at painting the birds. Definitely a work in progress - I have no idea what I am doing with oil paints. But I’ll keep at it. Any tips welcome! The ‘not drying for DAYS’ bit is hard to get my head around.

Online Comics Class enrolment is now open

A huge amount of inspiration also springs from my online comics class. Each term we play a drawing game, loosely inspired by comics genius Lynda Barry, in which students take turns to describe someone in their life (a grandparent, their first teacher etc). We all then draw that person, but as an animal. I now have a big fat book of characters ready to go. Recently I picked three, and made them into a story - let’s see what happens next.

The highlight of the class is the Zine Swap. Zines have been arriving from as far afield as Tasmania and the Philippines, New York and Switzerland. Feeling globally connected is one of the (many) things I really love about teaching this class. Here’s just a taster of some of the lovely zines (and stamps, and envelopes) that have been pouring in:

If you’d like to join the fun next term, here are the dates - it’s still just £190 for the ten week term, and the class is live on Zoom with lots of interaction and feedback.

Autumn 2025: Wednesday 17th September to 26th November, with a one-week half-term break on 15th October (NOTE: there are 4 classes before half term, and 6 after). Enrolment opens TODAY, July 1st.

Full details through the button below:

All about my online comics class

I’m going to end with an embroidery update: weeds are growing all over my denim jacket. The question is, when to stop - but not until I’ve done some cow parsley with French knots…

The world is a distressing place, and I do sometimes wonder what the point is of this idle chatter while self-aggrandising despots are trampling and crushing people and the environment alike. But I hope this has at least lifted your spirits a little. And if you want to do something to help, there are some lovely risograph prints by lots of talented illustrators including Melissa Castrillon for sale to help families in Gaza here:

Rise Raise Riso

See you next month! Don’t forget to subscribe and share - and check out my recommended books if you need to buy a child a lovely present.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

May is always my favourite month of the year - and this time I’ve spent most of it at northerly latitudes, sneaking in a few last woolly-hat-and-jumper days before summer starts in earnest. In this issue of Story Street: bridge pigment, embroidery and banners, puffins and folk music, Be Bold Bob crosses the Atlantic, a beautiful book about a Black Tudor Trumpeter - and why reading is so important for children.

Bridge pigment

I took part in a lovely project led and devised by Edinburgh-based artist Annie Lord. Annie was artist in residence as part of the celebrations last year of the 400th anniversary of Berwick upon Tweed’s oldest bridge. She created paint from some of the sandstone dust left as restorers worked on the bridge, and set it into tiny palettes made from shells.

Here’s the paint, beautifully presented in a wool-lined origami box, which immediately reminded me of something:

I nearly rosined my bow with it a few times!

Everyone who signed up to take part was given a box of paint, with the name of a person who worked on making the original bridge. We then gathered with Annie to make drawings of the bridge, using the pigment. Here’s my painting - the character I chose was a carpenter, so I added a frame of 17th century wood-working tools.

And here’s the bridge in real life - framed by the adjacent 1920s road bridge.

Bob takes a bow across the Atlantic

June 3rd is US publication day for Be Bold Bob, written by me and illustrated by Jenni Desmond. Here’s one of Jenni’s glorious pictures showing Bob feeling very unsure about performing in a show… if you know any shy children, this could be the perfect gift for them.

Be Bold Bob is published in the US by Candlewick Press - click the button below for details.

Be Bold Bob US edition

Celebrating John Blanke

A stunning book arrived in the post for me recently - ‘Who Is John Blanke? Historians and Artists Reimagine the Black Tudor Trumpeter’, edited by Michael I. Ohajuru.

The book is the beautifully-produced record of an exhibition that has toured from London to Liverpool and New York, honouring the first person of African descent in British history for whom there exists an image and a record.

John Blanke is shown on the Great Tournament Roll of Westminster playing trumpet - and it was this image that inspired Michael to invite over 100 artists and historians to create art and poetry inspired by this musician in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII.

I met Michael many years ago when I created a set of ‘postage stamps’ as part of a schools project for Sutton House in Hackney - including one showing John Blanke. And I was very honoured when Michael invited me to be part of the project, and to have my stamp in this book. You can find out more here:

Who Is John Blanke?

Sewing, samplers…and sewage

I am completely incapable of resisting a new hobby, so when I spotted a ‘freeform embroidery workshop’ poster recently, I signed up on the spot. It was at Jennie’s Wool Shop in Berwick upon Tweed. Appropriately enough, we stitched our designs onto a plaid tweed - much less daunting than pristine calico. I was quickly hooked.

