tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42207108733260523752024-03-13T15:42:46.207+10:00From the Art RoomAmalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-49669269301045615482020-01-24T10:47:00.000+10:002020-02-01T17:26:30.540+10:00Hope Grows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W44qOZagpNEGSZsH3yva48kmPYl9HPFgXj3Fz9FWuJBzJug77RzFCJdG09tZH2PH9Kgt7LqdNv6xDSfBLqLphMbvkA8ZKEbY-7wov7p8lHtlF-TGcpkf-_O6oGfP9-RFp0MLEYbdX6Uc/s1600/Hope+grows-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W44qOZagpNEGSZsH3yva48kmPYl9HPFgXj3Fz9FWuJBzJug77RzFCJdG09tZH2PH9Kgt7LqdNv6xDSfBLqLphMbvkA8ZKEbY-7wov7p8lHtlF-TGcpkf-_O6oGfP9-RFp0MLEYbdX6Uc/s640/Hope+grows-web.jpg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by Amanda Francey<br />
I'm happy for you to share my illustration, but please include my name credit,<br />
(preferably with a link to <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com/2020/01/hope-grows.html">this post</a> or my <a href="http://amandafrancey.com/" target="_blank">website</a>)<br />
plus hashtag #HopeGrows and #CBC4CA if sharing on social media.</td></tr>
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In the midst of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire crisis, I was motivated to create this illustration. While I was feeling disheartened at the time, I didn’t want my artwork to project doom and gloom, so I imagined a turning point, when devastation and new hope cross paths.<br />
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At first glance, my artwork would appear to represent the predictable regrowth and recovery that comes naturally over time after Australia’s normal bushfires have blackened our landscape and caused their usual destruction. However, there was nothing normal about this bushfire season. It started months earlier, on the heels of a prolonged drought and a premature heat wave.<br />
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An ecological disaster unprecedented in Australia’s history. More than 18 million hectares of land (including rainforests) burned. An estimated 1 billion animals have perished and some endangered species may be driven to extinction. At least 33 people, including firefighters have died and over 2,500 homes have been destroyed, plus thousands more buildings.<br />
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There’s nothing ‘normal’ about what Australia has just experienced. The climate change scientists warned us. Now the planet has warned us. If we don’t start taking climate change seriously, this will be our 'new normal' at best.<br />
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The real hope within this turning point, is the girl pictured in my illustration. She represents all the children and future generations. The voices of our world’s children and young adults matter more than ours, for they will bear the brunt of the climate mess they’ve inherited from us and previous generations. We need to listen to their words, not silence them.<br />
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This illustration is a mix of watercolour textures, newspaper clippings from December’s bushfire stories, and the rest was hand painted digitally. During the initial sketches, my daughter suggested the girl could be holding a stick with the words ‘Hope Grows’ scribbled into the dirt. As you can see, I was quite taken with her idea.<br />
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I'm a proud member of <a href="https://childrensbookcreatorsforclimateaction.org/" target="_blank">Children's Book Creators for Climate Action</a> #CBC4CA</div>
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CBC4CA are hosting a <a href="https://childrensbookcreatorsforclimateaction.org/how-you-can-help/creative-challenge-in-your-words/" target="_blank">'Creative Challenge' in YOUR words</a> inspired by my 'Hope Grows' illustration. <a href="https://childrensbookcreatorsforclimateaction.org/how-you-can-help/creative-challenge-in-your-words/" target="_blank">This page</a> is already filling up with beautiful poetry and short stories from talented children's authors.<br />
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If you're a children's book creator and have signed up to the CBC4CA's <a href="https://childrensbookcreatorsforclimateaction.org/home/climate-action-roll-call/" target="_blank">Climate Action Roll-Call</a>, and would like to participate, visit <a href="https://childrensbookcreatorsforclimateaction.org/2020/01/23/5-hope-grows/" target="_blank">CBC4CA</a> for details.<br />
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I'm happy for you to share my illustration, but please include my name credit, (preferably with a link to <a href="https://amandafrancey.blogspot.com/2020/01/hope-grows.html">this post</a> or <a href="http://amandafrancey.com/" target="_blank">my website</a>) plus hashtags #HopeGrows #CBC4CA if sharing on social media.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszulh1UUIswPdErLPbn9_sxhauoS-NCqxdGSwOTZZlQ_9UGu6XUO2_l4_6Qad4xcHGIlN8nqShUeTXxGcSbPBwG9CH0PK-nxWNqGJYMFn4sc6m8XPf3paQ0fZNn50SzeRiFwEKdi2003R/s1600/Hope_Grows_animation_Final.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszulh1UUIswPdErLPbn9_sxhauoS-NCqxdGSwOTZZlQ_9UGu6XUO2_l4_6Qad4xcHGIlN8nqShUeTXxGcSbPBwG9CH0PK-nxWNqGJYMFn4sc6m8XPf3paQ0fZNn50SzeRiFwEKdi2003R/s640/Hope_Grows_animation_Final.gif" width="456" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiBKKBD0nCYbD-yUAZvo-l8Xng6Ix8IZtJAQc_KNtYnhazfnOomngSw1lsUY7aFb0vfBhyphenhyphengOSW-A6LC_bXzpnnA2m8BXs9DEhLNUBvBTnUUdT2UgPviukb_gKyRCzpH4IQ34gy07QnlfS/s1600/Hope+Grows+process+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1229" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiBKKBD0nCYbD-yUAZvo-l8Xng6Ix8IZtJAQc_KNtYnhazfnOomngSw1lsUY7aFb0vfBhyphenhyphengOSW-A6LC_bXzpnnA2m8BXs9DEhLNUBvBTnUUdT2UgPviukb_gKyRCzpH4IQ34gy07QnlfS/s640/Hope+Grows+process+pic.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">This illustration was created with mixed media including watercolour textures, newspaper clippings from December’s bushfire stories, and the rest was hand painted digitally in Photoshop with a drawing tablet.</td></tr>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-49982042516874352492019-12-30T17:18:00.000+10:002019-12-31T11:45:05.328+10:00The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree<b><br /></b>
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Who inspired me to become an illustrator? </h3>
This is a question I’m asked regularly and the answer is simple. My dad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Dad and I wearing camp shirts he designed and screen printed for our community camping group.<br />
Mum was responsible for creating my 'very sun-sensible' hat.</td></tr>
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Growing up, I watched Dad draw comicstrips for Australian newspapers, illustrate and hand-letter logos and signage, plus carefully hand-cut intricate stencils for silkscreen printing. Dad was my first art mentor. He taught me the basics of drawing, told me to keep practising and to be patient (I'm still working on that last one). </div>
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Without further ado, I would like to introduce my dad, George A. Smith, the person who inspired me to draw – and more importantly – to keep on drawing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Dad at his drawing desk in the early 1970s.<br />
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BIO of G.A.Smith</h3>
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1970s Comicstrip Creator</h4>
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George’s cartooning began when he was just a small child. He spent a good deal of his time drawing and creating stories for his own comic books which he drew up and coloured in school exercise pads. His dream was to publish cartoons of his own one day.<br />
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He commenced an apprenticeship as a sign writer/screen printer on leaving school and delved into painting and other artworks as a hobby. After his marriage and the commencement of his family he decided to indulge his dream and embarked on the journey to realise this.<br />
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<i>Steve Landon</i>, a three-frame daily comic, was both written and illustrated by George and appeared in <i><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/" target="_blank">The Australian</a></i> in July 1973 and was an adventure strip with a setting in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It was unique in that it featured rhyming slang, an almost lost skill these days, and was the only locally drawn comic connected with <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Australian" target="_blank">The Australian</a></i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVdKEllWy4Usor0D4xEv7pOn_iZWAs0bwDBDHYkru7s1VDTMTmtG64V3uKKXPYjSuL35tSQhOU_EkYaeNkjlu0EMIjpN1_2OttM8PhPdpCxGUCaBCBwXAF5uSZQi5_JzM7TVA5PeEwDO2/s1600/003+stevelandon+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1110" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVdKEllWy4Usor0D4xEv7pOn_iZWAs0bwDBDHYkru7s1VDTMTmtG64V3uKKXPYjSuL35tSQhOU_EkYaeNkjlu0EMIjpN1_2OttM8PhPdpCxGUCaBCBwXAF5uSZQi5_JzM7TVA5PeEwDO2/s640/003+stevelandon+2.jpeg" width="441" /></a></div>
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<i>Steve Landon</i> came to an end in August 1974 when the newspaper discontinued its local section.<br />
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George had further success in December 1976 with a full colour comic book insert <i>Behind the UFO</i> published in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Mail_(Brisbane)" target="_blank">The Sunday Mail (Brisbane)</a></i> as a lift out.</div>
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In 1975 <i>Safeway Sam</i>, a character based on a super-hero type, was introduced in a weekly one-page humorous adventure comic promoting Chesney Caravans. This series went on for 18 weeks in the <i>Sunday Sun</i> with a video skit of the comic on television on Friday nights before the 6pm news and repeated on Saturday morning during the children’s shows.<br />
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<i>Steve Landon</i> was also mentioned in <a href="https://www.comicoz.com/part-one.html" target="_blank">John Ryan’s <i>Panel by Panel</i></a>, a hard cover publication on the history of comics in Australia (published 1979).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5paZ3EBZqo3xvWoA5T3GDybE8nhCz5mt2JLrdxb_jKZlzSjTY7VwserOT_STb-ODwA63lYnxfvytgesxhN_r8rGNkPHSz7gWN94o7dFZXKLsAkeCoyPZgYqqy6fuBspDquMjoo6uwt-w/s1600/Steve+Landon+mention+Panel+by+Panel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5paZ3EBZqo3xvWoA5T3GDybE8nhCz5mt2JLrdxb_jKZlzSjTY7VwserOT_STb-ODwA63lYnxfvytgesxhN_r8rGNkPHSz7gWN94o7dFZXKLsAkeCoyPZgYqqy6fuBspDquMjoo6uwt-w/s640/Steve+Landon+mention+Panel+by+Panel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "montserrat";">A paragraph from John Ryan's </span><i style="font-family: Montserrat;">Panel by Panel: An Illustrated History of Australian Comics</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "montserrat";">Visit </span><a href="https://www.comicoz.com/part-one.html" style="color: #59af33; font-family: Montserrat; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ComicOz</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "montserrat";"> or </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26873584-panel-by-panel" style="color: #59af33; font-family: Montserrat; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">GoodReads</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "montserrat";"> to read more about this publication.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">• • • •</span></div>
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Below is one of my favourites. A wordless comicstrip inspired by an actual event Dad had observed one day, and he couldn't resist drawing it. </div>
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Dog chased car. Car stopped. Driver never knew what hit him. </div>
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And if you're worried about the poor dog, I'm sure he only received a minor bump to the head as he was able to scamper away just in time to baffle the driver.</div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-54460633176496352042019-05-10T17:20:00.001+10:002020-02-27T12:12:47.390+10:00Don't Forget M.E.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’ve been chipping away at drawing this comic for a while now. A bit of dark humour to help spread awareness for ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known, and poorly titled, as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).<br />
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*<span style="font-size: large;"> Trigger Warning </span>*</div>
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<i>The following content could potentially be emotionally challenging for some readers. </i><br />
<i>Mortality statistics in patients with ME/CFS, including self harm are mentioned.</i><br />
<i>****</i></div>
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Sadly, my illustration was inspired by a true story (I changed the woman’s name out of respect for her family’s privacy). She had gone to bed early, and her husband found her hours later unconscious. She was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An inquest found nothing major was wrong with her. The coroner said she died of natural causes.<br />
