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Book Awards: the illustration finalists

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

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,

Katie O'Neill: Blue Skies and Happy Dragons

Katie O'Neill: Blue Skies and Happy Dragons

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

Illustrating a Classic with Sarah Greig

Illustrating a Classic with Sarah Greig

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

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

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

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Kimberly Andrews

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Kimberly Andrews

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

How to Capture an Audience (Kiwi-style)

How to Capture an Audience (Kiwi-style)

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

Minky Stapleton's A-Z of Making a Book

Minky Stapleton's A-Z of Making a Book

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

A Day in the Life of Stevie Mahardhika

A Day in the Life of Stevie Mahardhika

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

Interview with illustrator Phoebe Morris

Interview with illustrator Phoebe Morris

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

Donotello and Roofael in conversation

Donotello and Roofael in conversation

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

Picture Book Design, the Unsung Hero

Picture Book Design, the Unsung Hero

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

Behind the Scenes of Puffin the Architect

Behind the Scenes of Puffin the Architect

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

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Kirsten Slade

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Kirsten Slade

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

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

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

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Craig Phillips

A Day in the Life: Illustrator Craig Phillips

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)

Tara Black and Chris Riddell: A Drawing Date

Tara Black and Chris Riddell: A Drawing Date

Illustrator and live-drawer Tara Black had a Skype date with Chris Riddell in advance of his appearance in New Zealand for the Auckland Writers' Festival. They discussed his time as the British children's laureate, his political cartooning, his inspiration for characters, working with Neil Gaiman, and much much more. Here is their drawn conversation - with extra drawings from the man himself. Full transcript below article, for sight-impaired readers. Chris Riddell Children's

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 11

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 11

Poor Giselle. Our illustrator recently decided to look into the story behind another intriguing classic children's book (remember what happened with The Tiger Who Came to Tea?). Here, she shares her discoveries on Margaret Wise Brown and a whoooooole lot of bunnies ... GISELLE CLARKSON Giselle Clarkson is a freelance illustrator and comic creator from Wellington. Her work has appeared in a bunch of School Journals as well as Gecko Press’ ANNUAL. Her secret talent is rescuing

Sarah Davis: Re-drawing our classic books

Sarah Davis: Re-drawing our classic books

Margaret Mahy's The Christmas Tree Tangle was originally published in 1994, and a newly illustrated edition was released by Puffin in November 2017. We asked illustrator Sarah Davis to talk about the process of re-illustrating an existing book, to which she said 'You are very important and terrifying people, so I better do what you say, or else.' Sarah Davis Re-illustrating a well-loved classic The most important thing a

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 10

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 10

Our beloved illustrator Giselle Clarkson has fallen in love again... with another book! Scroll down to see her brilliant review of Impossible Inventions: Ideas that shouldn't work by Matgorzata Mycielska, Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński (Gecko Press). GISELLE CLARKSON Giselle Clarkson is a freelance illustrator and comic creator from Wellington. Her work has appeared in a bunch of School Journals as well as Gecko Press’ ANNUAL. Her secret talent is rescuing moth

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 9

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 9

Our biscuit & bird illustrator Giselle Clarkson has taken on her first *current* book review! Scroll down to get a brilliant perspective on How to Mend a Kea + Other Fabulous Fix-it Tales from Wildbase Hospital, by Janet Hunt (Massey University Press). GISELLE CLARKSON Giselle Clarkson is a freelance illustrator and comic creator from Wellington. Her work has appeared in a bunch of School Journals as well as Gecko Press’ ANNUAL. Her secret talent is rescuing moths from the sh

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