The Etherington Brothers
"The Etheringtons' exuberant style captured the students' attention. They demonstrated how to devise characters for the 21st century. Over a week after the event the students can still remember the workshop which is testimonial to how good it actually was!
The brothers are revolutionising the way children are looking at comics; they involve students with ease, teasing out new creations from their unsuspecting audience. They are both funny and creative and the students surprised themselves by conjuring up equally fantastically bizarre creations to use in their own comics."
Jennifer James, Learning Resources Manager, Morriston Comprehensive School
Contents
About The Etherington Brothers
The Etherington Brothers' School Visits
The Etherington Brothers' Books
Recommendations & Reviews
To Make a Booking
About The Etherington Brothers
Brothers Robin and Lorenzo Etherington are the creators of Monkey Nuts, YORE!, Baggage, Malcolm Magic, Tusk and MOON. They have also worked on The Dandy, Transformers, Star Wars, Terminator Salvation, Wallace & Gromit, Dreamworks' Monsters vs Aliens and Madagascar comics. Based in Bristol, the brothers visit schools all over the UK, delivering workshops which encourage creative free-thinking in young children through the medium of comic art and story telling.
The Etherington Brothers' comic workshops are educational in content, fun in presentation and flexible in format. Primarily aimed at years 3-7 (though equally appealing for attending parents and teachers) they specialise in engaging with class-size groups.
The duo explain the processes behind creating original characters, worlds and stories through example, exercise and Q & A sessions. Humour - a prominent feature of the books - forms a large part of the presentation dynamic and is employed throughout the workshops to encourage a relaxed environment free from criticism.
The Etherington Brothers' School Visits
(1) Heroes and Villains - Creating Original Characters and Worlds
Using their debut novel, Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg of Wonders, as the central example, we demonstrate how a book comes to life through the shared process of creation, looking alternatively at the use of words and art.
The audience will discover:
- How to create original characters (both good and evil) and how art can exaggerate personality.
- The importance of a good cast and how to visually play against character conventions.
- How to create an original monster from the most basic of elements.
- The world is more exciting than they ever thought, as we step into a fictional setting and explore the Isla de Monstera.
- That where your characters live and spend time can be as interesting as your story itself.
(2) Comic Cookery - Conjuring tasty stories from simple recipes
Using a wealth of examples from Yore!, Baggage and Monkey Nuts, they explain how to find the spark for an original story from the simplest of ingredients. Exercises demonstrate the connection between storytelling and cookery.
The audience will discover:
- The core ingredients for every great story
- The basic spices that help to give your story bite and flavour
- The conventions of different story genres and the fun to be had from mixing them together.
- A recipe for creating the starting point of a story, utilizing the basic ingredients but without the need for a single character.
- A super quick recipe for creating a character with his/her very own story built into their personality.
The Etherington Brothers' Books
Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg of Wonders
Welcome to the first adventure from the Isla de Monstera, home of the world's only tap-dancing, banana-loving, rust-fighting, coconut-talking, and crime-busting organisation... Monkey Nuts!
When a mysterious signal begins to drive the local loonies into a crazy rage, Sid, Rivet and Chief Tuft have no choice but to grab their masks and get heroic!
'The exuberant Etherington Brothers dazzle in their opening episode.'
Paul Gravett, author of Great British Comics.
Baggage
Meet Randell, a happy-go-lucky but disaster-prone lost property officer working in the heart of Triptych City. After a particularly destructive incident, his weary boss presents with an impossible ultimatum. Either he locates the owner of the oldest item stored in the immense lost property warehouse by the end of the day, or he's out of a job. Will he succeed in his impossible mission? And even if he does, just how much of the city will be left standing?