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There’s nothing natural about dying at age 39! This women had previously been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and had been given antidepressants as the only treatment option.<br />
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ME/CFS needs to be treated like the serious, complex, multi-system, neuroimmune illness that it is. Doctors say, we’re healthy and won’t die from it, unfortunately, they’re misinformed.<br />
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See the ‘Don’t forget M.E.’ tag hanging from the dead women’s toe in my comic above? Sadly again, inspired by another true story. The below paragraph were the last words in a letter,<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Forget Me Not</b></i>, written by <a href="https://meaustralia.net/2016/12/01/remembering-alison-hunter-1976-1996/" target="_blank">Alison Hunter</a>, in 1993 ~</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s not AIDS, although it’s similar, you can feel equally as ill only it doesn’t kill you. Not cancer either. I’m not dying or anything drastic like that. <b>It’s M.E. Don’t forget M.E.</b>”</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alison Hunter died in 1996, aged 19</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">~ </span><span style="font-size: large;">from complications arising from ME/CFS which included seizures, paralysis, gastrointestinal paresis and overwhelming infection.</span><br />
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Since Alison's death her family set up the <i>Alison Hunter Memorial Fund</i> to raise money for research. The AHMF website has now been closed, however you can still donate directly towards the cause via <a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/donations/info.php" target="_blank">Griffith University's NCNED</a> - Australian biomedical research for ME/CFS. Please make sure you select <i><b>National Centre of Neuroimmunology & Emerging Diseases </b></i><b><i>(AHMF donors)</i> </b>in the 'Please use my gift to support' dropdown menu from this <a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/donations/info.php" target="_blank">secure website form</a>. It's important you include the option with (AHMF donors) as that goes directly to ME/CFS biomedical research.<br />
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There have only been a small number of cases where people have had ME/CFS as the official cause of death written on their death certificate. In England and Wales, between 2001 and 2016, only 88 death certificates stated that the death was either partly or fully caused by ME/CFS.<br />
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I wonder, how many cases are there that have something like this written on them?<br />
<ul>
<li>Natural causes (due to failure to find anything wrong - as per comic above) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Heart failure (people with ME/CFS die approx. 24 years younger of heart failure than the general population)<span style="caret-color: rgb(61, 133, 198); color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;">1</span> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Cancer (people with ME/CFS die approx. 24 years younger of cancer than the general population)<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">1</span></span> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Starvation (due to gastrointestinal failure. Gastrointestinal disturbance is common in very severe ME/CFS patients)<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">2</span></span> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Suicide (six times more likely in ME/CFS than the general population, due to the poor quality of life and stigma)<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small;">3</span> </li>
</ul>
Many people with ME/CFS don’t suicide because they’re depressed. They want to live more than anything, but their life feels like a living death, which is worse than death itself. They see suicide as their only option, because they’re missing from health care, research funding, financial and disability support. They see no light. No end to their suffering. No hope.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Please...</i> <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Don’t forget M.E.</span></b></span><br />
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It’s currently international awareness week for ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia - May 5 to May 12.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>What can you do to help?</i></span><br />
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1. Learn about this disease and the injustice of the neglect - <a href="https://youtu.be/VKPdgz612nU" target="_blank">What is ME?</a><br />
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2. Share awareness widely<br />
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3. Donate to research and to organisations that help people with ME/CFS.<br />
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GIVE DIRECTLY TO HELP AUSTRALIANS LIVING WITH ME/CFS<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://emerge.org.au/" target="_blank">Emerge Australia</a> </span>- Supporting and advocating patients with ME/CFS and helping push for more biomedical research.<br />
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GIVE DIRECTLY TO AUSTRALIAN ME/CFS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/donations/info.php" target="_blank">Griffith’s NCNED (AHMF donors)</a></span><br />
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Very important when filling out the online form to select “National Centre for Neuroimmune & Emerging Diseases (<b>AHMF donors</b>)” from this <a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/donations/info.php" target="_blank">Griffith University secure donation form</a>.<br />
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GIVE DIRECTLY TO INTERNATIONAL ME/CFS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a></span><br />
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OMF had a pilot study published recently with the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) of the United States, a renowned scientific journal. A nanoelectronics-blood-based diagnostic biomarker for ME/CFS. They need to do a larger study to implement this testing worldwide and to provide treatments. They desperately need more funding for stage two. OMF are the closest to solving ME/CFS and collaborate with world researchers, including Australia.<br />
<a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">https://www.omf.ngo</a><br />
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RECOMMENDED TO WATCH - The following videos are free to watch online<br />
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What is ME? - a short overview<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VKPdgz612nU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKPdgz612nU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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After Unrest - a short Australian documentary free on YouTube.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yKoheNZlqXg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKoheNZlqXg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Voices from the Shadows - trailer: <a href="http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk</a><br />
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The full documentary is available for free. First, click URL below, join up with Vimeo if you haven’t already (it’s free) - then select ‘rent’ and enter promo code VOICES to watch full documentary for free: <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/22513/108797012" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/ondemand/22513/108797012</a><br />
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* <span style="font-size: large;">Australian National Support</span> *</div>
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* Lifeline: 13 11 14 * Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 </div>
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* Headspace 1800 650 890 (supports young people between 12-25 yrs) </div>
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* Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 * Carers Australia 1800 242 636 </div>
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* <span style="font-size: large;">USA National Support</span> *</div>
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*Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1-800-273-8255)</span></div>
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or 1-800-SUICIDE <span style="font-size: x-small;">(1-800-784-2433)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtDuQLNflDE2QgLNqpxSKZnBSzebqUjKT38W_J9gRYLyPxbVZcnThrKagjl-u6MJjHrzE6ajcTsYC92Ukm_wJ-XkuQw9jBmAE20rHf-welNi4NO1jWEkIaCZ8TuV09ComJjHgzw7Zbol7/s1600/ME+Comic+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtDuQLNflDE2QgLNqpxSKZnBSzebqUjKT38W_J9gRYLyPxbVZcnThrKagjl-u6MJjHrzE6ajcTsYC92Ukm_wJ-XkuQw9jBmAE20rHf-welNi4NO1jWEkIaCZ8TuV09ComJjHgzw7Zbol7/s640/ME+Comic+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Reference:<br />
1. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5218818/" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5218818/</a><br />
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2. <a href="https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2018/05/inquest-ruling-young-drama-student-merryn-crofts-killed-by-m-e-18-may-2018/" target="_blank">https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2018/05/inquest-ruling-young-drama-student-merryn-crofts-killed-by-m-e-18-may-2018/</a><br />
<a href="http://emerge.org.au/mecfs/severity/severe-mecfs/#.XNZLsy9L1TY" target="_blank">http://emerge.org.au/mecfs/severity/severe-mecfs/#.XNZLsy9L1TY</a><br />
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3. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3439290/Chronic-fatigue-sufferers-6-times-likely-commit-suicide.html" target="_blank">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3439290/Chronic-fatigue-sufferers-6-times-likely-commit-suicide.html</a><br />
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-21284404267740302242018-11-19T14:10:00.003+10:002019-06-24T20:06:44.318+10:00That Christmas Feeling Children's Book Exhibition<br />
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<a href="http://www.thelitcentre.org.au/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillWGEMt97uVINkhqaYT8U8NFCQB4OEkx3VfWYGzh8MxAK6syTiHjhmpHR3UtjCz3yHK3Ww9D9dq0j9oKCMV2Pq7wxFEEuuytFFRD6ZkvPkDq4v9XGyA5MUOIChK8N0bCpeMmpcoSiVjDn/s640/TLC+exhib+post.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://amandafrancey.myportfolio.com/that-christmas-feeling" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a></i> has spread some festive fizz over the walls of <a href="http://www.thelitcentre.org.au/" target="_blank">The Literacy Centre</a>, Fremantle, this term. If you're over that way, make sure you drop in and see their <a href="http://www.thelitcentre.org.au/" target="_blank">Term 4, children's book exhibition</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdBzLcsQV6YnQdSbbiAGYem5qKOSUNy1ifNwkM4yqgfZKhFtLqxpoiLn1s6N54ofBustkvCw7SNVUdfbnEPysoeT5C_2AD_mrngHlitsVDTwEJXCdtdJ0FytWchIBTonqcE1NWE_LUJrO/s1600/001exhibition+photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdBzLcsQV6YnQdSbbiAGYem5qKOSUNy1ifNwkM4yqgfZKhFtLqxpoiLn1s6N54ofBustkvCw7SNVUdfbnEPysoeT5C_2AD_mrngHlitsVDTwEJXCdtdJ0FytWchIBTonqcE1NWE_LUJrO/s200/001exhibition+photos.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdPZyI51AlllIKkC8_fWnYeTDd7sDGc8N1LZDZ7m03lCYVSR12-qC5_jIuNIvFBhCxXliJN-ufCKNCX6ID2GaWog03c-vURr3NyD0a9yX7agiJiKeOeC-7lt5gPJ-XJ2iQX2BYbU0kRtp/s1600/002exhibition+photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdPZyI51AlllIKkC8_fWnYeTDd7sDGc8N1LZDZ7m03lCYVSR12-qC5_jIuNIvFBhCxXliJN-ufCKNCX6ID2GaWog03c-vURr3NyD0a9yX7agiJiKeOeC-7lt5gPJ-XJ2iQX2BYbU0kRtp/s200/002exhibition+photos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-O1Q3qArdjwW2kKUpzSrkhkQka_T5Wi1Zp2yXRl7njdRzGImYT7ASil6-dhjm5ua60awGhSnOpJwY7gEVeBSDkJdbjVJheBmdzAafTkodJdlYbjQaCITipKpSz7L7k-iGBVC00kwvdI6/s1600/003exhibition+photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-O1Q3qArdjwW2kKUpzSrkhkQka_T5Wi1Zp2yXRl7njdRzGImYT7ASil6-dhjm5ua60awGhSnOpJwY7gEVeBSDkJdbjVJheBmdzAafTkodJdlYbjQaCITipKpSz7L7k-iGBVC00kwvdI6/s200/003exhibition+photos.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwUdK5DXByrNAsVuf5hKEBjAth4Nj8uB4E-kOEVSMMpcLOuNInYINBwwmRXZqUxi2QpCfwwfNc7eWxfhz9lX8VZPOTZ5kEAhqdja-hRU3AqWOMT7H-agqcWO2nz-yCw6wrxb27uOR5SAE/s1600/004exhibition+photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwUdK5DXByrNAsVuf5hKEBjAth4Nj8uB4E-kOEVSMMpcLOuNInYINBwwmRXZqUxi2QpCfwwfNc7eWxfhz9lX8VZPOTZ5kEAhqdja-hRU3AqWOMT7H-agqcWO2nz-yCw6wrxb27uOR5SAE/s200/004exhibition+photos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>click above four images for larger view</i></span></div>
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The exhibition showcases my illustration process from beginning to end, including explanation notes on how I illustrated <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a></i>, written by <a href="http://www.liliwilkinson.com.au/" target="_blank">Lili Wilkinson</a>.<br />
