Do you make picture books?
Picture book author Eva Wong Nava and picture book illustrator Debasmita Dasgupta are coming together to deliver a session designed to help you to find out what picture book creation entails and shed light on the process from start to finish.
Eva will share her expertise on nurturing the seed of an idea into a story for young readers, helping you to understand your audience and what makes a brilliant story for all ages.
Debasmita will offer her insight into telling a story through illustrations, and bringing a world to life. She'll hone in on storyboarding, drawing techniques and colouring tools.
They'll also offer their top tips for bringing the words and the illustrations together into a cohesive whole, whether you are working on both yourself or working in collaboration.
Finally, Eva and Debasmita will shed light on the pitching process and how to submit your story to agents and publishers.
The session will end with a brief Q&A, so come ready with your questions.
The masterclass will take place online via Teams. It will also be recorded so if you are unable to attend live, you'll be able to catch-up and access the recording for up to two weeks after the event has taken place.
Debasmita Dasgupta illustrates and writes books for children and young adults. Initially self-taught, in 2023 she completed a Masters degree in Children's Book Illustration & Graphic Novels at Middlesex University, London.
Her picture book, Mina vs the Monsoon, published by Yali Books USA in 2018, was nominated for the Kirkus Reviews Prize for Best Picture Book. Her graphic novels Nadya, Terminal 3 and ZardoZi-stitched with love are published by Scholastic, Penguin and HarperCollins India. In 2023 she illustrated Ganesha goes Green, published by Barefoot Books that won many awards and recognition. Her most recent graphic novel Faiza is a Fighter is published by Lerner Publishing Group in the USA, UK, and Canada.
She is co-founder of Picture Book Matters, which empowers aspiring and emerging picture book artists and authors in Asia. Besides her books, Debasmita has illustrated animated stories that have been showcased in the Raindance Film Festival in London and Toronto. She is passionate about cinema and produces indie international feature drama for streamers such as Netflix.
She was born and grew up in Kolkata in the east of India, lived for many years in Singapore, and now lives in Windsor, in the UK, with her partner.
Eva Wong Nava was born on a tropical island where a heraldic animal spurts water. Her ancestors braved monsoon winds sailing from the Middle Kingdom to British Malaya to plant roots in Southeast Asia. When the winds changed, her relatives sailed again and found another home somewhere in the western hemisphere, braving snow storms and hail.
Eva has done many things in life, but writing remains her most favourite thing to do. She combines degrees in English Literature and Art History, and writes stories that explore identity, culture, and belonging by adding a dash of magic. She has written an award-winning middle-grade novel (Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, 2018), a Singapore Book Awards-nominated YA Historical Fiction (Best Literary Work, 2023), and several fiction and nonfiction picture books. She is the author of the best-selling picture book, I LOVE CHINESE NEW YEAR, which was selected for Cbeebies Bedtime Stories in 2024 and DANCING DUMPLINGS FOR MY ONE AND ONLY, which was awarded a starred review on Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal in America. And, she has forthcoming picture books to be announced. Eva has been a speaker at The Bookseller Children's Conference on writing and editing sensitively and the Asian Festival of Children’s Content on writing diverse books and representing under-represented voices. She has spoken to parents and children in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Singapore on reading for pleasure and using picture books to learn about the world.
Eva is the cofounder of Picture Book Matters, a mentoring platform for aspiring picture book creators in and from Southeast Asia. She established The Writing Essentials to offer editorial services such as sensitivity reading and author coaching. Eva is passionate about how her culture, heritage, and people are represented in books, films, and media. She has lived here, there, and everywhere, but she calls the Land of Albion home. Eva lives in London with her family, two scampering squirrels, and a regal fox.
Picture Book Matters is a mentorship platform, for aspiring and emerging authors and illustrators, co-founded by author Eva Wong Nava and Artist / Graphic Novelist Debasmita Dasgupta.
The workshop fee of £30 (incl. VAT) is payable in full online. Please note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on [email protected] so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
This is a live online event which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided by the W&A Team a week before the event start-date. Please note, all event timings are in UK time.
To view our event refund and cancellation policy, please click here.
Accessible to All
- It’s of real importance to Writers & Artists that our events and courses remain accessible to all.
- Writers & Artists has made one bursary place available for this event as part of our accessibility scheme. Please visit our bursaries page to find out how to apply for a bursary to the event.
- Payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on [email protected] so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
- At the speaker's discretion, event materials will be made available to attendees after the masterclass.
- A link to a recording of the masterclass will be circulated after the event. This will be made available to event attendees only, and for a time-limited period.
- If you'd like to receive a transcript of the session, please do let us know and we can circulate following the session.
- This event will include written text and visuals. Please contact us in advance so that we can make arrangements to be sure all documents appear in a format that works for you.
- If you’d like to attend but have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, then please email [email protected]