The illustrator behind Bob the Builder has held a drawing masterclass for pupils at the Elms Junior School in Derbyshire.
Curtis Jobling (pictured above) – who designed the popular cartoon builder in 1997 – showed pupils how to draw some of his most popular creations.
Year 6 pupils had a crash course in re-creating Bob, with younger students getting the chance to draw another of Jobling’s animations, CBeebies’ Raa Raa the Noisy Lion.
The illustrator, who worked on Wallace and Gromit before creating Bob, told pupils that it was important that they pursue their hobbies. “If you want to be an author or illustrator or a sports star or musician you can. Keep doing your hobby, keep doing the things that you love doing and nurture it.”
Keith Morrow, the school’s head, added: “All youngsters are growing up in a world where being busy is the norm and sometimes it’s easy to forget to simply do things you enjoy for enjoyment’s sake.
“Curtis is someone who never forgot what he loved as a child and has made a brilliant career out of it. What a great role model to have.”
The arts should be integral to the curriculum and not labelled as a hobby!