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If you're unable to make it to the exhibition, not to worry, as much of my illustration process was covered in Kellie Byrnes' <a href="https://www.kelliebyrnes.com/blog/illustrator-interview-amanda-francey" target="_blank">Illustrator Interview</a> with me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.kelliebyrnes.com/blog/illustrator-interview-amanda-francey" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFDLsclezHfts2lTp-_cxz-g0XLTlKOSEQ88PPRxP7c1qDw4Qiou-7QbqSuSTMV8xurabwbqIGGxkhFfCRvm0oUEOi_xOEPzr58xSVbgxCB0TB__cYrvLiXfND3wiP_iVclCE6-Wn0iq9/s640/Illustrator+Interview+post.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;">That Christmas Feeling</b></div>
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Written by Lili Wilkinson</div>
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Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>Allen & Unwin 2017</i></div>
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A gorgeous, heart-warming story about misplacing</div>
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the Christmas spirit, and finding it again.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from Allen & Unwin</div>
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or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
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<br />Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-12004516881501300092018-06-28T11:27:00.000+10:002019-06-23T17:06:53.630+10:00Children's Chapter Book 'Trouble for Toby' Launch Party<a href="http://www.janetreidauthor.com/" target="_blank">Janet Reid's</a> Launch Party celebrating the release of <i><a href="https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/trouble-for-toby" target="_blank">Trouble for Toby</a></i> was a great success! Thanks to the friendly staff at <a href="https://www.artistcafe.rocks/" target="_blank">The Artist Cafe and Gallery</a> for all of your support on the day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXgXNibcOOaz3H11FOAZjJQxr8PdwlXU2G1IVW8Yj1m0E1cFdHfQrk7IOg89hYaZ2KveFnTSZZPJAxG3jug6AG2yNW7qBDJfBFNShohzg3etOjWVyj356euUjrmaGNY7-SEiIME1S67vr/s1600/Photos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXgXNibcOOaz3H11FOAZjJQxr8PdwlXU2G1IVW8Yj1m0E1cFdHfQrk7IOg89hYaZ2KveFnTSZZPJAxG3jug6AG2yNW7qBDJfBFNShohzg3etOjWVyj356euUjrmaGNY7-SEiIME1S67vr/s640/Photos.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Thanks to Joanne Sandhu and Kirsten Button </span><span style="font-size: small;">for </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">bringing your cameras and capturing the day.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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From the author...<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">“Launches are amazing events. Each one is different, but they all have one thing in common – families supporting family, friends supporting friends, and writers supporting writers. The <i><a href="https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/trouble-for-toby" target="_blank">Trouble for Toby</a></i> launch was not different with a great mix of all these.</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I was glad I chose the café option – having the venue prepared and event catered meant it was one less thing for me to worry about and allowed me to enjoy the afternoon.</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A long-time writing friend, Duncan Richardson, launched the book and spoke about the importance of books like <i>Trouble for Toby</i>, and characters who use their imagination. Then my friend, Margie Riley, to help me with the reading. That worked well and made me less nervous.</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">It was difficult to chat with friends for more than a minute or two - I guess that's the nature of launches - but the atmosphere was buzzing from the moment the first guests arrived. It was a great way to launch Toby in to the world of children's books.”</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="http://www.janetreidauthor.com/" target="_blank">Janet Reid</a></span></i><br />
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Unfortunately, I wasn't well enough to attend the launch and help with the children's activities as planned. However, I would like to thank my good friend, writer/illustrator <a href="https://justinelawsoncreates.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Justine Lawson</a> for saving the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCe6gqUqZw54RWeKtY1w5_qP5xIDyMakgjYuxNUhWT8_xoNU8bFkneygYULGhrkxoYQb-zisvHiDHwY8mCm-jgfUPEaDv68aBs6FdcdgMirHpa084TFk6VWiiIHMI860NLYcoISr9TCc/s1600/photos+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQCe6gqUqZw54RWeKtY1w5_qP5xIDyMakgjYuxNUhWT8_xoNU8bFkneygYULGhrkxoYQb-zisvHiDHwY8mCm-jgfUPEaDv68aBs6FdcdgMirHpa084TFk6VWiiIHMI860NLYcoISr9TCc/s400/photos+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's what Justine had to say...<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">“I had fabulous fun at the Trouble for Toby book launch, helping with the kids making pirate faces and doing word puzzles and colouring. I loved seeing the variety of pirate faces they made from the same basic elements, and the particular relish with which the kids drew the pirates' rotten or missing teeth. </span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">The girls and boys were excited about being at the launch of a new book, talking about their friends called "Toby" and wondering if the illustrator was inspired by their own school uniforms for the book characters.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://justinelawsoncreates.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Justine Lawson</a></span></i><br />
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Well, we can't leave children wondering...<br />
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"I was inspired by the Australian state school uniforms in general, which haven't changed a great deal since I was at school. I attended two different primary schools, and the second, I wore blue checkers, much like the uniforms Jenna and Ivy are wearing on the front cover illustration. So I guess, subconsciously, I was inspired by my own school uniform."<br />
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If you missed out on the launch and the children's activities, my illustrated colouring / word search activity is available to download by clicking the image below. And there are more activities on my <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com/p/kids.html" target="_blank">Fun Stuff</a> page to keep the children amused over the school holidays. Hopefully, it will give the adult folk enough time to sneak in a quiet cuppa. And maybe some cake.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1noAGw8lrFetHplZagPdB4NrPf5W9u9vE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="595" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtAvFBe5R_Lzpr11xe4N8UKPsTbqr4LznKQNllUPhuwMFfoKVDesOieHN3CQ5_zKT0i_SD1t8B_0YixwUkmXinNs5R1S0g07T86B9yGQWi5RUp-Fwj8LEXQmTntIKE7vMhg8iUSh1GTO4/s640/Toby+colour+page+web.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1noAGw8lrFetHplZagPdB4NrPf5W9u9vE/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Click here for printable version</span></a></div>
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<i>Trouble For Toby</i> activity page</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This artwork is for personal use only and is not permitted to be used for resale or commercial purposes</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99uYYF5UWnS8tgoPX701yuEmKgtN_E9mga3AbI3-eI_Z12YWiGadGqjmt-CPMVuaqlRjcJc7fyHcds6BfZ0TB9dHtXwzclp4JhbNlAMgt1Sh3DAyLI4FP-21rZi20nfGmhedI830-C6x9/s1600/001cov+xs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99uYYF5UWnS8tgoPX701yuEmKgtN_E9mga3AbI3-eI_Z12YWiGadGqjmt-CPMVuaqlRjcJc7fyHcds6BfZ0TB9dHtXwzclp4JhbNlAMgt1Sh3DAyLI4FP-21rZi20nfGmhedI830-C6x9/s320/001cov+xs.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<b><br /></b><b>Trouble For Toby</b></div>
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Written by Janet Reid</div>
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Illustrated by Amanda Francey</div>
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<i>Wombat Books 2018</i></div>
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Toby has one mission at school: To stay out of trouble!</div>
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Only then will his parents let him have a pet.</div>
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But that's just it, Toby has trouble staying out of trouble.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/trouble-for-toby" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a> </b>from Wombat Books</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-58224031625114565262018-06-18T13:41:00.000+10:002019-06-23T17:07:08.683+10:00That Christmas Feeling Picture Book CBCA Notable 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was thrilled to bits when I realised <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a></i>, written by <a href="http://www.liliwilkinson.com.au/" target="_blank">Lili Wilkinson</a> and illustrated by me, was listed among the CBCA's Book of the Year: Early Childhood notables this year. It's such an honour to be grouped with so many amazingly talented authors and illustrators.<br />
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To see the full list, here are the <a href="https://cbca.org.au/notables-2018" target="_blank">CBCA notables for 2018</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeSGaIrv5GK2TDRLzWaTwZ1Yfw7X7tb2phopmnFxADBbUDvlfbIaxjekMhGVmCYqjqQLQaL757Ub13TW8HGurue9cyTpSLj0hPO7i55mVheppxth6VsR08NmSCoSRnD2W5NR4OQm4cLwr/s1600/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfeSGaIrv5GK2TDRLzWaTwZ1Yfw7X7tb2phopmnFxADBbUDvlfbIaxjekMhGVmCYqjqQLQaL757Ub13TW8HGurue9cyTpSLj0hPO7i55mVheppxth6VsR08NmSCoSRnD2W5NR4OQm4cLwr/s640/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web.jpg" width="613" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu4XvKlEbna54Xz8r72mBfFEenma9oZYna58AGUFGEIw6YtYhMMEMA6TtHloh_1xOfnAg8zdyDantmvrFcO1davmips2hS7h4foOQOIl6zseM1DViJH9Yq5aqmzNwD0BDilA3EqgESxuJ/s1600/20130413-135106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu4XvKlEbna54Xz8r72mBfFEenma9oZYna58AGUFGEIw6YtYhMMEMA6TtHloh_1xOfnAg8zdyDantmvrFcO1davmips2hS7h4foOQOIl6zseM1DViJH9Yq5aqmzNwD0BDilA3EqgESxuJ/s1600/20130413-135106.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;">That Christmas Feeling</b></div>
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Written by Lili Wilkinson</div>
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Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>Allen & Unwin 2017</i></div>
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A gorgeous, heart-warming story about misplacing</div>
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the Christmas spirit, and finding it again.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from Allen & Unwin</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
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....<br />
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<a href="http://quest.smedia.com.au/north-west-news/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLkQBImslyUqHQ2iqliQllAOSspX0TBrk8PyBOY8pvkNIqyZCi_w6_utjxbOzy1doCu507bapo5IKCT6Fuf6hXm8qHaCRI9PpOf6Ku2U3PKqE0GbFTvpOo2qtv-m8wioh0nfDO58opfOV/s320/Q+North-West+News+Wed+March+28+Cover.png" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">To add to this excitement, Lili's and my book was mentioned in the </span><a href="http://quest.smedia.com.au/north-west-news/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Quest North-West News (Wednesday March 28 2018)</a><span style="text-align: center;">,</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">for <i>That Christmas Feeling</i> making the 2018 notables.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">And it was such an honour to be mentioned alongside </span><a href="https://michaelgerardbauer.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Michael Bauer's</a><span style="text-align: center;"> and </span><a href="https://www.chrissiekrebs.net/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Chrissie Krebs'</a><span style="text-align: center;"> for </span><span style="text-align: center;">making the CBCA shortlist with </span><i style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Frodney-loses-it--michael-gerard-bauer%2Fprod9781742991900.html" target="_blank">Rodney Loses It</a></i><span style="text-align: center;">. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">A huge congratulations to both of you!</span></div>
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You can purchase <i><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Frodney-loses-it--michael-gerard-bauer%2Fprod9781742991900.html" target="_blank">Rodney Loses It</a></i> from <a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Frodney-loses-it--michael-gerard-bauer%2Fprod9781742991900.html" target="_blank">booktopia</a></div>
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Click cover image (left) to visit North-West News</div>
