illustration folio

About my illustrations

Illustrating with a passion for themes of Australian culture, history, prehistory, natural sciences, genre fiction.

I have a particular love of drawing and am equally at home creating digital or hand made art.
A keen learner and researcher I strive to get the facts right.

Most of my work has been illustrating picture books, educational books, maps and diagrams.


bicycles at the hotel
Bicycles at the hotel
Personal work. A local pub I like to ride to
on my bicycle for a pint of ale.
meeting at the cinema
Meeting at the cinema 
Personal work. I saw two people outside a cinema
lean over a motor scooter to kiss
and just had to make an artwork of it.

conceptual illustration of Harold Holt’s disappearance
Harold Holt’s disappearance
Page art from Aliens Ghosts and Vanishings,
Strange and Possibly True Australian Stories 
written by Stella Tarakson,
Penguin Random House Australia.
What was behind the disappearance of
Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt? 
The conspiracy theories abound!
hand drawn map of the Bass Straight Triangle
Bass Straight Triangle
Hand drawn map from Aliens Ghosts and Vanishings,
Strange and Possibly True Australian Stories 
written by Stella Tarakson,
Penguin Random House Australia.
Thar be monsters! A fanciful map of 
the Bass Strait Triangle: an area of
bizarre 
occurrences and unsolved disappearances.

children dressed as bushrangers in a fish and chip shop
Bush rangers at the fish and chip shop
Detail from a puzzle illustration in
Puzzles Down Under, the Aussie Puzzle Book
Black Dog Books 
cartoon frogs in a polluted frog pond
Polluted frog pond
Illustrated educational narrative
from Billy the frog, Cengage Learning Australia

Captain Cal and friends
Captain Cal and friends Libby and Dan
Cover illustration for Captain Cal Space Ace,
written by Jan Dalimore, Black Dog Books
A series of four illustrated chapter books
Flying the Space Pig past Capricorn
Flying the Space Pig past Capricorn
Narrative illustration from Captain Cal Space Ace,
written by Jan Dalimore, Black Dog Books
A series of four illustrated chapter books

cartoon dinosaurs asleep under a city
Dinosaurs asleep
Personal project.
Are the dinosaurs asleep to the world
or is the world asleep to the dinosaurs?
These Gondwanan dinosaurs are hidden
under an unsuspecting Melbourne.
Hand drawn map of Pangaea
Map of Pangaea
Personal project
celebrating the life of an ancient supercontinent.
"Our world long ago with lands joined together
When first appeared beasties of fur and of feather"


Cat skull decorated with wasabi leaves and flower
Cat skull decorated with wasabi leaves and flowers
Personal work and an entry for Wear Art Thou,
an exhibition with Illustrators Australia and Redbubble
Painted in memory of a cat called Wasabi.
educational diagram of a food chain
Energy transferred within a food chain
Educational diagram for Global Issues Climate Change
Macmillan Education Primary

diagram of Surface water interactions
Surface water interactions
One of many isometric diagrams visualising systems and processes
for the National Water Account, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
diagram of How a beach forms
How a beach forms
Diagram of geological process
for Oxford Big Ideas Geography 6
Oxford University Press

 

The illustration process

The brief
I will need to know:
What is to be illustrated?
How many illustrations will be required?
What message is the artwork to deliver?
Who is the audience?
Where is the artwork to be used?
What is the deadline?

The costing
Happy to quote or work to a budget. A quote is based on the brief. If the brief changes obviously the cost will change.

The initial draft
A pencil sketch and suggested colour scheme ensures we are on the same page (pun!). We want to know the brief has been understood and expectations are to be met. Changes are best made at this point in the process.

The final art
Drawings are drawn, artwork is scanned, cleaned up, coloured and textured. Any required labels or text are added. Low res art is sent for approval. When approved high res artwork is sent electronically.