A few years ago I had a fad of decoupaging every piece of furniture I could get my hands on. I had a lot of fun sticking speech bubbles from The Beano onto pictures of Bob Dylan or Elvis and then slapping on 15 layers of varnish.

I think I might go the same way with embroidery, minus the Beano and the varnish… any piece of fabric is now in my sights. My first target is a second-hand denim jacket that is crying out for some grasses and seed-heads to sprawl all over the back. Watch this space. In the meantime, here’s my tweedy sampler.

In other sewing news, there’s nothing I love more than making a banner. So when I heard that there was to be an event in Berwick as part of Surfers Against Sewage’s Big Paddle Out, I got my sewing machine out. I couldn’t resist adding a little trim of waves at the bottom…

And here’s another banner I made 18 months ago - and I am very sorry that it’s still needed:

More island adventures

If you’ve been reading Story Street for a while you might remember a trip I made to Orkney two summers ago. Well I’ve been back, and this time I spotted a puffin! The huge wide skies, wildlife and empty beaches of Orkney were magnificent.

One of the things I loved most of all was a sequence of 12 paintings, made over 40 years ago by 13 year-olds on the Isle of Arran as a gift to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Those children brought such quiet dignity to this gruesome murder:

The main focus of the visit was Orkney Folk Festival, which showcased so many marvellous musicians that I am still processing all the delights. If you want a taster, here are some of my favourites: Gnoss, Fara, The Maes, Malin Lewis, Frigg, The Chair - but there were many, many more.

I learned a couple of Finnish fiddle tunes in a workshop with Frigg, then plucked up the courage to join one of the many sessions held around Stromness. Two years ago I went to an Orkney Weekender in London, and one of the musicians there said:

“If you learn to play ‘Gairsay’, you’ll be 10% Orcadian, and if you keep playing it you’ll be 30% Orcadian.”

Needless to say I have been working hard on that tune (I did find myself wishing my schooldays had been spent at Kirkwall Grammar School where fiddle playing is on the curriculum). And when Kristan Harvey from Fara led a session with ‘Gairsay’ and I JOINED IN actually in Orkney, it made my day! If you’d like to learn it too, here’s a lovely video of Kristan playing the tune:

Gairsay

Reading Rights and the benefits of books

In May, Booktrust launched a report called ‘Reading Rights: Books Build A Brighter Future’. It’s an excellent report, which I read in full and I recommend that you do too:

Reading Rights Booktrust Campaign

“For too long, the life-changing benefits of children’s reading have not been taken seriously. And now – as our children face an unknown future – we risk losing a generation unless we act.” – Frank Cottrell-Boyce

The report is a very thorough look at exactly how and why reading/being read to is so important for children, backed up with science showing how a child’s heartbeat slows down and goes in synch with a parent or carer when being read to.

If you’re lucky enough to have small children in your life, read to them whenever you can. Here’s a drawing by me celebrating reading, from an idea I’m developing at the moment - I wanted the artwork to be as UN-digital as possible.

I’m aiming for it to feel loose, scratchy and REAL, prompted in part by despair at the relentless, unchecked plundering and regurgitation of artwork by AI firms - encouraged by the UK government who don’t seem at all interested in protecting the rights of creatives.

If you are interested in updates on this, check Against the Box for very thorough, regular updates.

Against the Box AI updates

Illustrators’ retreat

I was joined in Berwick at the beginning of May by six illustrator friends - we had a lovely time making tea on the beach, sketching and plotting stories. But since I have run out of space in this newsletter, and Momoko Abe has written about our weekend so nicely, I’m going to give you this link to find out more!

Momo's Doodle Den

That’s all for now. I’ll write again on July 1st. Don’t forget to subscribe (for free) and share with friends if you have enjoyed reading this issue of Story Street.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

This picture is an attempt to sum up my April… it’s been a busy but magical month, and in between many workshops I’ve made myself sit down and work on a brand new idea. I hope you can tell I am excited about it.

North London has been where I’ve been spending time lately, running a series of workshops. The first set were in a school in Kilburn, exploring air pollution. It’s been great to work with the same group of children for several weeks, and having temporary colleagues - Jonathan from Clean Air for Camden and Steve and Madeleine from Schools on Screen who have been filming the whole project - has been a lovely change from the usual solitary illustrator existence.