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Then click calendar icon top left corner.</div>
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Then look for this cover:</div>
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(Wed March 28 2018 - Page 8)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_0vTbCA_pJJ-x41Nqhqu9xYg7sFxBjyvlbAoPfcda9ORzWmAawvCvvLB4YAIYIVX_9h6XCiBAVmUTDl2ij1U-728F2oT3IuIQ0qIwbPeoXnTNw9TDith9eL5EB-QkBWXIoY_rdfV4W5C/s1600/Q+North-West+News+CBCA+notables.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_0vTbCA_pJJ-x41Nqhqu9xYg7sFxBjyvlbAoPfcda9ORzWmAawvCvvLB4YAIYIVX_9h6XCiBAVmUTDl2ij1U-728F2oT3IuIQ0qIwbPeoXnTNw9TDith9eL5EB-QkBWXIoY_rdfV4W5C/s640/Q+North-West+News+CBCA+notables.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-38280184909034782762018-06-13T14:25:00.001+10:002019-06-23T17:07:24.102+10:00New Children's Chapter Book - Trouble For Toby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzrCTCHVd_Xfqwnjt-SkKvHJdZhaKVb5wiCHrL08dhAOP6t8L08I_p4s7ckrt4hx7WBSqaYfHptAqmvWky-8CPov-Ph4N6l-6U-CmWHDWBc0BDMyCWAmiKQMTE6cebCYrs-YswCTyQD11/s1600/tobybooksweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1134" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzrCTCHVd_Xfqwnjt-SkKvHJdZhaKVb5wiCHrL08dhAOP6t8L08I_p4s7ckrt4hx7WBSqaYfHptAqmvWky-8CPov-Ph4N6l-6U-CmWHDWBc0BDMyCWAmiKQMTE6cebCYrs-YswCTyQD11/s640/tobybooksweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">Trouble For Toby</a></i>, written by <a href="http://www.janetreidauthor.com/" target="_blank">Janet Reid</a> and illustrated by me. This is the first chapter book I've illustrated and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. Janet's story is brilliant and funny.<br />
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The book was released on the first of this month and published with <a href="https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/" target="_blank">Wombat Books</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://quest.smedia.com.au/north-west-news/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1136" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KpMlme_8-i2ZK25huCU_XJtjnsLutcrC4jbjd13K2IhCt0nGDm2qeDPiVgZ0UAE3Z2qFDgDz2Yg7Fti8dRY5oSMEH1RcRjiA5rn-aiIWyANxNwUlQbFiYqa9eog064MIjrKh3Uc4iDkf/s320/Q+North-West+News+Wed+June+6+Cover.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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We even made the front page of the <a href="http://quest.smedia.com.au/north-west-news/" target="_blank">North-West News</a>!<br />
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Well, a tiny picture of Janet and I made the front cover. The rest of the story is on page 13.<br />
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<i>Trouble For Toby</i> is now available to purchase from <a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a><br />
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<div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
Click cover image (left) to visit North-West News</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
Then click calendar icon top left corner.</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">
Then look for this cover:</div>
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(Wednesday, June 6, 2018 - Page 13)</div>
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If you're in Brisbane this Saturday, please join <a href="http://www.janetreidauthor.com/" target="_blank">Janet Reid</a> in celebrating the release at <i>Trouble For Toby's</i> launch party! Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend as I've been unwell for some time and need to rest. However, Janet has a fun launch party planned, with cake and a <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com/p/kids.html" target="_blank">children's activity</a> that I've illustrated.<br />
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If you're unable to make it to the launch this Saturday, <i><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">Trouble For Toby</a></i> is available to purchase below. I've uploaded a children's activity with all the other <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com/p/kids.html">Fun Stuff</a> on my blog for kids. You can view some of my illustrations from this book, from my <a href="https://amandafrancey.myportfolio.com/trouble-for-toby" target="_blank">portfolio</a>.</div>
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<b>Trouble For Toby</b></div>
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Written by Janet Reid</div>
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Illustrated by Amanda Francey</div>
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Toby has one mission at school: To stay out of trouble!</div>
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Only then will his parents let him have a pet.</div>
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But that's just it, Toby has trouble staying out of trouble.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/trouble-for-toby" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a> </b>from Wombat Books</div>
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or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-70368459208059378102018-05-27T12:47:00.001+10:002019-06-23T17:01:19.908+10:00Cat and Fox<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDG8f1nYGuE5c8yaO90XYOulGJTix5FNq2WMGMGuXJRmWn5O0A79Z3WeQHLQ8NN_fhA4bLAVGAdIwa0Ci4-q_c4ewaOidb4nH4Ny6K-6cPToaMkZs7181BnT2lUr4BLfr46ggIVaZfpYW/s1600/002+catori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDG8f1nYGuE5c8yaO90XYOulGJTix5FNq2WMGMGuXJRmWn5O0A79Z3WeQHLQ8NN_fhA4bLAVGAdIwa0Ci4-q_c4ewaOidb4nH4Ny6K-6cPToaMkZs7181BnT2lUr4BLfr46ggIVaZfpYW/s640/002+catori.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catori stalks like a fox.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I've always been fascinated by the Native American animal totems or spirit animals. After spending some time in America and Canada last year, I was inspired </span><span style="text-align: start;">to illustrate these two characters</span>, Catori (spirit) and Fox (her spirit animal).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajUhzOJ3dFATUsCYdWewvL5_FuWGFxaW3hyphenhyphenFzHdbC1P-gxKJpLkFs03Nn_9_Pje66ob_zqlAMa4NB1w1KNav3GnvB1ojDtqON_s3SeW-5LTKCBLZOHZ7WSrn-3mgb4lNO0_pO_P234xps/s1600/004+catori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajUhzOJ3dFATUsCYdWewvL5_FuWGFxaW3hyphenhyphenFzHdbC1P-gxKJpLkFs03Nn_9_Pje66ob_zqlAMa4NB1w1KNav3GnvB1ojDtqON_s3SeW-5LTKCBLZOHZ7WSrn-3mgb4lNO0_pO_P234xps/s640/004+catori.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catori sleeps like a fox.</td></tr>
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Both of these illustrations are now available to purchase from <a href="http://amalou.redbubble.com/">amalou.redbubble.com</a> on a range of products: <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/shop/recent+framed-prints?ref=sort_order_change_recent&asc=u" target="_blank">framed prints</a>, <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/shop/recent+art-prints?accordion=product&cat_context=u-prints&ref=artist_shop_product_refinement&asc=u" target="_blank">fine art prints</a>, <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/shop/recent+greeting-cards?ref=sort_order_change_recent&asc=u" target="_blank">greeting cards</a> and more. I couldn't decide if I preferred my illustration on the cream paper background or the white background, so I made it available on both. See what I've done there? I've passed the decision on to the customer.<br />
The conundrum is now yours.</div>
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<br />Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-56974995859068189802018-05-21T19:59:00.001+10:002020-02-26T15:15:30.913+10:00International Awareness for ME / CFS & Fibromyalgia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw1ADlYErMlj_XlopouhLcuQHYrwTq213p1Vv-UojysVTQOanTq94WCC3o-XbXdAZjHx1KhvGsybZMryY8f-chkNQXvCt4GzAHMnc0snHW_1FXteuv2Wb3hjU43lrlSrd1jEehj9BUnR6/s1600/ME_MAY_12.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw1ADlYErMlj_XlopouhLcuQHYrwTq213p1Vv-UojysVTQOanTq94WCC3o-XbXdAZjHx1KhvGsybZMryY8f-chkNQXvCt4GzAHMnc0snHW_1FXteuv2Wb3hjU43lrlSrd1jEehj9BUnR6/s640/ME_MAY_12.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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A little history...<br />
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"May 12th was chosen as it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale. She was believed to have suffered from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), otherwise known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS." ~ quoted from <a href="http://www.may12.org/">www.may12.org</a><br />
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Why it's personal...<br />
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) has impacted my life in a profound way. The last day I remember feeling 'normal' was August 11, 2013.<br />
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That was the day I manned a face painting stall and painted hundreds of little faces at my children's school fete. That day was so frantic, I didn't have time for a short lunch break, or even a toilet break.<br />
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Unbeknown to me, I was also coming down with a flu-like virus, which would leave me in bed for days with a high fever. Never in my dreams could I have imagined still being sick many years later, with no FDA approved treatments or therapies to allow me to return to a somewhat normal life.<br />
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During my mission to find out why my body was broken, I had visited numerous specialists and was first diagnosed and treated for an autoimmune connective tissue disease and fibromyalgia. However, despite those treatments, my most debilitating issue remained. This turned out to be a thing called <a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/what-is-mecfs" target="_blank">Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM)</a>, which is the hallmark feature of ME/CFS.<br />
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I'm fortunate my GP and rheumatologist had given me an early diagnosis (within six months of my symptoms starting). However, because this condition is mostly referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) – or worse, just Chronic Fatigue –<i> </i>by the Australian medical community, I didn't realise the seriousness of it until 2017, when my diagnoses was confirmed by a second rheumatologist.<br />
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I remember being so frustrated during my appointment, that I started sobbing at the rheumatologist – <i>'But fatigue is only ONE of my symptoms, it's</i> <i>ALL OF</i> <i>THESE</i> (pointing at my long list of symptoms) <i>that become worse after I do anything at all!' </i>– He sympathetically assured me CFS is a real disease and that all my symptoms fit the criteria. It wasn't until I returned home and, at his recommendation, googled 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' and stumbled upon <a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/" target="_blank">Emerge Australia</a> that I realised how seriously debilitating this disease was and the relief of knowing the severity of my symptoms were finally legitimised by current research.<br />
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<a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/" target="_blank">Emerge</a> have always been more up-to-date with the science of ME/CFS and have more reliable patient and carer information than our HealthGov websites, so I'd recommend Australians who think they, or a loved one, might have ME/CFS to <a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/" target="_blank">head there</a> first.<br />
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To be honest, I felt a little silly, because if I had learnt more about the impacts of exertion in the beginning, (instead of referring to outdated Australian HealthGov websites), I wouldn't have kept pushing myself, driving my children everywhere, going to most of their school and sports events, power-walking everywhere, pushing through the household chores and grocery shopping all while trying to continue my career of designing and illustrating.<br />
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The medical community don't seem to understand how debilitating this condition really is and I was given the impression that CFS is no big deal and I'd feel better after a bit of rest, then a gradual increase of exercise. This made me feel like a complete failure when my health became worse instead of better and I was finding it harder and harder to keep on top of things. So I just kept on pushing until I physically and cognitively couldn't do anything at all. If I understood what this disease was from the start, I probably would have taken my health more seriously and listened to my body. Perhaps I would only have a mild form of ME, instead of being mostly housebound.<br />
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I have no doubt this continuous pushing myself caused my health to progressively worsen and I've pretty much been in a constant state of rollover <a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/what-is-mecfs" target="_blank">Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM)</a> since. PEM describes a cluster of symptoms that become worse after physical or cognitive exertion. The more my illness has progressed, the more trivial that physical or cognitive exertion can be to result in PEM.<br />
