A CREATIVE youngster from Warwickshire has been praised by a well-known children’s illustrator for a winning charity Christmas card.
The sight loss charity Guide Dogs recently held a competition for children with a vision impairment to create a Christmas card. The results are in and one of the three winners is Kyla Lawrence from Wellesbourne.
Her snowman card was commended by illustrator Tony Ross as the winner for the 12 plus age group.
Tony is perhaps best known for his much-loved Little Princess series, and for his collaboration on David Walliams’ children’s books. He has been named as the best-selling illustrator in the UK for three years in a row.
He said: “I like the strong, red outline, a perfect balance to the applied snow. Using mixed media can be difficult, but this design has pulled it off, giving a strong and festive image.
“It is always a joy to look at the drawn work of children. Usually, it is quite unpredictable, and always fresh and exciting. This Christmas card collection was no exception, the overall quality of drawing was good, and the ideas… well, I thought Christmas cards would all be alike, but these showed a high standard of originality, and the children involved, took pains with craftsmanship and finish.
“It was a privilege to be involved with this event. Well done, kids, keep up the good work, and keep up drawing. It’s fun, isn’t it?”
Contestants could design and decorate their Christmas card however they wished, from paints and pens to pipe cleaners and sequins, and could submit their artwork in any form including drawings, paintings, three-dimensional art pieces, or even a video or sound clip.
Winners were selected based on creativity and originality, artistic merit and technique and response to the theme of Christmas.
The other winners were Ffion Dulson from Pembrokeshire, and Dominic Dew from Lincolnshire. A special mention was made for a braille entry by Zainab Noreen from Bradford. The winners will receive a selection of art supplies.
The winning cards will be sent to MPs to highlight the importance of ensuring children with a vision impairment can access the specialist support they need, as part of the charity’s Making Childhood Equal campaign.
Visit www.guidedogs.org.uk for more information.