Jonathan has been teaching the children all about particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, while I have been showing them how to make mono-printed textures, giving them tips on colour mixing, and letting them loose with collage. Isn’t this a charming row of houses, all belting out carbon like there’s no tomorrow! Mono-print has the perfect grainy, grimy feel for that…

I’m currently putting it all together in a giant digital file which will be printed onto a wrapper for an air pollution monitor on Kilburn High Road. It’s going to include a panel encouraging people to walk, scoot or cycle rather than drive short distances. I’ll show you once it’s installed.

Bears in star costumes (tightrope walking)

At the beginning of April I spent some at Jacksons Lane Arts Centre in Highgate running two creative sessions at this wonderful community hub celebrating its 50th birthday this year. The first was with older adults, reminiscing about what the centre has meant to them over the years. The second was with children: I created a little zine template for them to draw and write their ‘wild ideas’ for the next 50 years - and those ideas blew my mind.

It’s always fun in Photoshop when you’re juggling layers with names like ‘unicycle’ and ‘small axolotl’. It’s also been a hoot making little posters for plays that don’t exist yet - these are some of the children’s suggestions:

Which show would you like to book tickets for? I’m torn between Turkey Circus and the moonstruck spider…. If you find yourself in Highgate, do drop in to Jacksons Lane, you’ll find a warm welcome and a lovely cafe.

Making a mural

Over a year ago I started painting a mural. Our neighbours built a giant wall, and I wanted to cheer up our side of it. I was inspired by a Victor Pasmore painting (Square Motif, Blue and Gold: The Eclipse) that I’d spotted in Tate Britain a few years ago - the big blocks of colour and geometric shapes lent themselves well to being scaled up, flipped and generally rejiggled. I stalled over winter, but a couple of weeks ago I finally finished it - here it is:

I did a bit of research before I started and was very surprised to find that acrylic paints are recommended for outdoor murals. I was doubtful, but went ahead anyway - and sure enough, the panels I painted first have held up well to a year’s worth of weathering.

Four muddy frogs and a pond poem

I’ve been tinkering in the garden too. Underneath an overhanging ash tree is a very small, dank pond. It used to be teeming with frogs, but had shown no signs of life for several years. I decided to dig it out: here’s what happened next…

The whole experience inspired me to write a poem. I’ve been in a poetry club since the beginning of last year, and we choose prompts from the brilliant book 52: Write a Poem a Week, Start Now, Keep Going by Jo Bell. Our latest topic was ‘Nearly’, and even while I was refilling the pond I realised I had the perfect material and started writing straight away. Here’s the poem, I hope you enjoy it:

If you’d like to know more about frogs, I’ve written a non-fiction picture book all about them, with wonderful illustrations by Neil Clark. Click the button below to learn more about this funny fact book, just right for ages 4-9:

So You Want To Be A Frog

Bucketface and other serious games

Mucking around, messing about and generally being silly have also been on my agenda lately. The nursery I visit most weeks kindly let me stay for the morning just to play - it was fun, but also very serious research for the Big Project I’m developing in that notebook pictured at the top of the newsletter.

Attempting to become a lark

Getting up early is something I am not very good at… but sometimes it really is worth it. Early in April, a friend in my rowing club suggested an outing to enjoy the dawn chorus from the water - meeting at 5.15am, a time of day I am not at all familiar with. Could I? Should I? I dithered, then took the plunge…

Instructions were to bring warm clothes and marmalade sandwiches, so I set my alarm for 04.30 and forced myself out of bed the moment it beeped. I’m so glad I did - the river was still and mirror-smooth in the dark, and every tiny sound was amplified in a magical way.

As the light crept in, the birdsong grew louder. As our eyes slowly adjusted, we spotted a mysterious bulky creature out there on the water, looming steadily closer like something in a 1950s horror movie. It turned out to be a full floating bin bag, which we rescued and put in the proper place. What a beautiful morning it was - you can enjoy a snippet of it too if you click on the video below - make sure you have your sound on not just for the birds but also the gentle splosh of the oars. Thankyou so much Claire!

The Skiff Club

A few fritillaries, and other botanical wonders

Spring is when I start to get an overwhelming urge to be outside. I was very happy to be invited by Bonnie Radcliffe to ‘Wander with Me’ - a regular feature in her newsletter about walks, nature, creativity and more. You can find out more in Bonnie’s Wild Quiet Folk newsletter:

Wild Quiet Folk

April is the month for my annual fritillary foray. Iffley Meadows Nature Reserve in Oxford is renowned for thousands of tiny purple chequerboards blooming in this Thames-side water meadow. But my carefully timed trip yielded just a handful - the endless dry days seemed to have taken their toll - and the meadow had been flood-less all winter. Here’s hoping for more snake’s head fritillaries next spring.