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For me, PEM is bone crushing exhaustion, weak and heavy limbs, swollen neck glands and sore throat, pounding headache, dizziness and my muscles burn with lactic acid (like I've just sprinted up 6 flights of stairs), but all I've done is wash my hair or walk from my bedroom to the bathroom.<br />
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ME/CFS has robbed my ability to function as a 'whole' person since August 12, 2013. And it has peeled away a little more of me every year since. At the beginning of 2018, I had to put my dream career of illustrating children's books on hold, indefinitely. Turning down multiple contracts offered by my favourite children's book publishers has been a devastating blow to my future as a children's book illustrator.<br />
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I'm usually a very private person and only share my artwork to the world. It's taken me some time to work up the courage to draw myself struggling along with an invisible illness and to share my personal story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNVaYszdlo_pOVCZs-GVCXFkTrgnWS-Uq1Nc0HHWxIDp8VQBIiJgLZ_KB1Lsi7g70l2gIy1P_9HsPCUFiCaMkp0DVOxns6KsCudeC9Ywit57EujrWfpb_ASe37_4aGeLgQ84ys6kT9WBf/s1600/Elephant+%2526+ME+12+MAY+A+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNVaYszdlo_pOVCZs-GVCXFkTrgnWS-Uq1Nc0HHWxIDp8VQBIiJgLZ_KB1Lsi7g70l2gIy1P_9HsPCUFiCaMkp0DVOxns6KsCudeC9Ywit57EujrWfpb_ASe37_4aGeLgQ84ys6kT9WBf/s640/Elephant+%2526+ME+12+MAY+A+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesDsCl2Wz1-hD-zmJ4GEaJn7j7WDCjiQeSBL1LjFq2HPgv6mnqn_Bq3Yft8BWMGG7IehFyW6sSZu9ee_JTtZxeKy2kafxW9qTTOeVQSYTSqIzU3mZclvEXZEodCbCgwcguSxJxqQ8G5nc/s1600/Elephant+%2526+ME+12+MAY+B+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesDsCl2Wz1-hD-zmJ4GEaJn7j7WDCjiQeSBL1LjFq2HPgv6mnqn_Bq3Yft8BWMGG7IehFyW6sSZu9ee_JTtZxeKy2kafxW9qTTOeVQSYTSqIzU3mZclvEXZEodCbCgwcguSxJxqQ8G5nc/s640/Elephant+%2526+ME+12+MAY+B+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I created this illustration to give others an idea of what it feels like to me, to have ME/CFS.<br />
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On better days, I only have the wet cement to wade through, on worse days, I have that stubborn elephant to contend with. Sometimes, the elephant sits right on top of me. Fortunately, I don't have too many days in a row like that, where I'm completely bedridden.<br />
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I consider myself lucky to be in the moderate spectrum of this neurological disease (meaning, I currently function anywhere between 30% - 50% of my former-self).<br />
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Why am I lucky? During this journey, I've discovered there's a darker, more severe end of the spectrum. And to be honest, it terrifies me.<br />
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The patients in the severe spectrum have given me the strength to speak out, because they can't. They lost that ability long ago. They've lost the ability to walk, talk, feed themselves. They've been 'fully' missing from life for years. Some, missing for decades. Hidden away, in a quiet, darkened room: no light, no conversation, no music, no books, no movies, no social media to distract themselves from their suffering. Any stimuli causes them more pain and will exacerbate all symptoms.<br />
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Life is hell for those at the severe end, and for their families. They watch on helplessly, as their loved one's life is stripped away, leaving just a shell of what was once a happy, healthy, and energetic person with a promising future.<br />
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There's currently no approved medical treatment for ME/CFS. Researches are coming close, but they need funding and they need the support from our government and our medical system.<br />
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Despite clinical studies revealing that people with ME/CFS are 'measurably more disabled' than people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), ME/CFS receives a great deal less funding and disability support from the Australian government.<br />
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Even though ME/CFS is estimated to occur at a higher prevalence than MS (0.42% verses .09%), ME/CFS receives less attention in medical training.<br />
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"The name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was given to this condition because people didn't understand what it was," said Professor Don Staines, co-director of Griffith University's National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED). Professor Don Staines and his team have found it's a malfunction in the body at a cellular level.<br />
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Professor Staines said, "There's a defect in the receptor meaning they no longer function the way they should. What the receptors should do is to be able to transfer calcium from outside the cell to the inside.<br />
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The discovery of abnormal calcium immune system affects people with ME/CFS in three main areas of the body where ME/CFS-related pain usually occurs – the brain and spinal cord, the pancreas and the stomach.<br />
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Calcium Ions are absolutely critical for cellular function, in every single cell and every single tissue, in the body." ~ quoted from the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/02/21/queensland-scientists-make-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-research-bre_a_21718178/" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/paPlhWm26hw" target="_blank">Today Tonight Adelaide's Story</a>.<br />
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"Although it's known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," Professor Don Staines said, "fatigue is an unfortunate word because it trivialises the severity of the condition. The formal name of the illness, <b>Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, is far more accurate because, in medical terms, it relates specifically to brain and spinal cord inflammation with associated muscle pain</b>."<br />
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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (or ME)<br />
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It's a tricky word to get your mouth around. It's a bit like that word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which takes a little practise to say it right.<br />
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So let me break it down for you:<br />
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MYA muscles<br />
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ALGIC painful<br />
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ENCEPHALO brain<br />
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MYEL nerve<br />
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ITIS inflammation<br />
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I have created a Pinterest Board exhibiting ART and WORDS by artists around the world, as they express the bone-crushing exhaustion, pain and hardship that is endured from existing with this disease... <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/amaloustudio/illustrating-mecfs-fm/?fbclid=IwAR1pv2rV54gcye71CiqFmdsyy2vDJXHWGdQQ6xDrALKEqbt-wyr6i9b8nKs">ME/CFS 'Through the Eyes of Artists'</a><br />
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If you would like to read more of my personal journey managing life with ME/CFS, I've created a new blog specifically for this topic including other chronic illnesses at <a href="https://illustratorinterrupted.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Illustrator Interrupted</a>.<br />
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💙 💜 💙</div>
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If you would like to know more about ME/CFS, please visit the following websites:</div>
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<a href="https://emerge.org.au/">https://emerge.org.au</a> and <a href="http://mecfs.org.au/">http://mecfs.org.au</a></div>
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Watch the following FREE videos</h3>
<a href="https://youtu.be/VKPdgz612nU" target="_blank">What is ME?</a> short overview<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VKPdgz612nU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKPdgz612nU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/yKoheNZlqXg" target="_blank">After Unrest</a> an Australian documentary.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yKoheNZlqXg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKoheNZlqXg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/si_JJf-SVnQ" target="_blank">A short story</a> of Dr Ron Davis' race to save his son Whitney from dying from this disease.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/si_JJf-SVnQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/si_JJf-SVnQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk/" target="_blank">Voices from the Shadows</a> a 30 minute trailer<br />
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The full documentary <i><b>Voices from the Shadows</b></i> is available for free. First, click URL below, join up with Vimeo if you haven’t already (it’s free) - then select ‘rent’ and enter promo code VOICES to watch full documentary for free: <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/22513/108797012" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/ondemand/22513/108797012</a><br />
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Watch Unrest, an Award Winning Documentary </h3>
Jennifer Brea is about to marry the love of her life when she's struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden. When doctors tell her "it's all in her head," she turns the camera on herself and her community as she looks for answers and fights for a cure.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JvK5s9BNLzA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JvK5s9BNLzA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://www.unrest.film/" target="_blank">Unrest</a> is now streaming in Australia on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80168300" target="_blank">Netflix</a>, <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/unrest" target="_blank">Vimeo On Demand</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/movie/unrest/id1265409535?mt=6&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple iTunes</a>.</div>
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What can you do to help?</h3>
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1. Please help spread the awareness with all of your friends, family, medical community and politicians. </div>
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2. Please let your GP know about the new ThinkGP education module and email them the link below: </div>
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<b>Busting the myths and redefining Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome</b>. </div>
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<a href="https://www.thinkgp.com.au//education/mecfs" target="_blank">https://www.thinkgp.com.au//education/mecfs</a></div>
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This education is accredited: RACGP 2 CPD, ACRRM 1 CME PD. The current Australian GP ME/CFS guidelines are long overdue to be renewed and include outdated therapies that have been proven to be harmful for patients.</div>
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3. If you can afford it, please donate to one of the following organisations:</div>
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<a href="https://www.emerge.org.au/" target="_blank">Emerge Australia Inc</a> - Supporting and advocating for ME/CFS patients and partners with Mason Foundation ME/CFS biobank.</div>
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<a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/donations/info.php" target="_blank">Griffith University's NCNED</a> - Australian biomedical research for ME/CFS. Please make sure you select <i><b>National Centre of Neuroimmunology & Emerging Diseases </b></i><b><i>(AHMF donors)</i> </b>in the 'Please use my gift to support' dropdown menu. It's important you include the option with (AHMF donors) as that goes directly to ME/CFS biomedical research.</div>
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<a href="https://www.omf.ngo/" target="_blank">Open Medicine Foundation</a> - International biomedical research for ME/CFS.</div>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-67005888603866126582018-02-06T10:34:00.002+10:002019-06-23T16:59:43.554+10:00Doe and Fawn in the Lupines<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbZcCKhP4_fO6Os_PG5jlyCK6cW31Y-MN9ekV5hBlVrn2hUrr7Z_NygF0oSn2-OwhIsn2DiWWSjqORewxhwxEKAWBstw8x4HDVo7w38-WUbt9uVq333PhlxqqhKw9eaIU9wFDnaYsYr-W/s1600/deer+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="842" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbZcCKhP4_fO6Os_PG5jlyCK6cW31Y-MN9ekV5hBlVrn2hUrr7Z_NygF0oSn2-OwhIsn2DiWWSjqORewxhwxEKAWBstw8x4HDVo7w38-WUbt9uVq333PhlxqqhKw9eaIU9wFDnaYsYr-W/s640/deer+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final illustration</td></tr>
