Travelling Illustrator

From the balcony of 'The Tides' Glen Haven, overlooking Big Indian Island, Nova Scotia.


It’s been a few months since I’ve updated my blog, but I do have a very good reason.

After illustrating my last picture book That Christmas Feeling by Lili Wilkinson, my husband and I decided that our family deserved a long holiday in a faraway place.

The greatest highlight for me travelling over 16,000km, was making friends with this 'wild' fox. I spotted him or her (let’s say her) on the side of the road, while driving through the picturesque Anne of Green Gables land on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

When I say 'wild' I mean 'semi-rural-maybe-someone's-pet-kind-of-wild'. Three of these photos were taken in some random person's backyard that I trespassed to have a closer look. Wild or not, this was an amazing experience. After some apprehension, she came right up to me!

I think she was hungry.

My fox friend from Prince Edward Island.


Another highlight for me, was when this doe and fawn trotted by one afternoon. This is the front garden of The Tides, a charming house we stayed in while visiting Nova Scotia.

Front garden with deer and purple lupines at 'The Tides' Glen Haven.


I asked the doe and fawn to pose for me, but they were a little shy and looked to be in a bit of a hurry.

Luckily, I had some good wifi and could use Google images for reference so I could continue drawing this gorgeous mother and baby. I took some photos of the purple lupines for reference while I was there. I’ll share the finished illustration, including the background, when I find some time between other projects.  If you're ever over that way, make sure you stay in this awesome house! Plus Geoff, the manager of this AirBnB, is incredibly helpful and he’s a fabulous storyteller. So make sure you ask him to tell you a story!

A work in progress.


We had so many other wonderful experiences while we were away, but I won't bore you with the details. Mostly we travelled around Canada and spent time in Boston and New York.

Here are a few watercolour and pencil sketches from my journey.

A huge thunderstorm in Boston cooled us down after a 35 degree day.

I drew a horse just because.

Leaves from a Boston park.

And of course, we had to visit as many bookshops as we could. I always make a mad run for the children’s section like an excited little kid! My tween–teenage children distance themselves from me.

Australian picture books in a Canadian bookshop.

Australian picture books in a New York bookshop.
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