Here’s a plant-based treat from indoors: this Brazilian Eidelweiss looks like a prehistoric tennis ball for most of the year, then suddenly these furry leaves emerge…

And finally here’s some lilacs scrumped from a top-secret roadside spot that I visit with my snippers every spring…

See you next month - enjoy the cow parsley, bird song and other May delights! If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, do share and make sure you’re subscribed - it’s free, and only once a month, so I solemnly promise not to overwhelm your inbox.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist and under-confident fiddle player.

Well, I survived World Book Week. After hundreds of children and hundreds of miles, I managed to avoid norovirus and flu, but I came down with a serious dose of art envy after one child produced THIS in one of my workshops: that treatment of the sky and sun actually makes my heart beat faster with excitement.

Mostly my sessions were built around my, ‘story map’ which tends to bring gasps of amazement when I unfurl it, and this year even got a spontaneous round of applause. Once I’ve explained the map to the children, we make a collaborative story together and I draw a new map for them - and they are always BURSTING with brilliant ideas. I love doing this, even though it’s exhausting to be a performer when I’m really not by nature.

For one of the schools, I ran a collage workshop and made this little dog as a demo - I’m wondering if I should take it for a walk in a story? What should I call him/her?

I dropped into my favourite local school on World Book Day itself to do an assembly, and I took along this invitation:

The theme for the poetry book is: ‘an invitation’! I can’t wait to see what they come up with. And here’s a couple of invitations for you…

Would you like to join some summer comics fun?

How much do I love Zine Swap Season? A LOT, is the answer. Just look at these beautiful bundles from my comics students - they travelled to my doormat from all over the world, before voyaging out again so that each student gets a set to keep. I even got sent a beautiful hand-carved decoration from India, a cheerful carrot and a collage.

If you are looking at those bundles thinking, “ohhh, I’d like one of those to arrive in the post for ME please”, you are just in time to sign up for the summer term. Classes are for two hours on Zoom every Wednesday for ten weeks, starting 23rd April.

"Your comics class has been such a fantastic experience for me. It has given me many new ideas and ways to illustrate topics, which used to feel very challenging earlier. Your class has such a joyful vibe that it's just a beautiful place to be.” Sakshi, New Delhi, India

“Thankyou for the amazing class...Wednesdays always end on a good note because of it." Jane, Sheffield

"I have LOVED the course! So much fun. I particularly enjoy your gentle teaching and how the process soothes and quietens my busy head." Lucia, Gloucestershire

"Jane's comic class is brilliant... if you are interested in making comic diaries, do it!" Helen, Berwick upon Tweed

“This was such a fun class!! I will miss it and my group….thank you for creating such a fun course to help people learn more about comics and gain that confidence!” Lala, Florida

You can find all the details about the class, with dates and pricing, by clicking the button below. If you’d like to join, don’t delay as it fills up fast!

All about my comics class

Would you like to see inside my diaries?

I promised back in January to make a video marking the tenth anniversary of my comic diaries - and here it is at last. One of the key aims of my comics course is to encourage students to keep a comic diary - a visual record of day-to-day life. I’ve been doing this for ten years now, and there are so many benefits, from appreciating life’s tiny mundane details, to remembering chance encounters, as well as processing difficult events.

Here’s the video I made, featuring lots of glimpses inside those pages as well as some tips to get you started. It’s just ten minutes long - perfect to watch with a cup of tea, so put the kettle on and enjoy. You’ll see my doomed attempt to learn magic tricks, my fiddle-learning journey, a glorious celebration of snakes’ head fritillaries (I’m going to see them again this month), some fancy fungus and much more…

A Pourquoi story

Remember in the last issue of Story Street I showed you the beginnings of my ‘Pourquoi story’ for the British Library? Well I can now reveal the finished article, as it’s now live on the BL website. This video shows the whole hand-made book, which was a lot of fun to create:

You’ll find all the British Library Learning resource for this project through the link below - do share this with schools and families who might enjoy the projects. There’s a beautiful pop-up book about birds from Viviane Schwarz - don’t miss it!