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Last year, I had the best AirBnB experience staying in a charming cottage 'The Tides' at Glen Haven. The cottage overlooks Big Indian Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. I wrote about it in more detail in my <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/travelling-illustrator.html" target="_blank">Travelling Illustrator</a> post.<br />
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Late one afternoon, a wild doe and her fawn stopped for a rest in the front garden of the cottage. It was magical to me, as I'm from Australia, so I'm only used to seeing wallabies and kookaburras. I raced around madly looking for my camera, which of course, I didn't take overseas with me, so I hastily grabbed my phone and snapped a few pictures.<br />
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They trotted off in a hurry, so this is all I managed to snap for my illustration reference. As you can see in the illustration above, I had to improvise a little with my drawing of the fidgety fawn. I also tilted the doe's head a little for a cute nuzzle with her fawn. This did not happen at all! The mother was trying to have a rest while the fawn was bouncing all over her, and within minutes, the mother had enough and trotted off. I completely sympathised with her, having three kids of my own.<br />
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Gees... let the poor mum deer have her rest!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQOXktiVcRDQQ-lzW2UNWFcgPhqIz3Bt_duZkvdka6ELLJippkaJfT_bDkZVMHpq-aFje-baxDChyphenhyphenwNRjUvSKGA8C9ph6iLi0eFn6Sb8SIfS0WXS7G0oAt96asDO5Q9WiUjN4eWxoUBAp/s1600/deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQOXktiVcRDQQ-lzW2UNWFcgPhqIz3Bt_duZkvdka6ELLJippkaJfT_bDkZVMHpq-aFje-baxDChyphenhyphenwNRjUvSKGA8C9ph6iLi0eFn6Sb8SIfS0WXS7G0oAt96asDO5Q9WiUjN4eWxoUBAp/s640/deer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration Reference</td></tr>
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I left behind a sketch study of the deer for the owner of the cottage and I promised the host that I would illustrate a better one (pictured top) and send an art print in the post. After six months of working on this between children's book projects, the illustration's finally completed, printed and packaged in a postal tube, ready to post to Canada this afternoon.<br />
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My illustration '<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/30135406-doe-and-fawn-nuzzle-in-the-lupines?asc=u&p=art-print" target="_blank">Doe and Fawn in the Lupines</a>' is also available as fine art prints, greeting cards and various other products pictured below, at my <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u" target="_blank">RedBubble Shop</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/30135406-doe-and-fawn-nuzzle-in-the-lupines?asc=u&p=art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-1XkS2tBwMEhB2IDzKg0vQbG2gULBkxvpO5hGGQUzIQnV1pUHU-TUlV9QOm8PhyjTplFtb01lzhwcg-dTKQT5Ag2Z2If7xOyGrAKucT7vHKRNsiozSd_745XFk_lxhJzRMzPewTzTeMt/s640/art+clothes.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/30135406-doe-and-fawn-nuzzle-in-the-lupines?asc=u&p=art-print" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF-IMMGAV2h7DvxyDBiQFY9WevXCOBY9UP_uBMycSKywUiWLUNmsqoJI9SsJLVGvnrSzg-CY3XOEfPdIbZ5R2OZeNHg0bp-g1aOdfUM16_Xo9rJ0EQS1Hi2agrVba1raZoiImI-igBLjo/s640/stationery+mug.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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<br />Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-88286290637903176292017-12-03T14:49:00.003+10:002019-06-24T20:19:03.454+10:00That Christmas Feeling Picture BookIt's December! Now's a perfectly acceptable time to sprinkle some more of <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a> </i>around the webisphere.<i> </i><br />
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My daughter's found her reindeer antlers and we're about to pull out the Christmas Tree.<br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;">Illustration Video</span></h3>
As promised, here's a time-lapse video of my illustration process from <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a> </i>picture book,<i> </i>written by Lili Wilkinson.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1HxrfQi8UgA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1HxrfQi8UgA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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For those who are interested in the more technical aspects of my illustration process, I have a <a href="https://youtu.be/2TLRKPiFjGo" target="_blank">longer version of this video</a> including descriptive captions, explaining my technique <a href="https://youtu.be/2TLRKPiFjGo" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d;">Christmas Holiday Art Activities</span></h3>
For those who live in Brisbane and are looking for a Christmas activity to do with your kids, I'll be at <a href="https://riverbendbooks.com.au/events/kids-event-that-christmas-feeling" target="_blank">Riverbend Books</a> (193 Oxford Street, Bulimba) this Saturday, 9th of December at 10.30am. You'll just need to book your FREE tickets here: <a href="https://riverbendbooks.com.au/events/kids-event-that-christmas-feeling">https://riverbendbooks.com.au/events/kids-event-that-christmas-feeling</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpqt2bs5pYhj-MuNKDQbaRHa9-eqbL1EoF1fI5LJuoDCwGMH75veZrgwkDpJm1fksqH7aSkE1F05175YM8wZfHuLTdkW4r9k9rOTpEI9TCnMBLgig8Qjp1MN2Bc-JivndVieDcqhvhOpv/s1600/flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="595" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpqt2bs5pYhj-MuNKDQbaRHa9-eqbL1EoF1fI5LJuoDCwGMH75veZrgwkDpJm1fksqH7aSkE1F05175YM8wZfHuLTdkW4r9k9rOTpEI9TCnMBLgig8Qjp1MN2Bc-JivndVieDcqhvhOpv/s640/flyer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've recently added some activities themed around <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank"><i>That Christmas Feeling</i> picture book</a> to my <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/p/kids.html" target="_blank">Kids Activities page.</a> Be sure to print out some of these to keep your kids busy over the holidays. Well, busy enough for you to enjoy a quiet cuppa at least.<br />
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<a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/p/kids.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6TyCktboySerhmLnS3ou2egZXfnkqYgmWPvvF17IA7DAVz_17dmlWCY4la0JJvd4Z4vkuZ68Pm2-5V8IxXQXwKEevmqohz_Wle8pz-l-HQS7dKTb528nglq2i9lfNpJWRfngHsJu_NIz/s200/tree+puppy+colouring+page.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/p/kids.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQM31HjRHKKw-s_zC1rDnzlADQG3QvHGSbef3YF9srsTEK5GQEEgXxLp8Eiz9dDOcwQUtnWf0gFCPFh10WbHo1zuDccogEwMmiRaGLR4yt-BGaWItnfhftNyNJxgr4fx_NOlG00w09AkA/s200/That+Christmas+Feeling+Santa+List.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #6aa84f;">• Colouring page • Santa List Colouring Page</i></div>
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<i style="color: #6aa84f;">• How to Draw a Christmas Tree • How to Draw a Christmas Puppy</i></div>
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<a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/p/kids.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6vNXEsbCC9wrSLmkzl7r0H44xguBfgPeIScuREk6YBMSgzW-dtovwEoSXfTU3nRutxmuWIucaI09wqHTXfckPGX9XDubitCOty9rtbu4bjKlhrJxe8Loa73XsHS91iK9WtqlzfnWjNhZ/s200/how+to+draw+tree+step+by+step.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/p/kids.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EV8W3N4az7i1EvYKL2xmxhCXPTLa4vu3u4xaEFgkrZRbCxr9W17PcI7GyzLBvIuZlZNc4RZKspyQaFjfZKCQJ8s9nXaaIr6ikbseB0viNHzoX5GHoEHk7MtKR7udAMIrsNUmGHed5ZQ7/s200/how+to+draw+a+Christmas+Puppy+step+by+step.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #93c47d;"><i>That Christmas Feeling</i> Book Reviews</span></h3>
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Today's @dailytelegraph Funday #LoveOzKidLit review: </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #93c47d; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; letter-spacing: -0.11999999731779099px;"><i>"The realistic watercolour illustrations cleverly create an “every family, every Christmas” setting and the story encourages young children to think about what makes Christmas special. “That Christmas Feeling” celebrates the importance of family. Even without the traditional food, tree, carols and home, when Dottie is surrounded by her family, “It feels exactly like Christmas.” </i></span></div>
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More reviews... <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2017/12/review-that-christmas-feeling.html" target="_blank">Kids' Book Review</a> ; <a href="https://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-will-rapt-find-wrapped-christmas-part-2/2017/11" target="_blank">Boomerang Books Review by Romi Sharp</a> ; <a href="https://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/dims-christmas-cracker-list-4-picture-books/2017/12#.WiTQ1616u5s.facebook" target="_blank">Boomerang Books Review by Dimity Powel</a> ; <a href="http://www.glamadelaide.com.au/main/book-review-that-christmas-feeling-by-lili-wilkinson-illustrated-by-amanda-francey/" target="_blank">Glam Adelaide</a> ; <a href="https://readingtime.com.au/that-christmas-feeling/" target="_blank">CBCA Reading Time</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcMRnF_g7ljkA0shSkA_4cvEFE8cyFOHNBAXEdkmju8dJz0rt9Wa2onaLSZl_Y7dmtbSHQq-DYilM0THjO8dDTThM15fSpbFM39nGVehiqEzfb0j2_XEY8vQa-xcjaKBKTQ8TNBoIA1AS/s1600/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web_xxs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcMRnF_g7ljkA0shSkA_4cvEFE8cyFOHNBAXEdkmju8dJz0rt9Wa2onaLSZl_Y7dmtbSHQq-DYilM0THjO8dDTThM15fSpbFM39nGVehiqEzfb0j2_XEY8vQa-xcjaKBKTQ8TNBoIA1AS/s1600/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web_xxs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
That Christmas Feeling</h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Lili Wilkinson</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Amanda Francey</div>
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A gorgeous, heart-warming story about misplacing the Christmas spirit, and finding it again.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from Allen & Unwin<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1273px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1273px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1273px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 42px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1273px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-61627860855656464982017-10-01T16:10:00.001+10:002019-06-23T16:57:48.260+10:00Happy Publication Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsviEjCehFi4b5HbkSfNysZZS2ORU7EgriUL3A17whFkU9xB7r9J3xj9J3sHMVuuEdIw7jr6DSY3oaZlRnnKElsDaG6fvMldERtyEuvQ4zbcGunjvYEQW0UQ7QnSBHtgQ3G9eqEOQkBzH/s1600/happypubdaystepfinal.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="709" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsviEjCehFi4b5HbkSfNysZZS2ORU7EgriUL3A17whFkU9xB7r9J3xj9J3sHMVuuEdIw7jr6DSY3oaZlRnnKElsDaG6fvMldERtyEuvQ4zbcGunjvYEQW0UQ7QnSBHtgQ3G9eqEOQkBzH/s640/happypubdaystepfinal.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a></i> hardback picture book is available now!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcMRnF_g7ljkA0shSkA_4cvEFE8cyFOHNBAXEdkmju8dJz0rt9Wa2onaLSZl_Y7dmtbSHQq-DYilM0THjO8dDTThM15fSpbFM39nGVehiqEzfb0j2_XEY8vQa-xcjaKBKTQ8TNBoIA1AS/s1600/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web_xxs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcMRnF_g7ljkA0shSkA_4cvEFE8cyFOHNBAXEdkmju8dJz0rt9Wa2onaLSZl_Y7dmtbSHQq-DYilM0THjO8dDTThM15fSpbFM39nGVehiqEzfb0j2_XEY8vQa-xcjaKBKTQ8TNBoIA1AS/s1600/ThatChristmasFeeling_correct_cov_web_xxs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;">That Christmas Feeling</b></div>
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Written by Lili Wilkinson</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>Allen & Unwin 2017</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A gorgeous, heart-warming story about misplacing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the Christmas spirit, and finding it again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from Allen & Unwin<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
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And it's also <b>Happy Publication Day</b> for <i><a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/take-ted-instead-cassandra-webb/prod9781925059885.html" target="_blank">Take Ted Instead</a> </i>paperback edition.<br />
