Sketch courtesy of https://www.jonclaytor.com/
Drawing for Writers
with Jon Claytor
Offered in partnership with www.fundyfootstepsflavours.ca/
(psst...Sign the "For the Love of Fundy" pledge!)
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Location: The St. Martins Country Inn, St. Martins, NB
This event is for a maximum of 20 participants. Reserve your space soon!
Time: 10 am to 4 pm
Two 2 -1/2-hour sessions, one beginning at 10 am and one beginning at 1:30 pm. Lunch is included (Sandwich, soup and light dessert, coffee and tea), provided by the St. Martins Country Inn. Indicate on the registration if you require a vegetarian or gluten-free option.
And join us following the event for a social time and casual open mic - location and details TBA.
Workshop Description:
DRAWING FOR WRITERS: Join Jon Claytor as he teaches drawing (no skills necessary) to generate new ideas and perspectives for your writing!
Jon will offer 4 fun exercises designed to use drawing to open new creative doors in your writing.
- Mapping a memory - Imagine a place that was special to you as a child - your bedroom, the walk to school, a tree house etc. Can you picture it - as it comes to you, draw the elements - don’t worry how it looks - Draw absolutely everything you can remember - Take a good look at the drawing - What did you draw larger than you expected, what is smaller, what did you almost forget etc. Now, take ten minutes to write about the process of drawing the picture. What did you start with, what memories came to you, how did it make you feel?
- What does the monster say? On a scrap of paper answer 5 questions. Next we will create a monster or / character starting with a simple scribble. For 5 minutes add as much detail to the creature as possible. Now have a look at this monster. Using your earlier 5 questions, choose what it would say and add it using a speech bubble. The results are often surprisingly poignant.
- Instant Metaphor Generator On a scrap of paper write down 5 things you don’t usually share when introducing yourself. You might not use these thoughts in this project but it’s a good resource for later. You might surprise yourself with what you write down - Now draw your favourite thing. Let it speak as if it’s you with speech bubbles. Instant métaphore! Use that scrap of paper for ideas about what you might be ready to share. Remember no one needs to read this until you’re ready to share it.
- Thumbnail Memoir Divide your life into 5 phases. Perhaps childhood, teen years, adulthood, career, retirement. What was your favourite object or possession during each phase? It could be a blanket, a bike, a tea cup? Now let's draw them. And look at them in chronological order. Don’t use any words. What kind of story do they tell?
- Final writing exercise - describe the experiences drawing. When do you do it? Why? Have you stopped drawing? Why? When? What was it like to draw memories of your life? etc.
Photo: Carolina Andrade
About Jon Claytor
Jon is a graphic novelist, painter, and writer based in Sackville, New Brunswick.
After establishing himself as an oil painter, Jon fell in love with graphic storytelling. His new graphic novel, Nowhere (Goose Lane, 2026), is a fictional graphic novel about growing up among monsters in a small maritime town. Take The Long Way Home, his memoir, was published by Conundrum Press in 2022. In addition to writing graphic novels, Jon has written many illustrated interviews for the CBC and for the new online resource hub, www.ruralharmreduction.com. Jon enjoys teaching creative workshops for a variety of audiences focusing on storytelling and comic memoirs.
Jon was born in San Francisco and has lived and worked in Moncton, Sackville, Halifax, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. He co-founded SappyFest independent music and arts festival in 2006 and opened Thunder & Lightning in 2013. Jon holds an MFA from York University (2012), attended Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University (1991), and holds a BFA Mount Allison University (1998). He was nominated for a Juno Award for the cover of Gord Downie's “Battle Of The Nudes” in 2004.
Jon will also have copies of his first graphic novel, Nowhere, available for sale.
Finalist, Amazon Canada First Novel Award
“What if the most terrifying thing has already happened?”
Drawn by a mysterious force, 12-year-old Joel and his terrible parents have just arrived in yet another nondescript small town. There’s a diner, a movie theatre, a motel, and a bar. But this time, things seem different, especially when suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant cube appears on the edge of town.
And . . . just as Joel starts to make friends and navigate a new school, which is hard enough, Beauséjour is beset by nightly appearances of zombies, demon landlords, therapy-seeking vampires, and depressed clowns. One by one, the citizens of Beauséjour begin to disappear. When his parents vanish, Joel and his friend Charlie seek to shelter themselves from the strangeness all around them.
A hilarious and sinister reflection on growing up in a world where monsters are real, Nowhere is a dreamlike meditation on adolescence and the absurdity of small-town life. Illustrated with Claytor’s expressive, richly textured visuals, wildly echoing the offbeat world of Beauséjour, Nowhere signals the arrival of a profound and vital voice.
https://gooselane.com/products/nowhere?srsltid=AfmBOoqzSztTxPM1fRPbntD6EEnl9NSFMEH3EsvK1ONRf8pOGdRqL8_o