British Library Learning resources

Poems and tunes in Scotland

I spent a couple of days in Perthshire last month, where my friend Imogen introduced me to the Corbenic Poetry Path. It’s a woodland festooned with so much moss and lichen you can barely see the tree bark, and the floor is so soft you can’t hear your own footsteps - the only sound is braided ribbons of bird song. As if that wasn’t lovely enough on its own, every few steps there’s a poem inscribed in stone or wood. Each one moves the spirit in a different way. Thankyou Imogen!

I was in Scotland for the Niel Gow Festival, a weekend of joyful fiddle-playing celebrating Perthshire’s finest composer and player (1727 - 1807). The tunes were non-stop and often at 900 miles an hour, but luckily the organisers had kindly laid on a ‘slow session’ to nurture less experienced players.

Birnam and Dunkeld, where the festival is held and where Niel Gow lived, is a special place for me because it’s where my great grandfather lived - and it’s his fiddle that I took back there. Although my great grandfather John Wallace lived there 100 years after Niel Gow, he almost certainly would have played some of his tunes, such as ‘Highland Whisky’ and ‘The Stool of Repentance’.

One of Gow’s most beautiful tunes is the ‘Lament on the Death of His Second Wife’, and it was a magical experience to go on a guided walk to his cottage and hear it played right where he lived by Pete Clark, who founded the festival 20 years ago. There was a lovely surprise there too. Last year when I went, I posted my diary drawing of the Taybank session (you can see it in Story Street #18 from this time last year), and someone from the festival asked if they could print it. I said yes - and discovered that it’s now framed on the wall of Niel Gow’s actual cottage! I was bursting with pride when I found out.

A fully fettled fiddle

I might have given up on trying to make a fiddle, but I have managed to restore one. Here it is with all the furniture back on, following a bit of retouching, polishing and re-glueing around the button, as well as fitting a new chin-rest and strings. Eagle-eyed luthier-types will notice a bit of slippage in the cork under the chin-rest - I’m going to fix that too. I was given this fiddle over a year ago and I am happy to report that it sounds rather nice - thankyou so much Fen, I am going to enjoy playing it.

No icing required

I was back at Paper Cat Books last week for the launch of Momoko Abe’s latest picture book, Dotty Doughnut. Here’s Momoko with the book and a wonderfully dotty dress to go with it…

The story is about an unadorned doughnut who sits on the bottom shelf in the bakers, gazing at the fancy iced specimens on the shelf above and questioning her identity. Momoko’s books always have a huge depth to them underneath the gorgeous artwork. If you’d like to know more, check out Momo’s Doodle Den where Momoko reveals the inspiration behind the book, from Japanese print-making to Princess Beatrice’s fascinator. And you can watch me chatting with Momoko about the making of one of her previous picture books, When The Sun Goes Home, here:

Interview with Momoko

Buy Dotty Doughnut

Hitting the right notes

But what’s Bob been up to this month? After visiting lots of schools he is having a nice rest - but was thrilled to read this review: “Porter’s warmly soothing text carries Bob along to a triumphant ending sure to embolden other reluctant performers. A tale of stage fright conquered that hits all the right notes.” Kirkus Reviews

(illustration by Jenni Desmond)

Read the Kirkus review

Be Bold Bob by me and Jenni Desmond will be published in the US by Candlewick Press on 3rd June.

It’s funny to think that this is issue no. 30 of Story Street. I hope you have enjoyed reading it - it’s a sort-of diary for me, so it’s fun to look back and see what I was up to all those months and years ago. If you’re new to Story Street and would like to catch up on old ones, you can find them all here:

Story Street

And if you are at Hampton Court Palace over Easter with family, you might enjoy joining in with the Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt which features some of my illustrations - hope you enjoy it if you do. That’s it until next time. Do share and subscribe if you haven’t already!

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist, under-confident fiddle player and failed luthier.

February has whizzed past: I’ve been drawing Tudors for Hampton Court Palace, planning workshops, dreaming up new stories - and even took part in a seal rescue! March is shaping up to be busy too: keep reading to find out about an online event I am doing with the Association of Illustrators and Maria Tunney from Walker Books on Thursday March 20th especially for aspiring picture book makers.