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I'm so rapt to see the CBCA Notable Book sticker on the cover!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFZaMChuy5QDSlhBRAhZ1TKRSBHGUNeSOsuHM_G98HI8MxucCL_rXyycnGxK_ExLEWPr4EcZe0pGX02gb2JeIPCWsqlKnGOIFkasaU329uOva1QRlQypm5w-WvExnEXJ7ZeK85F2R9UJ6/s1600/take-ted-instead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFZaMChuy5QDSlhBRAhZ1TKRSBHGUNeSOsuHM_G98HI8MxucCL_rXyycnGxK_ExLEWPr4EcZe0pGX02gb2JeIPCWsqlKnGOIFkasaU329uOva1QRlQypm5w-WvExnEXJ7ZeK85F2R9UJ6/s320/take-ted-instead.jpg" width="315" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu4XvKlEbna54Xz8r72mBfFEenma9oZYna58AGUFGEIw6YtYhMMEMA6TtHloh_1xOfnAg8zdyDantmvrFcO1davmips2hS7h4foOQOIl6zseM1DViJH9Yq5aqmzNwD0BDilA3EqgESxuJ/s1600/20130413-135106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdu4XvKlEbna54Xz8r72mBfFEenma9oZYna58AGUFGEIw6YtYhMMEMA6TtHloh_1xOfnAg8zdyDantmvrFcO1davmips2hS7h4foOQOIl6zseM1DViJH9Yq5aqmzNwD0BDilA3EqgESxuJ/s1600/20130413-135106.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;">Take Ted Instead</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Cassandra Webb</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Amanda Francey</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>New Frontier Publishing 2016</i></div>
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It's bedtime for one tired little boy. Why should he go to bed</div>
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when everyone else in the house is still awake?</div>
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He has a plan to keep himself wide awake.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from New Frontier Publishing<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-55514132839893573192017-10-01T09:35:00.001+10:002019-06-23T16:57:15.039+10:00Just made it snow in Narnia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVa3H_puJpHcuX0FPFTyoquZNB3QjrwGIWqY-mmnqQ6sN9mO8D5gjH79XUwlNGrhVoPmZqa8ERk9dQVpcq_VXCS-i1Stap8gkA1UqYQCpW-IaQ45kgyU7KH3fksWjNJE3MhCNZBB613lh/s1600/Lucy-snow-step-two.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="864" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVa3H_puJpHcuX0FPFTyoquZNB3QjrwGIWqY-mmnqQ6sN9mO8D5gjH79XUwlNGrhVoPmZqa8ERk9dQVpcq_VXCS-i1Stap8gkA1UqYQCpW-IaQ45kgyU7KH3fksWjNJE3MhCNZBB613lh/s640/Lucy-snow-step-two.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Having a little fun today, making animated gifs of my illustrations in photoshop.</div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 18px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 193px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 18px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-16559676115526617412017-09-22T12:36:00.001+10:002019-06-23T16:56:36.373+10:00First Chapter Book & The Wombatnapping of Wolly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlii1JJL_aGvMdMThGGTSMHvLZDxzal3AVH7H7nWig7mLNDUtEMb4CaZCKHTTrr7NbisFEBtRTQCWncHJzlj19kZs-NtKibsvcQBEqVTGXf5hX36Ru0_VYwbDp0GbrwbFaGXyUwoCqxFJ/s640/toby.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Character roughs of the protagonist.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">First Chapter Book</i></span><br />
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Recently, I started character roughs for an adorable and humorous chapter book coming out in 2018. This will be the very first chapter book illustrated by me and it is my very first project with <a href="http://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/books" target="_blank">Wombat Books</a>. More will be revealed next year, closer to the release date.<br />
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~</div>
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">The Wombatnapping of Wolly</i></span><br />
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Shortly after signing the illustration contract with the lovely <a href="http://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/books" target="_blank">Wombat Books</a>, Wolly showed up on my doorstep. Thank you <a href="http://www.wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/books" target="_blank">Wombat Books</a>!<br />
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I was really touched by this warm and cuddly welcome into the Wombat Family.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfYinpzLdTqjApIzbQHuBDy-AMkjB57AaBuEU2ByUVeYjEpdk1gHbSiVOyWkjlq1nnpySRmObIkMggBSyZt87M3Q_aihWNQO6YObLsWj9oIjdKmkQTjRqEa3EaBuMNdHOjvAwFioTbbBc/s1600/001+wolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfYinpzLdTqjApIzbQHuBDy-AMkjB57AaBuEU2ByUVeYjEpdk1gHbSiVOyWkjlq1nnpySRmObIkMggBSyZt87M3Q_aihWNQO6YObLsWj9oIjdKmkQTjRqEa3EaBuMNdHOjvAwFioTbbBc/s640/001+wolly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolly feels right at home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unfortunately, our dog was a little jealous of all the cuddles Wolly was receiving from our daughter, who was sick with the flu at the time. While my daughter left Wolly on the couch because she just <i>had</i> to show me the longest snot string ever, (which was dangling precariously from her nostril to the end of her outstretched arm, holding the tissue), our dog nuzzled the door open and <span style="font-size: large;"><i>Wombatnapped Wolly!</i></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_xmhzfUiQ59nlQBX8DD0gFnmD4wY2U38qcEft9Y7kH-eCTguNZeYHdGUoVSPdz8rVj7tVakVlD_rPw0-7sjlM5Ox6KZ5dHMkDFbfLfmfZMF1TQafvfuTco0Qa2D7UF_thmP9eGoVz40P/s1600/002+wolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_xmhzfUiQ59nlQBX8DD0gFnmD4wY2U38qcEft9Y7kH-eCTguNZeYHdGUoVSPdz8rVj7tVakVlD_rPw0-7sjlM5Ox6KZ5dHMkDFbfLfmfZMF1TQafvfuTco0Qa2D7UF_thmP9eGoVz40P/s640/002+wolly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Wombats were injured in this photo.</td></tr>
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Meanwhile, my husband was nearly knocked down the stairs by a tan and grey tornado as it whooshed past. Luckily, he managed to rescue poor Wolly before any damage occurred.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBCkvh7oXYZo-CaeH2HJECfvsnIZQoUERC4UwEdRGTGzHnRgcAJW9_oKUR1i_nsRkYIFmJww2KC9IKfFBeTdhEzwk4GsS9DvBaSwfaetIHpNxXVNDxqlC0LSHsuuNpzrqnCwDuRVsbZLL/s1600/003+wolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBCkvh7oXYZo-CaeH2HJECfvsnIZQoUERC4UwEdRGTGzHnRgcAJW9_oKUR1i_nsRkYIFmJww2KC9IKfFBeTdhEzwk4GsS9DvBaSwfaetIHpNxXVNDxqlC0LSHsuuNpzrqnCwDuRVsbZLL/s640/003+wolly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wolly teaching our dog a few manners.</div>
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<i>'Sit! I am your master.'</i><br />
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As it turns out, Wolly's quite the bossy little wombat. </div>
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He's made it very clear that he likes to oversee my work and he tricks me into doing things that I'd rather not do. Like clean up my desk.</div>
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'How do you know what colour your desk is under all those papers, folders, books, hats, skipping ropes, chocolate wrappers and sticky notes?' Wolly asked.</div>
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'I don't,' I replied. And then <i>I</i> started to wonder what colour my desk was. I had to clean it up.</div>
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And that stare he gives me while I'm procrastinating on Facebook or Instagram too long.</div>
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It's intense isn't it?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhfZ0UZzxQy7rsOXkkOQ18hDlzsJJRzLPa6CyYYAhLqPmYWIV0x6d3FhsOS9H5NQssS2jNJ2R0uL8Bc_BTuqw5cB2Uqf3mjPSjterNkPhqeVnKdR_yXKhyphenhyphenXCR0Q6rBCMGstwg-hUS4gTY/s1600/desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhfZ0UZzxQy7rsOXkkOQ18hDlzsJJRzLPa6CyYYAhLqPmYWIV0x6d3FhsOS9H5NQssS2jNJ2R0uL8Bc_BTuqw5cB2Uqf3mjPSjterNkPhqeVnKdR_yXKhyphenhyphenXCR0Q6rBCMGstwg-hUS4gTY/s640/desk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh my! What skinny legs you have Wolly.<br />
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<i>I'm beginning to think Wolly's not a real wombat.</i></div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 24px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 24px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-7200296405501040382017-09-15T17:06:00.000+10:002019-06-23T16:55:36.869+10:00That Christmas Feeling is almost here!Finally, for some actual News from the Studio...<br />
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As I mentioned before, I have recently completed illustrating a picture book called, <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a></i>, written by <a href="http://www.liliwilkinson.com.au/" target="_blank">Lili Wilkinson</a>. Allen & Unwin will be releasing this heartwarming Christmas story on the 1st of October 2017.<br />
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Here's one of my advance copies. <i>I'm so excited!!</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvPDk3G1RW0zyRNIH5JcH5aRjV5MGdYsOqTmrS4cHPdrO_WwPBnyg9-W8Ml6kcMD7VABp_uZbhAA5PFPlktnyIKwvFIB9XQV8AsAv2SiGMRHCXCWh-Td7R-RtP4yEp-M67IXKsNsTfTdC/s1600/bookcoverphoto_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="850" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvPDk3G1RW0zyRNIH5JcH5aRjV5MGdYsOqTmrS4cHPdrO_WwPBnyg9-W8Ml6kcMD7VABp_uZbhAA5PFPlktnyIKwvFIB9XQV8AsAv2SiGMRHCXCWh-Td7R-RtP4yEp-M67IXKsNsTfTdC/s640/bookcoverphoto_web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="product-short-description text-large" style="font-size: 1.143em; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 1em;">
<span style="color: #b9e0c5; font-family: inherit;"><i>A warm family story that will give you those special Christmas tingles.</i></span></div>
<i>Dottie is waiting for the Christmas feeling to arrive - that fizzy, excited feeling, where everything is a bit magical. But this year, Dottie, her brother, Jem, and their dog, Shortbread, are staying with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma and Grandpa are trying hard, but Christmas just isn't the same...</i><br />
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<i>A gorgeous, heart-warming story about misplacing the Christmas spirit, and finding it again.</i><br />
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More on this to come.. book launch and other book event details, a video of me illustrating the front cover and a children's Christmas activity... so watch this space!<br />
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Here's one of the internal sketches...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrk4JjozAMW41yaRBN0YiI2OKOQKEyxpH154PQU_nX7ruSW4rlzDiZNuYXfsVPdwKC7H-l_1FOzSlpSEcw6v9YyV9TARTUqxnRQhUe-Bj6CC1nUeqe7ks5iD4L27p1pk-Sq_K4VJmvuPI/s1600/sketch+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="709" height="509" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrk4JjozAMW41yaRBN0YiI2OKOQKEyxpH154PQU_nX7ruSW4rlzDiZNuYXfsVPdwKC7H-l_1FOzSlpSEcw6v9YyV9TARTUqxnRQhUe-Bj6CC1nUeqe7ks5iD4L27p1pk-Sq_K4VJmvuPI/s640/sketch+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dottie's brother, Jem, trying to bring a little Christmas magic to Grandma's & Grandpa's.</td></tr>
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And for some other News from the Studio...<br />
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I'm currently illustrating a chapter book (my first) and will post more on this next up!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 162px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 162px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-9418834482362843502017-09-13T13:31:00.003+10:002019-06-23T16:54:51.387+10:00Travelling Illustrator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51xC99AwpTisFVJyIn3kBtzgOtQ7IxMZ_g4Fhg7U9HT7gRLPg_kTao3siaZrLKC5cmJayumoX0VOWwgd0rxXwepFkVuk9zdxyP3BdaV6tmtGliXTrwwkczOSEIzvfWrEpvqJKHkNy9RgO/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51xC99AwpTisFVJyIn3kBtzgOtQ7IxMZ_g4Fhg7U9HT7gRLPg_kTao3siaZrLKC5cmJayumoX0VOWwgd0rxXwepFkVuk9zdxyP3BdaV6tmtGliXTrwwkczOSEIzvfWrEpvqJKHkNy9RgO/s640/house.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the balcony of 'The Tides' Glen Haven, overlooking Big Indian Island, Nova Scotia.</td></tr>
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It’s been a few months since I’ve updated my blog, but I do have a very good reason.<br />
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After illustrating my last picture book <i><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/That-Christmas-Feeling-Lili-Wilkinson-illustrated-by-Amanda-Francey-9781760294960" target="_blank">That Christmas Feeling</a> </i>by Lili Wilkinson, my husband and I decided that our family deserved a long holiday in a faraway place.<br />
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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 <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> land on Prince Edward Island, Canada.<br />
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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!<br />
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I think she was hungry.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmshZLc3Ay_r2j89VWfo2yHLeWj9j5hVF-xBhxVu_2yZkfYq1vITniAFlogCQShWDA76ZMqCn9J8Rrg1GVX0vVA-yPeo1Ycq-hWJak6Zm0ggVsj7iwMiUSt_s_W9U9svQ2h2uDrvO0C1Tm/s1600/foxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmshZLc3Ay_r2j89VWfo2yHLeWj9j5hVF-xBhxVu_2yZkfYq1vITniAFlogCQShWDA76ZMqCn9J8Rrg1GVX0vVA-yPeo1Ycq-hWJak6Zm0ggVsj7iwMiUSt_s_W9U9svQ2h2uDrvO0C1Tm/s640/foxes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fox friend from Prince Edward Island.</td></tr>
