Chelmsford College Learners Honour a Grandmother’s Memory and Help Bring Emu Story to Life

Chelmsford College’s Animation & Illustration learners have completed a live industry brief in collaboration with a local author, who just so happens to be one of the College’s very own staff members too!

Over two weeks, 60 learners worked both independently and collaboratively to illustrate Pauline the Emu, a children’s story written by Claire Etherington who is also a lecturer at Chelmsford College. The project gave learners the chance to engage directly with a real client, respond to a professional brief and develop their creative practice in a genuine industry setting.

The reason Claire wrote the book was for personal reasons, so having the College learners help work on the illustration is a lovely addition to an already heartwarming story. Claire’s daughter Lucie was beginning her journey into Primary Education and this is what sparked the beginning of Pauline the Emu. The puppet emu at the centre of the story was a treasured gift from Claire’s mum, who used it to play with her grandchildren and hoped Lucie would one day share it with her pupils. After Claire’s mum sadly passed away, she wrote the book as a way of both keeping her memory alive and something that could be read to Lucie’s students.

Despite thriving in the story writing aspect, Claire quickly discovered she needed a way to help bring to the story to life visually. This is when she approached the College’s Animation and Illustration Lecturer, Charlotte, for support. The discussion quickly grew into the idea of a live brief for the Animation & Illustration learners. Claire then met regularly with the learners, reviewing their designs and watching the story evolve through their creativity.

Next, came the hard task of choosing a final design, which was no easy feat for Claire. The standard of work was exceptionally high, showcasing imagination and professionalism throughout. However, Claire ultimately chose the illustrations created by learner Jessica West, whose work is now proudly printed and published.

Claire shared her admiration for the learners’ talent by saying:

"I am staggered at the sheer talent and unwavering enthusiasm of the Animation and Illustration students at Chelmsford College who participated in illustrating my book, Pauline the Emu. It was a challenge to choose only one design as there were so many beautiful options, showcasing just how vast the pool of talent is."