How the earth was made

I got a chance to get messy with ink and paint in a project for the British Library Learning team. The brief was to make a ‘Pourquoi Story’ in the form of a little hand-made book. I was given a Chinese creation myth to work with - it starts with a Cosmic Egg. It’s been great fun working out how to put all the elements of the story together in a concertina format. Below is my initial experiments - at this point I was wondering how much nudity is acceptable, as you can see from the strategically placed collage leaves…

I’ll show you the finished book when it goes live on the BL site, but in the meantime do look at their fantastic free resources about children’s books on YouTube:

British Library Learning

Hourly comics catch up

Exactly four weeks ago it was Hourly Comics Day – so what did I get up to? After a very tough January it was a joy to spend the day walking on the beach,

swimming (yes it was cold),

seeing friends – and DANCING at a ceilidh!

If you’d like to see more of my diaries, I am making that tenth anniversary video soon - it’s just taking a while to pick what to feature.

Meanwhile it’s that time of year when my doormat fills up with delightful bundles from around the world - it’s zine swap time! Each term in my online comics class, we do a postal zine swap and it’s always a treat to get such lovely post. Next term’s comics class starts on Wednesday April 16th, and I’ll be opening enrolments to new students from Monday March 17th. All the info is via the link below: do let me know if you’re interested in joining.

All about my online comics class

Out and about with Bob

February was a busy month for me and my small corduroy elephant. I’ve read Be Bold Bob to schools and families up and down the country, and illustrator Jenni Desmond and I held a little celebratory event at Paper Cat Bookshop in Herne Hill. Here we are with the wonderful Walker Books team (l-r: me, Jenni, Denise (and Bob), Louise and Nic)…

… and below is the most delightful surprise on the night - illustrator/author/musician Alex Barrow just happened to have his accordion in the back of the car and treated us to tunes all evening! Bob is keen to learn how to play now.

Later in the month I had a great day at The Straw Yard - a new theatre/arts space in Berwick upon Tweed. I had a mini-exhibition:

and really enjoyed chatting to visitors, as well as meeting families for two collage workshops. After reading Be Bold Bob, I set the children the challenge of creating a new performing character - and just look at these beauties that emerged. There was also a penguin who covers himself in oil to slip through a tiny tyre, and many other wonders…

If you’d like to buy a copy of Be Bold Bob, or any of my other books, do support your local independent bookshop and place an order there. Or there’s a handy link here with all my books in one place:

Buy a book

The power of teaspoons

Last month in this newsletter, I mentioned the UK government’s plans to allow AI training on any artwork posted online - unless its creator ‘opts out’ of every individual piece, each time it’s used anywhere. Painstaking and time-consuming beyond all rationality, not to mention highly unjust.

Copyright should ALWAYS remain with the creator by default.

The campaign against this change was started by four fellow illustrators: Simona Ciraolo, Momoko Abe, Ged Adamson and Chris Haughton, who between them have worked very hard to get the word out. When Simona was just starting the campaign, she told me she was worried that a few small voices couldn’t make enough difference. At the time, I’d just been to see Complete Unknown, the film about Bob Dylan. And I described the scene where Pete Seeger says this:

“The world is like a seesaw out of balance: on one side is a box of big rocks, tilting it its way. On the other side is a box, and a bunch of us with teaspoons, adding a little sand at a time. One day, all of our teaspoons will add up, and the whole thing will tip, and people will say, 'How did it happen so fast?’”

It has been extraordinary how a few voices have snowballed. I made a post on Instagram which went a little bit viral (316K views, wait, what?!) and it was exciting to see how this message has been shared far and wide, with many artists filling in the government consultation who had not previously been aware of it - just in time for the Feb 25th deadline - and signing an open letter, which you can read more about here. And on the day of the consultation deadline, just LOOK at the front pages of ALL the newspapers! I have never seen the like - the campaign graphics by the Association of Illustrators could not possibly be more prominent.

If you’d like to keep up to date on developments, the best way is by checking out Against the Box where all the latest news can be found.

Against the Box

On quitting

Regular readers of this newsletter might have found themselves thinking, we haven’t had an update on that violin-making project for a while, what’s going on? Isn’t it finished yet? Well: I have sad news to report. I have GIVEN UP.

It turns out that making a violin is very, very, very difficult. I’m not sure why I didn’t work this out before I started. It should have been obvious that extremely accurate measuring would be crucial – and that’s something I’ve really struggled with.

I suspect it’s because all my creative work is the complete opposite – I follow my instincts, listen to my gut, and tend to cheerfully EYEBALL anything that vaguely touches on ratios or proportions.