Recommendations & Reviews
"We really had a ball with the Etheringtons Brothers' sessions at the Bookfeast Festival in Oxford. Their two events were fun, interactive and inspiring and I think the kids came out with the desire to really 'have a go' themselves at writing and drawing their own comics. Robin gets the children working on a narrative - sparking off ideas about characters, setting and plot while Lorenzo works away at the flip chart, miraculously visualizing all the zany ideas gleaned from the excited audience. The session provides wonderful tips and hints on how to make up names, create crazy personalities and plots, and how to draw these characters. Lorenzo's monsters were fantastic! The infectious enthusiasm and humour of the duo, combined with the constant call for audience participation kept children listening keenly all the way through.
The Etheringtons are brilliant at engaging with the children, making references to books, films and popular culture that have relevance for 10 and 11 year olds. This is a real winner, as once the children are interested they will stick with it! An added bonus of each event was that each child got a "How to.." workbook full of ideas and practical tips on how to get going on producing a comic book of their own. We would welcome the Etheringtons back to the Bookfeast Schools Festival again, and can whole-heartedly recommend their entertaining and informative comic book workshop to schools and Festivals alike."
Celia MacLachlan, Bookfeast Manager (Events for Schools)
"The Etheringtons' visit was a huge success on many levels. We had, for sometime, been looking for an author event which could explore the world of graphic novels and comics and we hit the jackpot with their visit. The presentation was funny, engaging, informative and I am sure will have inspired many in the audience to read more, draw more and generally enjoy what books and comics have to offer."
Becky Harrison, Brimsham Green School, Yate
"I have known The Etherington Brothers to exemplify reading and writing for fun due to their unique skill of combining the visual and the written text in a highly engaging way. Having participated and experienced the sheer fun and delight created in their workshops at The Cheltenham Literary Festival, I was determined to include their creative double-act workshop in the Southwark Reading Festival.
The Etherington Brothers have had a huge impact on reluctant readers, in particular boys as they have lured children into the sheer fun of reading and writing. This has happened in both my school and many other schools in Southwark. As a result, we are waiting in anticipation for the arrival of the Brothers to our own school to deliver yet another outstandingly creative and engaging event where I know and trust the results will be long-lasting and highly rewarding to all individual involved. I wish them continued success!"
Lillie McCotter, Southwark Literacy Advanced Skills Teacher, Ivydale Primary School
"The Etherington Brothers Cartoon Workshop is an outstanding event. Perfectly paced and brilliantly pitched it could not fail to inspire future readers and writers. Although essentially centred around creating comic strips, the engaging discussions about character development, the role of setting and strategies for establishing plot apply to all creative writing. Above all, the event is enormously good fun and highly entertaining."
Tamara Macfarlane, Owner of the Tales on Moon Lane Bookshop chain
"The Etherington Brothers are a remarkably talented duo, graphic novelists of the highest order. Robin writes, Lorenzo draws. They use a flip chart in their presentation to give a visual explanation of the processes of creating characters and developing a storyline. Excellent communicators, they can hold an audience of teens and adults spellbound and, in doing so, get their messages across wholly successfully: To write well, read a lot of everything! To draw well, draw constantly. These two chaps are dynamic, creative, articulate, and inspiring!"
Lucy Shepherd, Literary Events Co-ordinator, Bristol Grammar School
"Easy to work with, energetic and enthusiastic, the Brothers worked their way through 3 very different sessions, to classes and book groups ranging from 9 - 14, plus parents. By the end of each session there was a group of eager people keen to make their own comics, including the teachers. Activity booklets and books were eagerly grabbed and taken away. If you want to engage a wide variety of young people in a comic and entertaining way, then this is how to do it. I have already passed on their details to colleagues in other departments and am hoping to get funding to book them again. I can't praise them highly enough."
Julie Potton, Principal Librarian, Chesterfield Library
To Make a Booking
To make an enquiry about The Etherington Brothers, or any of the other authors, poets & illustrators listed on this website, please phone Trevor Wilson on +44 (0) 1535 656015, or email him at info@authorsabroad.com
Further information on The Etherington Brothers is available on their blog: http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/