Category: Making

One of the most fun parts of illustrating picture books is the early stage; the one where a publisher has contacted me because they think I’d be the right fit for a text they’ve just acquired. Reading a new, unpublished text, is a thrill. There’s something so energising about the potential that lives within a… Continue reading Better visual storytelling through the seven word and picture combinations

So, this is weird. As I get deeper and deeper into the world of playing with developing a beautiful, inky drawing line, I’m discovering that the world of dip pen nibs is complex. This isn’t a post about which ones are my favourite or my most hated though. No. This is about cleaning your nibs… Continue reading Cleaning comic pen nibs with potatoes

As anyone who has a regular art practice knows, learning from those gone before you is as critical as the amount of time you spend drawing. So, when the Australian Society of Authors advertised an online workshop with Australian picture book legend, Ann James, I jumped at the chance. I never go into these webinars… Continue reading Letting the line breathe

I’m a serial project starter. I come up with ideas that always feel like the best idea I’ve ever had. I’m motivated and excited by what this thing could be. It’s energising and all-consuming. Then, I start the work. Austin Kleon’s ‘Life of a Project’ from “Steal like an Artist” Soon enough, the initial burst… Continue reading The importance of finishing things (even if you think they’re terrible)

There are very few old-timey painters of Australian landscapes that I swoon over. In fact, Arthur Streeton might be the only one. Spring – Arthur Streeton (source) I’m a fine art Luddite, ashamedly so. As a child, my parents never entertained activities as ‘high-brow’ as painting, literature or poetry. Who does when you’re busy trying… Continue reading Fine Art Inspiration: Arthur Streeton

It feels like an epiphany, but it’s quite simple – my day doesn’t have to start with checking email. For some reason, checking emails in the morning became a habit as part of my day job. I’d get to work, boil the kettle, and make a cup of tea. Then I’d spend the first 30… Continue reading My day doesn’t need to start with email

A curious thing happened to me when I was interviewed by a bookstore not long ago. They asked the question, “What are your influences? Which books did you read growing up?” To which I responded, “As a kid, I never read many books because that’s not the family environment I grew up in. But, I… Continue reading The movie language of picture books

There’s only one thing that makes work ‘hard’ for me – any task that I don’t want to do right now. I love having fun. Who doesn’t right? Doing activities that you enjoy is, pretty much, life’s goal. So Hard Work sucks. But I can’t describe an activity or set of activities that I find… Continue reading What is hard work anyway?

I come from a background in Agile software development which has instilled in me a habit of running small, low-cost experiments to learn new things quickly. I take those new things I learn, and then iterate on their solution until I get something that works just right. It allows me to move quickly and cheaply.… Continue reading The iterative studio watercolour palette