Hoping and praying for peace and healing in Ukraine.
Jacaranda cascades
It’s amazing and wonderful that the jacaranda in my garden is still flowering (since November last year) ! I think it’s a record. There are pockets of gorgeous blooms poised up high on the tree canopy, despite everything that the weather can throw at them. We’ve had oppressively hot, burning days followed by aggressive winds and then more recently, days of pelting rain… They’re blooming on, regardless. A joy to behold and a beautiful lift for the (literally) dampened spirits. I wanted to capture their delicate, yet tenacious beauty, before they’re all gone. So, here’s my watercolour and poem.
autumn’s wind and rain
pulls at summer’s remnant bounty
but those mauve cascades of tapering fragility
cling with stubborn abandon
on my jacaranda tree
- Yvonne Low (February 2022)
CBCA Night of the Notables 2022
A wonderful event coming up with the announcement of the 2022 CBCA Notable Books. A celebration of Aussie creativity and the skill and imagination of authors and illustrators. Let’s support Aussie books! Here’s a fun film to enjoy as a lead up to the Night of the Notables on 22/2/22. https://youtu.be/H1P0sK0PsOo
Here I am with my two tutu bears - celebrating along with other Aussie writers and illustrators, as we countdown the days until the CBCA Night of the Notables 2022, on the special date of 22/2/22.
Published poetry in Eucalypt: A Tanka Journal
I was thrilled to be published recently in the beautiful Eucalypt: A Tanka Journal, Issue 31, 2021. My debut poem for this poetry journal was inspired by feelings of isolation, and empathy for those unseen. This edition holds a wonderful collection of evocative tanka poetry from poets all around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA, Switzerland, Canada, UK, South Africa, India, Mexico, Taiwan and Bhutan! Very interesting, though not unexpected, to see the number of pandemic-inspired poems. In this edition you’ll find poems which are profound, thought-provoking, fun, contemplative, sad, beautiful… Just like life.
Aussie Christmas Greetings!
Wishing all a very safe and Happy Christmas and blessed New Year!
Here’s my little Ringtail Possum bringing some Aussie Christmas flavour and cheer, along with our gorgeous Australian flora - Christmas bush, Christmas bells, Flannel Flowers, Holly-leaf grevillea and of course, some cheerful Aussie wattle.
CBCA NSW Kids' Corner e-zine - September 2021
I had fun creating the front cover for the latest CBCA NSW Kids’ Corner September 2021 edition. A kangaroo and joey enjoying books! As always, this Kids’ Corner is filled with enticing articles for readers young and old, including interviews with authors and illustrators of award-winning non-fiction books, poetry with Libby Hathorn and Chris Cheng’s beautiful new picture book with Stephen Michael King Bear and Rat.
Front Cover illustrated and designed by me, for CBCA NSW Kids’ Corner September 2021.
ASA/Copyright Agency 2021 Award Mentorship Program for Writers and Illustrators
I am thrilled to have been awarded one of these prestigious Award Mentorships through the ASA and with generous funding from Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. I’ve now made a start working with my wonderful Mentor, Erica Wagner, developing my own special project which is a picture book utilising graphic novel techniques. Part of the award is participation in the ASA Pathways to Publishing program, which has also commenced and is already proving very educational and useful. My fellow winners are listed here, along with the Assessor Comments for my category, Children’s, YA and Picture Book Illustration.
SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards Winners
It was very exciting to learn the winners of this wonderful Award, announced on 1st April 2021. Congratulations to all the Award Winners. It was fantastic for me to take part in this opportunity and to be one of the finalists in the Emerging Category!
Celebrating World Book Day
Everyday can be a Book Day! Just can’t do without books…
SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards
Congratulations to my fellow shortlisted illustrators! Here’s the full list as announced in the SCBWI Australia East/New Zealand e-newsletter on 1 February 2021. Thank you so much to all the judges!
SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards
I am thrilled and bowled over to be shortlisted for this prestigious prize, in the Emerging Category. This is an inaugural Award to support PAL published Australian children’s illustrators and is funded by Copyright Agency. The judging panel who selected the shortlist were Lisa Berryman (HarperCollins), Nancy Conescu (Berbay Publishing) and Anna McFarlane (Allen & Unwin). The shortlisted illustrators’ work will now be judged by the final judge, Laurent Linn (Art Director, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). What an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful to SCBWI Australia East/NZ for all the organisation and support, and to Copyright Agency for such generous funding.
Christmas Greetings
What a year it’s been! So grateful for the writing and illustrating community internationally and here in Australia, for the wonderful support to all of us in the creative industries. A challenging, stressful year, but also a year of learning and growth. Wishing everyone a blessed, safe and happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy 2021.
My Aussie Fairy Penguins ringing in the festive season and hopefully a brighter, happier New Year.
Threatened Treasures Poetry Anthology
Really excited to learn that I have been long-listed for my two poems, in the Threatened Treasures Poetry Anthology. The Threatened Treasures Project is a wonderful initiative by writer/illustrator Mandy Langlois and her team (comprising scientists, researchers, academics and editors amongst others), to promote awareness amongst children of the endangered Australian flora and fauna, and what Australians are doing to mitigate the threats and ensure survival. This is such an important and valuable project, to engage, inspire and bring hope to the next generation in particular, and to alert and educate teachers, librarians, parents and all Australians who are concerned about maintaining our biodiversity and preserving our unique animals and environments.