It’s not the first time I’ve given up on a course after more than a year. Way back in the early 90s, I started studying landscape architecture at Thames Polytechnic (shortly to become Greenwich University). I was studying part-time while working on a magazine about…landscape architecture! After 18 months I feared that all I would ever get to do was detail car parks, and realised it wasn’t for me.

This time around was a little different – I never had any illusions about becoming a luthier (a professional violin-maker). I just wanted to make something I could play. And I have really enjoyed the journey, loved the workshop atmosphere and learned some useful transferrable skills (there’s no door I won’t plane to make it fit better these days). But my complete lack of aptitude was getting me down, and as I watched in admiration as other students completed superb scrolls and perfect purfling, the words ‘Quit while you’re behind’ started to fill my thoughts.

Sometimes giving up is the right thing to do.

And so I have come to a very amicable arrangement with my tutor to finish fettling Fen’s fiddle, then dip into some delightfully free-form wood carving or other simple woodwork project until the end of summer term. Any suggestions for what I should make?

Here's a glimpse into my violin-making notebook – at least I made something nice!

(and by the way I DO still fear the belt sander).

Are you a prospective picture book maker?

On Thursday March 20th I’m taking part in an online event with the Association of Illustrators (AOI). I’m going to be chatting to Maria Tunney, Editorial Director at Walker Books, and sharing tips about how to most effectively pitch your ideas.

If you’d like to attend, here’s the link to book your place:

Book for AOI event

And if there’s anything you’d like me to cover, do let me know.

Shiny buttons and spruced up whiskers

I went to a brilliant book launch for excellent illustrator Claire Powell’s debut as author too. Marty Moose is the sort of book I would have devoured as a child - it’s a really funny story about a hapless post-mouse, but what makes it really special are the illustrations - just wait till you see the heath Robinson-style booby trap in the Carbuncles’ Yard. And the endpaper MAP. There’s SO much humorous detail to enjoy - this one is highly recommended. Congratulations Claire on a smasher! Marty Moose is out now with Walker Books, and I believe books 2 and 3 will be coming soon too…

Buy Marty Moose

A sad river story

Something tragic happened in February - a big spill of diesel on my beloved river Wandle. For 20 years I volunteered on this urban chalk-stream, getting into a pair of waders and pulling out all the things that weren’t supposed to be there, from tyres to shopping trolleys, and traffic cones to false teeth (the experience inspired my graphic novel-in-progress, The Ghost Carp). About 15 years ago there was an accidental release of bleach into the water, killing thousands of fish. And now it’s happened again, with a different pollutant - it’s heartbreaking. The South East Rivers Trust is raising funds to help the river recover: if you’d like to chip in, here’s the link:

Help the river Wandle recover

I’m now about to disappear down a World Book Week hole, which will take me into schools from Nuneaton to Eastbourne via Mortlake. I’ll be meeting hundreds of children: it’s going to be fun but exhausting - wish me luck! If you’re curious about school visits, there’s no better introduction to the highs and lows than these comics by Candy Gourlay - do take a look.

Bye bye from me and Bob, and see you on April Fool’s Day.

If you’ve enjoyed reading Story Street, do make sure you’ve subscribed (it’s free) and share with a friend.

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Welcome to Story Street – a monthly newsletter from children’s author and illustrator Jane Porter. Read on for ramblings about my life as a picture book maker, community artist, comic diarist, under-confident fiddle player and very, very amateur luthier.

January has been utterly crushing for me, and I am very glad it’s over. I’ve had some tough things to deal with - but what has kept me going through it all is comics. Seeing my lovely students online every Wednesday really cheers me up (have you seen what Helen Stephens did in koala week? Getting students crying with laughter is my goal!) Keeping a comic diary can be so helpful for processing life’s big and small challenges - as Helen said, “‘using only a koala and a pencil Jane helped me lance an old wound”. One day last month was so difficult for me I needed SIX whole pages in my diary to process it (but no koalas) - and that’s definitely a record.

This month marks the tenth anniversary of my diary keeping - here they all are, packed with highs and lows and everything in between: I’m quite proud of my new filing system!

I was planning to make a video to celebrate a decade of diaries, but I just haven’t had the time or energy - though there’s lots I’d like to show you in those pages. Is that something you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments!

It’s a funny feeling dipping in to these volumes and seeing my life flash before my eyes, as well as watching threads developing that I just wasn’t aware of at the time. In the meantime, here are a couple of old videos about my diary habit (and if you’d like to know more about my comics class, you can find out here):

Comic diary video 1

Comic diary video 2

THIS was how exhausting January 2025 felt…

…repeated ad infinitum and interspersed with little moments like this:

(Have you seen Marcel the Shell with Shoes On yet? I’m very late to this particular party but I loved it so much - and it made me cry.) I am really hoping next month will be easier - and I’ll finally get the time to dive into creating some brand new work.

