Talking Tales with Shaun Tan 📖 🍃 | Student Workshop | Draw with Shaun Tan!

Recorded on Monday 18 May, Talking Tales with Shaun Tan, was a special event featuring acclaimed storyteller Shaun Tan. In the session, Shaun explores how Tales from Outer Suburbia was adapted into an animated series, sharing insights into storytelling, illustration and the creative process of collaborating with leading Australian animators. The recording includes interactive activities, a behind-the-scenes segment with Series Director Noel Cleary, a follow-along drawing tutorial and writing prompts for students. 04:35 - Shaun Tan introduction 05:40 - Where do you get inspiration and ideas for your books? 08:53 - Find a story idea! STUDENT ACTIVITY 10:41 - Why do animals and creatures play such an important role in your stories?  13:28 - Why you need two ideas to write a story 15:17 - Expand your story idea! STUDENT ACTIVITY 16:53 - How did you come up with the Water Buffalo, and what does this character represent to you?  20:58 - Lighting flash round 24:10 - How do you decide what to explain with words, and what to leave for readers to discover through your illustrations?  25:27 - What was your inspiration for the family in the series? 27:20 - Kat and Esme clip (Episode 8, Badlands) 28:59 - What inspired the cat girls, Kat and Esme? 33:34 - Sleeping Girl clip (Episode 1, Water Buffalo) 36:13 - Are scenes like this meant to be interpreted in different ways, depending on what each viewer brings to them?  37:14 - Hear from series director, Noel Cleary 41:35 - What is an animatic? 43:13 - Shaun Tan reads Eric (Tales from Outer Suburbia) 46:10 - Eric clip (Episode 3, Eric) 47:44 - When you adapt a story into an episode, how do you decide what stays and what changes? 49:39 - Draw with Shaun Tan! STUDENT ACTIVITY 57:06 - If you went back in time to meet your younger self, what advice would you give them? #shauntan #authortalk #animation #drawingtutorial #author #books #drawingforkids #kidslearning #education The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) supports teachers with high‑quality, Australian, curriculum‑aligned screen content. Looking for more teacher professional learning, student webinars, or classroom‑ready clips?    • Student Workshops 💡📚      • Professional Learning for Teachers 🌱📖      • Behind the Scenes 🎬 ✨   Discover free teaching resources, clip collections, learning activities, and webinars on the ACTF Education website: https://education.actf.com.au