Mandy put out a call earlier this year, asking for writers to submit poems, after we had chosen from a curated (but extensive) list of threatened flora and fauna: ‘all species and ecological communities represented in the anthology (will) have strong conservation work associated with their survival.’ We had to research our chosen plant, environment or animal and provide documented evidence of this research along with our poetry, with the added criteria that the poems should be accessible and written for a child from varying age groups.
Just researching my two chosen Australian animals, taught me so much about them - their habitat and behaviour, their needs, the threats to their survival. And I was shocked to discover the extent of the flora and fauna at risk - this is a real emergency! All of us need to act now.
Please visit Threatened Treasures for more information about this worthy, volunteer-run project (and work-in-progress).
Threatened Treasures Project - a community based project to foster awareness, educate and inspire Australians to help protect their unique flora, fauna and environments.
Open House with Penguin Random House
Writing NSW offered a fantastic opportunity to members recently, with their Open House with Penguin Random House. This was a chance to go behind the scenes at a major publishing house and hear from editors, and department heads from Sales, Marketing and Publicity. The Publishing House even explained their Style Guide approach during the editing process.
First up was a ‘virtual’ mock acquisitions meeting where we were ‘flies on the wall’ listening in to various department heads discussing the pros and cons of contracting a particular book and writer. Fascinating to hear different POV and especially what they considered in relation to the author in particular - for instance, what could support the writer even though she or he may be a ‘debut’ author. There were lots of insights into publicity, marketing and sales, and a further eye-opening session about the process from contract to publication.
Zoe Walton was especially helpful, with her insights and suggestions for writers. Use your strengths, consider your own personal background and interests which could support your author platform; be ready to be flexible and adaptable; think about how to ‘build your brand’; and ultimately, it’s important of course to offer something ‘unique’ to the publisher, so you can ‘stand out from the pack’.
Alice Achan and The School of Restoration
I was fortunate to join in with the recent CBCA Northern Sydney Sub-branch lunchtime Zoom event, with amazing guest speakers Alice Achan and Philippa Tyndale who wrote The School of Restoration (Allen & Unwin) recently released in March 2020.
Everyone who listened in was captivated and inspired by Alice’s strength, her personal story of struggle and triumph and her wonderful efforts and work to bring hope and a future for female survivors of war and atrocity. This is such an important story to hear, and you cannot fail to be moved by it. More information on Alice’s School of Restoration, the Pader Girls Academy can be found at ccfpader.org. Author Philippa Tyndale’s website can be visited here.
More SBS Life Drawing Live UK opportunity
The second Life Drawing Live session from UK aired last night on SBS TV. No live cam this time, but still images of the models were provided instead. Again, challenging poses with diverse models. Fascinating to explore the different shapes and sizes of the human body.
I took about 20 minutes to sketch this pose.
This sketch took about 15 minutes.
This sketch took about 20 minutes.
A 13 minute sketch.
A 10 minute sketch.
CYA 2020 Conference Competition win!
So excited to share that I won 3rd Prize in the 2020 CYA Conference All Stars Children’s and Young Adult Writing and Illustrating Competition. The Awards were announced on 11 July 2020. My picture book manuscript Windy Washing Day placed third in the CYA Aspiring AO2 Picture Book Primary School Section, judged by Allen & Unwin Editor Nicola Santilli.
Alaska SCBWI Fall Conference Illustration competition
Here’s my entry to create the image for SCBWI Alaska’s Fall Conference 2020. I didn’t place, but had fun creating my illustration and incorporating the beautiful native animals and majestic scenery.
My poster size illustration entry to the SCBWI Alaska Fall Conference Illustration Competition.
Life Drawing Live continues
More Life Drawing Live opportunities, this time from UK with more challenging poses. The focus was on various masters including Caravaggio and Delacroix, and art themes including Bacchus, Narcissus, Venus and Liberty. Again, all the models were wonderful, some holding particularly difficult poses. Difficult also for the artists to capture, especially within the time constraints.
Liberty was a 19 minute pose. Inspired by the work of Eugène Delacroix. A brave model, with calm and powerful dignity (with a mastectomy), holding a flag. The final pose of the night.
A ‘Caravaggio’ pose of 10 minutes, focussing on the technique of chiaroscuro. Narcissus looking at his own reflection. I didn’t have time to include the ‘reflection’!
A particularly challenging pose to draw within 12 minutes, with the addition of a cello and drapes. Inspired by Welsh portrait artist Augustus John and his painting of professional Portuguese cellist Guilhermina Suggia. We had to try and capture the ‘music’, energy, dynamism and contours of this pose.
A ‘Bacchus’ pose inspired by Belgian artist Michaelina Wautier’s ‘Triumph of Bacchus’. I came in late to this pose, so only had about 7 minutes.
A ‘Venus’ pose of 6 minutes.
SBS Life Drawing Live
I had heaps of fun last night joining in with Aussies from around the country, for SBS Life Drawing Live with Rove McManus and other art experts. I haven’t had an opportunity to attend life drawing sessions in quite some time, so it was wonderful to just be immersed in creativity again and lose myself in the act of drawing and capturing the amazing human body. Hoping to join in further digital opportunities like this. Felt totally refreshed afterwards.
A 10 minute pose with Model Kam - I came in late to the program, so had a little less time… The focus of this drawing was ‘foreshortening’.
A 9 minute pose - Model Don was fantastic to draw. He had a wonderful impish way about him as well. The focus on this drawing was tone - light and shade to create the form of the body.
A 15 minute pose with Models Yolanda and Ricarda. I particularly loved the ample proportions of Ricarda. Challenging with two models at once, and integrating the chiffon material as well.