February highlights

There’s a lot to look forward to in February. I’ve got several events coming up to celebrate the launch of my new picture book with Jenni Desmond, Be Bold Bob. If you are anywhere near, do come along to one of these events and say hello! The first is at Nomad Books, Fulham on Saturday February 8th at 11am:

The following week, I’ll be at Paper Cat Bookshop in Herne Hill with illustrator Jenni for a story-time and activities - Thursday February 13th at 4pm. If you’re in south London with children, do come along.

And finally I’ll be at The Straw Yard in Berwick-upon-Tweed for a whole special day on Saturday 22nd February. There are two workshops, at 11am and 3pm, priced at £6 per person, and I will be there all day from 10-5pm if you’d like to drop in just for a chat, to have a look at sketchbooks and artwork, or ask questions. Do come along, and spread the word - you can book the workshops through the button below.

Book for the Straw Yard workshop

But best of all, February starts with Hourly Comics Day. February 1st is when comics makers all over the world document 24 hours - 60 minutes at a time.

Looking back at previous February 1sts, one of the things I like most about those diary entries is how I have been forced to record very ordinary everyday things. But TODAY some of those hours are going to be especially fun to draw as later I will be doing one of my favourite things - going to a CEILIDH!

Are you going to join in with Hourly Comics Day? I’ll share a bit of my day with you next time.

Brian’s ‘profitable wonders’

January had started so well, with an explosion of inspiration in Yorkshire. Barnsley Museums treated the world to not one but TWO exhibitions bursting with the work of illustrator Brian Wildsmith, with original artwork, sketches, and even Brian’s favourite chair on display. If you’re not familiar with the work of Brian Wildsmith, here’s a flavour:

…but you should really take a look at the website his family have curated, which is packed with visual treats:

Brian Wildsmith

One of the things that caught my eye in the exhibition was this picture:

Of course I couldn’t resist trying this at home! Think I life the left-hander better…

Despite the glorious feeling at the exhibition of being drenched in colour, pattern and sheer playful inventiveness, what really stayed with me most powerfully was this quote:

“A child’s soul is like an empty book in which anything can be written. It is capable of all things… We must therefore write in that empty book about love, humour, compassion, truth, understanding and justice. Profitable wonders that will determine how the child will develop in order to ensure a happier and more peaceful world.” - Brian Wildsmith

If anything motivates me to keep making picture books, it’s this! What could possibly be more important? And Brian puts it so well.

A big thankyou to Fiona Woodcock for tipping me off about this marvellous exhibition in her newsletter The Woodcock Dispatch - and you can also read about how the show inspired fellow illustrator and author Claire Powell to dive deeper into colour here:

Pen Powell Post

AI and the threat to creatives

The Brian Wildsmith exhibition very much left me wanting to stay analogue in terms of art-making. Although I love drawing on the ipad for making comics, and it’s very useful for some of the illustration commissions I’m currently working on, I find the more time I spend on a screen, the more I want to reach for paint, scissors and glue. And the rise of AI generated artwork is making me feel this very strongly.

AI is a very real threat to the livelihood of illustrators, writers and creatives of all sorts. I had a brief encounter with it a couple of years ago and wrote about it in Story Street #7 - it seemed scary then, but things have got worse.

Any work posted online may be legitimately ‘scraped’, and here in the UK a government consultation is suggesting that this can be solved by allowing creators to ‘opt out’. However this means a very lengthy laborious process is required for every single image - totally unworkable.

Against the Box has a very useful summary of it all, and various organisations are conducting surveys to help campaign against it. The Association of Illustrators’ survey deadline has passed, but there’s still time to fill in these two if you are a creator - and write to your MP too.

Society of Authors survey

ALCS survey

Filling the blue sky bank

A million years ago at the beginning of January I had a couple of glorious days out under blue icy skies - and I remember thinking at the time, “I must store this experience up to keep me going in grey times”. I’m glad I did. Here are a couple of wintry scenes from Northumberland to remind you to store those blue skies up whenever you can! We are all going to need them in 2025 I fear.

See you on March 1st. If you’ve enjoyed reading this, do share with friends, and do leave me a comment, I love getting those!

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