November 21, 2011
Split-page Australiana
No book has ever made our 4-year-old laugh so much as Crocoroos and Kangadiles. A dingo crossed with a starfish is, apparently, wildly hilarious. … more >
October 8, 2011
Review: The Magic Rabbit by Annette Le Blanc Cate
Twenty years ago, as a student at the Art Institute of Boston, Annette Le Blanc Cate wrote, illustrated and hand-lettered a children’s book about a magician and his rabbit. … more >
September 15, 2011
Interview: nostalgic, hip illustrator Owen Davey
A few weeks ago I found Foxly’s Feast in the picture book section at our local library. Intrigued by the textured illustrations and tasteful colour scheme, I decided to look up its creator. Wow…! … more >
September 2, 2011
Review: The Chicken Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez
Recently, my brother gave this vivid and engaging picture book to my 4-year-old. With its lack of words and craftily revealed grown-up theme, it probably appealed to my brother’s rather mischievous sense of humour. … more >
August 12, 2011
Classic picture book: My Little Hen
This vintage picture book, published in 1973 and written and illustrated by the wonderful Alice and Martin Provenson, is an old classic and a new favourite of mine. … more >
August 3, 2011
One Dragon’s Dream
I just borrowed this intricate book, written and illustrated by Melbourne’s Peter Pavey. This Australian classic, originally released in 1978, was reprinted in 2009. While – I believe – it owes much to Maurice Sendak, it’s a lovely and original work that young children can pore over. … more >
July 6, 2011
Hnizdovsky animal wood and linocuts
By lucky chance I found these beautiful woodcuts and linocuts by Jacques Hnizdovsky at theanimalarium blogspot. … more >
May 12, 2011
Children’s book illustration short course
In April 2010, I took a short course at the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne, on children’s book illustration. The idea was mostly that it would get me back into the real world once a week … more >
Sketchbook on Flickr
