This year's NZCYA Awards coverage kicks off with the Russell Clark Award for Illustration Award finalists! We have some exclusive insights into the process of illustrating each book, including working sketches, storyboards, decadent interior spreads, and even a photograph of some real life inspo – scroll down to see! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the book descriptions. Dozer is a characterful and very recognisably cat-like cat — with his fluffy-footed stalking of prey,

Have you read many comics with Deaf characters using sign language? How about queer characters and environmental themes? Katie O'Neill is a New Zealand cartoonist creating award-winning comics, and today Auckland cartoonist and illustrator Eddie Monotone interviews her for us. Detail from Katie O'Neill's The Tea Dragon Festival, used with kind permission Katie O'Neill may be one of New Zealand's most underrated cartoonists. Despite being a multiple award winner with internati

Earlier this year, Hachette New Zealand ran a unique competition: seeking new illustration concepts for Margaret Mahy's classic The Boy With Two Shadows. The competition was open to artists and illustrated who were not yet published – and the winner was designer and artist Sarah Greig. Sarah takes us through her process of applying, and shares some of her gorgeous illustrations and images that inspired her work. Snippets from Sarah's winning submission. This has been the year

As part of our ongoing finalist coverage of this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have some glorious snippets to look at from the five Russell Clark Award for Illustration finalists! There are covers, decadent interior spreads, working sketches and even a script sample in there – so go forth and enjoy! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the descriptions of the books from a visual perspective. A semi-fictionalised account of Captain Cook’s jour

Kimberly Andrews is the illustrator of the re-illustrated Joy Cowley picture book, Song of the River (Gecko Press). Here she tells us – in words and pictures – about her daily creative routine, and her container home and studio. Kimberly and her partner on the balcony of their converted shipping container home. My average day is a balance between picture book illustration, design work for my business Tumbleweed Tees, looking after my 6 month old baby and having coffee at cafe

In April, Ruth Paul and Juliette MacIver took their Kiwi author-illustrator talents over to the United Arab Emirates – more specifically, to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. Ruth kindly shed some light on the experience for our readers. I couldn’t decide whether I should call this piece ‘Deity for a Day’ or ‘Three Caldecotts and Me.’ But nothing could top my lasting vision of Juliette MacIver with arms outstretched blocking the exit to our session crying ‘Stop! It’s n

Illustrating a picture book is not a simple A-to-B process. Minky Stapleton (the illustrator of Linda Jane Keegan's Things in the Sea are Touching Me and June Pitman-Hayes' Kia Ora! You Can Be a Kiwi Too, both published by Scholastic) explains it's more of an A-to-Z thing ... Minky Stapleton Minky Stapleton is originally from South Africa, where she worked as an award-winning advertising Art Director and Creative Director. Since then, she has lived in three countries, had exh

Illustrator Stevie Mahardhika is best known for his work for Scholastic NZ, including Row, Kiwi, Row Your Boat and the new picture book Five Little Ducks Went Off to School. Here, he tells us about his typical day and how he approaches a new picture book project. I usually start my day with a warm shower and then have a smoothie for breakfast. These are the most important parts of my morning, as without them I wouldn’t be able to get my head working for the rest of the day. S

Phoebe Morris is the illustrator of a series of acclaimed picture book biographies written by David Hill, which have included the stories of New Zealanders Jean Batten, Burt Munro, Edmund Hillary and most recently Hero of the Sea: Sir Peter Blake's Mighty Ocean Quests (Penguin Random House NZ). She talks here with her friend, Ekor Bookshop owner, Niki Ward. Illustrator Phoebe Morris Why are you an artist? I don’t think anybody has ever asked me that so directly. I know that m

Two of New Zealand's most celebrated, funny and prolific author-illustrators let us eavesdrop on a chat they had recently. Here are Ruth Paul and Donovan Bixley, sharing their thoughts about making money, embarrassing art, hard work and hats. They have both had stellar years. Ruth's I Am Jellyfish (Penguin Random House) won the Best Picture Book Award, she's illustrating the new picture book series by the bestselling Stacy Gregg, Mini Whinny (Scholastic), and is the author/il

Our editor, Jane Arthur, looks into what goes into designing a picture book, and talks with the illustrator and designer of the new release from Huia Publishers, The Bomb|Te Pohū, written by Sacha Cotter. Two editions, two cover designs: The Bomb and Te Pohū Usually, the cover of a picture book boasts two names: that of the author and the illustrator. Because a picture book is made up of two things – the words and the pictures. Right? Well, not entirely. There’s a third eleme

Kimberly Andrews is the Wellington-based author and illustrator of the new, critically acclaimed picture book, Puffin the Architect (Penguin Random House). We are honoured to present this exclusive behind-the-scenes comic-strip look at how the book came to be. Kimberly Andrews Kimberly Andrews is a trained biologist and geologist who grew up in the Canadian Rockies, and she has also lived and worked in New Zealand, Borneo and the UK. Kimberly now lives in a small house near W

Kirsten Slade is the illustrator of the new kids' novel by Eirlys Hunter, The Mapmakers' Race (Gecko Press). Here she tells us – in words and pictures – about her daily creative routine, which includes something resembling a scene from A Summery Saturday Morning ... I try to wake up a whole hour before I actually need to. I’m not a morning person, and require a gentle re-entry to the world, with at least one cup of coffee in bed accompanied by a little quiet reading time. Onc

As part of our finalist coverage of this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have some exclusive insights into the process of each of the five Russell Clark Award for Illustration Award finalists. They've given us drafts and sketches, along with some final images, and it's fascinating! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the book descriptions. The story of 17th century Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, one of the first Europeans to come to Australia and New Zeal

Craig Phillips describes a typical day in the life of an internationally published, multi award-winning, homeschooling illustrator of children’s books and rock music posters … okay, maybe not such a typical day. He explains his process - thumbnails, roughs and finals - and where he finds inspiration. Craig is a Russell Clark Award for Illustration finalist in this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, for his book Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts (Allen & Unwin)