Award Winning Author and Illustrator Encourages Students To Be Curious

Tohby Riddle, Australian artist and author/illustrator, ran a workshop for Years 9 and 11 Visual Arts students on Monday, 4th August 2025.

Award winning Australian artist and author/illustrator, Tohby Riddle, was at Catherine McAuley on Monday to run a workshop for Years 9 and 11 Visual Arts students. The workshop took place as part of the Westwords Schools’ Program allowing students to work with an artist to help develop their skills.

Year 9 students Ella C. and Ava C. have written about the workshop:

On Monday 4th August, students in Years 9 and 11 Visual Art classes were lucky to take part in a workshop with author and illustrator Tohby Riddle. He shared insights into his creative process, encouraging us to be curious and observe the world around us. He reminded us that creativity begins with observation, telling us that, “Good art starts from being curious, from noticing things. Using our minds to draw what we see.”

“It’s not just about drawing and techniques,” he explained, “it’s also about ideas.” Tohby showed us how illustrators interpret text in imaginative ways and using a simple line, “One day the dog did a very unusual thing,” invited us to illustrate what that “unusual thing” might be. It reminded us that a good story can come from even the smallest spark of imagination.

We also watched Tohby demonstrate his unique art style using stamping, stencilling and ink pads. He showed us the materials and stencils he used to bring to life the story of Yahoo Creek, proving that illustration is as much about playing with meaning as it is about making polished images. He told us that you don’t need to be good at drawing to be good at art, you just need to have the right mindset.

His visit reminded us that great art begins with curiosity, creativity and the courage to try. Tohby showed us that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about expression. He encouraged us to be brave with our ideas, to play with meaning, and to look beyond what we think we know and to use our imagination to the best of our abilities.