A day out with Ella Diaries

Well so much for letting you know the details of the Writers Festival I attended! It's been and gone! (Sorry! It was such an intense few weeks of work for me!) Here's a hand out I created for the kids who came along. It was a bit of a 'create your own Ella Diaries Cover' concept (in case you can't tell!) 

Anyway, it was a fun day out in Sydney and I finally got to meet the author of these books - Meredith Costain. (She was lovely - of course!)  Most people assume that you must work closely with an author on a book, but we rarely have any contact at all. Most communication is done via our Editor. 

Thanks to everyone who came out to meet us and get some books signed.

On the work front I have been really busy working away on Ella's latest books, but am also in the early development stages of a brand new book. It's for slightly older girls so it's been challenging for me to try to create a look that's not too cutesy! I must say that this is my favourite stage of the process. I love character development and somewhere along the way I have fallen in love with drawing people. There was a time when I thought animals were my 'thing' but I would have to say that people have become my comfort zone! 

I am nervously awaiting the response to my latest ideas, but am also excited about how good the team at Scholastic are at really bringing out the best in me. I have grown so much as an artist since working with them and I love that they continue to challenge and teach me. You never stop learning in this industry.

I am also lucky enough to have another two new books in the pipeworks with them, so I am feeling pretty bloody lucky at the moment. Busy! But lucky.