July - a snugglefest of writing and illustrating

watercolour/paper-cutting experiments

Finally, finally winter is in full force here in Canberra, and I am enjoying every frosty beanie/boot/mitten-wearing moment! Endless cups of hot tea, toasty soups, faux fur blankets . . . my feels are quite Icelandic. And of course, other than a quick dash to the shops and a brisk walk in the glorious winter sun, it's lovely to have every excuse to shut myself away in my light-filled studio, and create create create.

Speaking of beanies, can you believe how gorgeous my gumnut beanie is, below? I found it on Etsy--the store is Fibre Delights--and how could I resist? I'm hoping to wear it to my launch for Mamie--my picture book on May Gibbs, out this December. And how good would this beanie be for Book Week dress-ups?

hello april! you are really summer

Um, what's happening with this endless summer? A 30-degree week in Canberra (???) and only a small selection of our trees are even thinking about putting on the ritz with orange, red and gold. Some are still full green but scraggly and tired, you know? This ugly garden phase is kind of doing my head in, as is my chomping desire to slip boots and gloves on. Come on, 'summer', enough already!

To cheer myself, I've been hiding inside with the aircon on (in April???), painting up a storm and working hard on my next illustrated book (a sneak peek coming in this post). I've had many requests to sell giclée prints of my Flora series, and you'll notice, above, I'm putting a bulk order in so they'll turn out cheaper to buy (just $35 including postage; on my Etsy store, they are $50).

If you want a Flora print, email me with what you'd like, or head to my Insta page where you can leave a comment. Sorry for the short notice, but orders close at midnight on Sunday 15 April. I can only post to Australian addresses.

You'll notice I've created some slightly different illos in the series... using collage. When I created Australia Illustrated, I spent a lot of time monoprinting backgrounds for use in the book. Endless monoprinted pages have been sitting in my cupboard and they're just too beautiful to throw away, so I've been snipping away, creating shapes...

I kind of knew what I wanted to do with them (but not really) and this is what I came up with...

see hear: FOR KIDS!

Happy Book Birthday, See Hear!

Hey kids! Want some cool stuff to download and print? Piglet, Bunny and Cat have some treats for you... a colouring sheet, two word searches (one super easy--above--and one super hard below) and a Spot the Difference!

We hope you have fun with these. And don't forget to enter our comp to win a copy of See Hear!

Word Search

Spot the Difference

There are 10 of them--see how you go. And if you need a little help, just click here.

Colouring-in

Just print and colour! And if you want to show us your creations, email them here!

see hear: creator interview

In celebration of the release of See Hear (EK Books), Jess and I have put together a little inside creator interview--all about our favourite things!

Favourite thing to see:

TM: Art. Man-made: illustrations, paintings, collage, architecture. Nature: mountains, trees, the way light bends itself into such beauties as bokeh and rainbows.

JR: My kids playing in our veggie patch.

Favourite thing to hear:

TM: Rain falling. Always has been, always will be. Also love hearing laughter.
JR: Rain (while I am inside).

Childhood memory of something you saw:

TM: I have vivid memories of someone from my family, perhaps an aunt, holding helium balloons. I think we might have been at the show or the zoo or something--I was super young. I can still picture them and can still feel a flood of pure happiness. Maybe it explains my balloon obsession??
JR: Full moon rising, dolphins jumping, still ocean while we were in a little boat at sunset.

Childhood memory of something you heard:

TM: I grew up in Hobart, where it rained pretty permanently. I feel an enormous sense of comfort and love when I hear rain. Combine it with the smell of ironing clothes or cheese toasties in a pan, and I am transported straight back to childhood.
JR: Listening to my parents chat with friends at the dinner table while I fell asleep at their feet.

Favourite page in See Hear: 

TM: You know how hard this is, right?? I love them all, seriously. But if I had to choose, I would choose happy humming. It just warms me to my toes.

JR: I think the discovery of the castle.



Favourite onomatopoeia in See Hear:

TM: I do love sizzle, pop and clatter, but my favourite would have to be giggle giggle giggle. Because I can almost literally hear it. And what's more beautiful than the trails of children giggling?
JR: Happy humming.

Favourite onomatopoeia of all time:

TM: SPLOTCH!
JR: Warble

Best thing about working on See Hear:

TM: The ease, and the excitement of seeing what imagery Jess would come up with next. It was like Christmas each and every time.
JR: Working with such an easy and fun team again, and getting to hang out with the three characters again.

Best thing about creating early childhood picture books:

TM: Knowing the impact we may have on young minds. Providing comfort, joy and enchantment for kids is everything. The thought of a child saying 'again! again!' and befriending any of my books ... how happy that makes me ... no words to describe that.
JR: It's a dream job, creating something kids can see (and hear) and building new worlds on the page.

What I hope kids will take away from See Hear:

TM: Connection. And I hope adults are transported back to the happiest moments of their childhood.
JR: A bit of fun and magic while learning more about their senses.

See Hear: book trailer

    I'm sharing this sensational book trailer again because I just adore it! Huge thanks to Jess Racklyeft, hubby and kiddles. It just makes me melt. x

it's march. autumn, wherefore art thou?

More on what Cat, Piglet and Bunny (above) are up to, shortly, but first--if you've read my February post, you'll know I've been doing lots of looking, peeking, souring, observing. And I've noticed something.

Autumn is missing.

At this time of year, the blaze is normally alight. For sure. Evidence in this image from 20 March 2017, below.

announcing ... See Hear

Jess Racklyeft and I have been squirreling away on a sequel to our best-selling picture book Smile Cry (EK Books 2017, a CBCA Notable Book and winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Australia/New Zealand).

It's called See Hear and this one is a beginner's book of SENSES, perfect for toddlers right through to preschoolers and beyond. Here's the blurb...

Piglet, Bunny and Cat return in a charming, whimsical sensory adventure that encourages kids to explore the multitude of ways they can engage with the world around them, particularly via the senses of sight and sound.

From watching 'squiggly rain' on a window to pointing out 'heavenly horses' in the clouds, from hearing 'buzzing blossoms' as bees collect pollen and nectar to 'hot pan sizzles' as a favourite meal is prepared, See Hear invites us to open our eyes and ears to the everyday magic that surrounds us.

Younger kids will respond to the soft whimsical illustrations, while older readers will enjoy the onomatopoeic wordplay. Perfect for ages 3 and up, this is a book that will captivate children and parents alike.

Below is a sneak-peek of the interior, featuring Jess's truly divine illustrations. The book is available to pre-order here or you can pick it up instore or online from 1 April!