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Another highlight for me, was when this doe and fawn trotted by one afternoon. This is the front garden of <i><a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/14260227?s=mX1AX1Pt" target="_blank">The Tides</a>,</i> a charming house we stayed in while visiting Nova Scotia.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsByuHi0srlaLRB_FQgDAnnPXHY3_CYcA_D0-dN-u1vddbXKLufXBQ24nYQLiWsEOiJ9lg8LdyXmfpHnKWaBE6JweAlePREejrZfE7uhcF1zgfhaZPzWb85eCuKTXnWq3wBMwZrk0iHOH/s1600/deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsByuHi0srlaLRB_FQgDAnnPXHY3_CYcA_D0-dN-u1vddbXKLufXBQ24nYQLiWsEOiJ9lg8LdyXmfpHnKWaBE6JweAlePREejrZfE7uhcF1zgfhaZPzWb85eCuKTXnWq3wBMwZrk0iHOH/s640/deer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front garden with deer and purple lupines at 'The Tides' Glen Haven.</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/14260227?s=mX1AX1Pt" target="_blank">awesome house</a>! 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!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxi9m41Q6cbavExyawKJukCe0n8iQSMaN4T4wMonh7mURFTNHr1XIDa1tYEorO5-v3i1qYVQHIqnmqQ1OeaMpMY3NCKD02Tkl2YcNORO-RDaL6fLD_dFRWYRDrElL5H3V0eKHt3oKA4vs/s1600/instagramdeer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxi9m41Q6cbavExyawKJukCe0n8iQSMaN4T4wMonh7mURFTNHr1XIDa1tYEorO5-v3i1qYVQHIqnmqQ1OeaMpMY3NCKD02Tkl2YcNORO-RDaL6fLD_dFRWYRDrElL5H3V0eKHt3oKA4vs/s640/instagramdeer1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A work in progress.</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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Here are a few watercolour and pencil sketches from my journey.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EG50fltYuzlsC51sJK0tOhSP3NTYlItVd5c3rkzmYCthdNdJ9xYkzfK1g5AU5aDMprLfvsL3Oe9ZW9JWkxn4OyJ3Cg41UzW26L4vWYuUxabQrNVOfWiXx9RHOrDLn8mqSmwgvkCOgMfj/s1600/001+sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EG50fltYuzlsC51sJK0tOhSP3NTYlItVd5c3rkzmYCthdNdJ9xYkzfK1g5AU5aDMprLfvsL3Oe9ZW9JWkxn4OyJ3Cg41UzW26L4vWYuUxabQrNVOfWiXx9RHOrDLn8mqSmwgvkCOgMfj/s640/001+sketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A huge thunderstorm in Boston cooled us down after a 35 degree day.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2CZQhHNWQOYBLYz6e9KS_qk_K7s0ae2BiMwDb-CMDv_y6cqgHDDoIrS6wKFQplSI7zDCKb2TmpRzdRiB2nTytxxJL96q70veEZuwQrIaGZDe40xrFjHjdJATvgfOj1FGMCfdJHe2F1TG/s1600/002+sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2CZQhHNWQOYBLYz6e9KS_qk_K7s0ae2BiMwDb-CMDv_y6cqgHDDoIrS6wKFQplSI7zDCKb2TmpRzdRiB2nTytxxJL96q70veEZuwQrIaGZDe40xrFjHjdJATvgfOj1FGMCfdJHe2F1TG/s640/002+sketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I drew a horse just because.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35rRSjKAyh7y0vFARwPLrRl4iRcjN4C2L5o-Jhg-SW0RH3OEnWmWukH3ND6181TyUagkfFMCGYx4TZ0KFQlOjung3ntmMbikmit05Du7Tip9Ik_ciKXgzHI92E8lpuzSW4pAsDwGGPAL5/s1600/003+sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35rRSjKAyh7y0vFARwPLrRl4iRcjN4C2L5o-Jhg-SW0RH3OEnWmWukH3ND6181TyUagkfFMCGYx4TZ0KFQlOjung3ntmMbikmit05Du7Tip9Ik_ciKXgzHI92E8lpuzSW4pAsDwGGPAL5/s640/003+sketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves from a Boston park.</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzi4V5rMstQZYQhGIj3IT3zkM5ttB_tnTf-b7bVlPLUMJ4NHCQY2JTYTSpfQWtcTk0qNzCnMzqkWgcvodhNzvp8I-EsjLip5BgDr7GT4yo8tRv8SAQGh_8F96m1KlERCBlUKPTPxpb-wR/s1600/001+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzi4V5rMstQZYQhGIj3IT3zkM5ttB_tnTf-b7bVlPLUMJ4NHCQY2JTYTSpfQWtcTk0qNzCnMzqkWgcvodhNzvp8I-EsjLip5BgDr7GT4yo8tRv8SAQGh_8F96m1KlERCBlUKPTPxpb-wR/s640/001+books.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australian picture books in a Canadian bookshop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjhEJcrFVFiuKo61I3Uru92y-kF8rg8X3zcs6-6EUPVJXMHb1meO-qKQOWeQfmvD3eSFTPH5QtcbNpK-FkT5yfNcF6vA1lqkgQLo8gk00nKgK-pLyAW9CdhBlF5IgfX2sT6DzUsQX4Vb5/s1600/002+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjhEJcrFVFiuKo61I3Uru92y-kF8rg8X3zcs6-6EUPVJXMHb1meO-qKQOWeQfmvD3eSFTPH5QtcbNpK-FkT5yfNcF6vA1lqkgQLo8gk00nKgK-pLyAW9CdhBlF5IgfX2sT6DzUsQX4Vb5/s640/002+books.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australian picture books in a New York bookshop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 33px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 24px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 33px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 24px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 626px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 626px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1155px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 1155px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3782px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 3782px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-91472204417109969542017-05-22T14:55:00.000+10:002019-06-23T16:53:45.142+10:00Paris Poodle & Girl wall art, decor and gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGejk3BCWKdPKdWifckB6nm8Cxr4uZml7upOA2-zZVZ0f7joWFrdE3ESgNHuELigxE5SOH_kLq-6gF3pFlZQPgp41IJ659ETw2ZMEZ93pNcKPq6TGAgmt07kDJvObhQTX2dGK51JLpxnxn/s1600/paris+products.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGejk3BCWKdPKdWifckB6nm8Cxr4uZml7upOA2-zZVZ0f7joWFrdE3ESgNHuELigxE5SOH_kLq-6gF3pFlZQPgp41IJ659ETw2ZMEZ93pNcKPq6TGAgmt07kDJvObhQTX2dGK51JLpxnxn/s640/paris+products.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Paris Girl & Poodle Art Series has new additions at my <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u" target="_blank">shop</a>!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wall Art • Girls Room Decor • Clothing • Accessories • Cards • Gifts</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u">amalou.redbubble.com</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R0Y54u1SCxmPfXqI0TTBBf1pb5P8vCfKMTAFaG2G5trgSlMnjtAxajTBKjEVE9nTvEZ2qHbf5Kxy9CXfinLuoCvSyFcy-7HXNuocLMIxNEY2isxyLHot1FB4xBtSlCxXz0sy-jLIOezz/s1600/paris+Girl+Sketchwatermark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R0Y54u1SCxmPfXqI0TTBBf1pb5P8vCfKMTAFaG2G5trgSlMnjtAxajTBKjEVE9nTvEZ2qHbf5Kxy9CXfinLuoCvSyFcy-7HXNuocLMIxNEY2isxyLHot1FB4xBtSlCxXz0sy-jLIOezz/s640/paris+Girl+Sketchwatermark.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Original Pencil Sketch</b><br />
Paris Girl & Poodle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ5RQoVsqiiVZz91j5ORGQ4XhX3WhdUyBdy8ZPjNma8q9JRIrzP-S_XrECSNG6MIRuGVdYzkebW_VRkqy8gA2WQvTbpkGlfc2czPyMLqNBPffi8AOU0jnxcw1oCmT3HM_mbajuYjBy0CU/s1600/paris+walk+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ5RQoVsqiiVZz91j5ORGQ4XhX3WhdUyBdy8ZPjNma8q9JRIrzP-S_XrECSNG6MIRuGVdYzkebW_VRkqy8gA2WQvTbpkGlfc2czPyMLqNBPffi8AOU0jnxcw1oCmT3HM_mbajuYjBy0CU/s640/paris+walk+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Digitally Coloured Drawing</b><br />
Paris Girl & Poodle with Eiffel Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuNtPBCEXGqQeniwejjg0DYMGNlf8nAAVI2vYzfwyMXaQ3aWmbJ9qciYrXSIXKtwWTlFwbtfnrWBwjrUpYbgsfawskGlwr9X_7acMniBr-NgfznZLC8JM6doeAbkKWXp0Xioj67LIDzoB/s1600/paris+room+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuNtPBCEXGqQeniwejjg0DYMGNlf8nAAVI2vYzfwyMXaQ3aWmbJ9qciYrXSIXKtwWTlFwbtfnrWBwjrUpYbgsfawskGlwr9X_7acMniBr-NgfznZLC8JM6doeAbkKWXp0Xioj67LIDzoB/s640/paris+room+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Digitally Coloured Drawing</b><br />
Paris Girl & Poodle in French Girl's Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-15513681367164543412017-05-17T12:43:00.001+10:002019-06-23T16:53:11.986+10:00Butterfly Girl wall art, decor and gifts for girls<span id="goog_1451246050"></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XS6j5aEmjymIv-_hPzP48Lgocc-QrG_EJCFKSAF96SkPs3eaB5qK7W6nHUCH_GVD50B1_izAb6nPR0vn6kPPfMODvWgjcpvve81WOeAxPUaIi4foBHfCN-VR5YotAu2S1n3rpImuqTO4/s640/butterfly+products.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_1451246051"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Butterfly Girl Art Series has finally arrived at my <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u" target="_blank">shop</a>!<br />
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Wall Art • Girls Room Decor • Clothing • Accessories • Cards • Gifts<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/portfolio?asc=u">amalou.redbubble.com</a></span></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkcloJklPZv1b8NyUsTAJ3pbI4Pmi_w9z40icfm4H18bUiqixtwDxbNUAbxcbI2J9D8UhmkSUdiErecvQccASWt-yq2crqbE_NiLfpzM7ynVYAlb4aEAtCywa8D41okZdw6WmKhOa34_d/s1600/butterfly+Girl+Sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkcloJklPZv1b8NyUsTAJ3pbI4Pmi_w9z40icfm4H18bUiqixtwDxbNUAbxcbI2J9D8UhmkSUdiErecvQccASWt-yq2crqbE_NiLfpzM7ynVYAlb4aEAtCywa8D41okZdw6WmKhOa34_d/s640/butterfly+Girl+Sketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Original Pencil Sketch</b><br />
butterfly enthusiast dressed in vintage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I sketched the original pencil drawings quite a few years back and thought it was time I breathed some colour into them.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxaMouXg641stHvd5YP8HHT_7Q3QR7aeLmji-4kjZKN9pph_buqXoPr4Qrk7P1B2wfkHUREc6jMzd3bmSBoBp0m_rnYHRgLOb-7veyOJYXEqJ2Sh-Aom7gHIpdaXs_ZV-LPcO8XTlUX-G/s1600/GIRL+A+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxaMouXg641stHvd5YP8HHT_7Q3QR7aeLmji-4kjZKN9pph_buqXoPr4Qrk7P1B2wfkHUREc6jMzd3bmSBoBp0m_rnYHRgLOb-7veyOJYXEqJ2Sh-Aom7gHIpdaXs_ZV-LPcO8XTlUX-G/s640/GIRL+A+sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Digitally Coloured Drawing</b><br />
butterfly enthusiast dressed in vintage<br />
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
©amanda francey</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIninoj-ciX9Jj19qBTGqp419p6leTIe5-yvKQ0EkYLyBEAB0uJvU4Ba617IggGG60ZJqC4uStsvGXcTf52uEPH18m7eo3_mcZZaHw1nk8s2LINMzw3akkFzK2_452hotCkvfeiPLB3Gm/s1600/GIRL+B+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIninoj-ciX9Jj19qBTGqp419p6leTIe5-yvKQ0EkYLyBEAB0uJvU4Ba617IggGG60ZJqC4uStsvGXcTf52uEPH18m7eo3_mcZZaHw1nk8s2LINMzw3akkFzK2_452hotCkvfeiPLB3Gm/s640/GIRL+B+sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Digitally Coloured Drawing</b><br />
butterfly enthusiast dressed in vintage<br />
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
©amanda francey</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-87225795646380168922017-05-10T12:34:00.000+10:002019-06-23T16:52:07.110+10:00New Picture Book coming soon…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yi90BwG5hjjpqREVyqbmQgK376YQDb7eN3qJWE7o_K3WBoxOpyKp856u2N9eQ_PHkASb3xndBQqHWcT9GxOlotx6-RLsKMeSb78J0z9C5zS-aewgf7K16oJIFLKshKHneOrQdHRZmDFV/s1600/cover+sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yi90BwG5hjjpqREVyqbmQgK376YQDb7eN3qJWE7o_K3WBoxOpyKp856u2N9eQ_PHkASb3xndBQqHWcT9GxOlotx6-RLsKMeSb78J0z9C5zS-aewgf7K16oJIFLKshKHneOrQdHRZmDFV/s640/cover+sample.jpg" width="629" /></a></div>
<br />
I’ve recently completed illustrating another picture book which will be out before Christmas 2017!<br />
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Here’s a section of my front cover illustration from <i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">That Christmas Feeling</span></i> - written by the talented Lili Wilkinson and published with Allen and Unwin.<br />
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Closer to Christmas, I’ll share a time-lapse video of me illustrating the front cover and a few sketches from the book.<br />
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So stay tuned!Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-88232026068464122332017-01-28T16:29:00.001+10:002019-06-23T16:51:37.513+10:00New Year - New MugNearly a month into the year already!<br />
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A few years ago, I was inspired by Katharine Hepburn's quote ~<br />
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-size: large;">'<i>I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun</i>.'</span></div>
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While reading this quote for the first time, I visualised Katharine Hepburn as a child, sitting on a hill, enjoying the delight of just <i>being</i>. I had to draw it.<br />
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This illustration has become my profile picture for <a href="http://amandafrancey.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Blogger</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Amanda_Francey" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Amanda_Francey" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AmandaFrancey" target="_blank">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_francey/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou" target="_blank">Redbubble</a> and many more online places that I've probably forgotten and neglected.<br />
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The reason I like this image to pop up in front of me each day, is to remind me to stop, reflect and just <i>be</i>. This gives me a sense of calm.<br />
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What else gives me a sense of calm? Tea.<br />
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So deciding on the design for my new studio mug was a no brainer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-being-katharine-hepburn?p=mug&style=tall" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X9Hg7S-2lyQCeBkgej1riXMDnBXmzQcj45rh0_Hd3rhG3-nqickZiTaXpYvomezMSWNanWVkHhKa-HFKhfDnwk7mC5-6PIjC2MMUhDuTQqszvV_KDCHylKZ9mc5ePQ6BoyKCUWwCg6ER/s640/mug.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-just-being?kind=tall_mug&p=mug&ref=available_products&style=tall#&gid=1&pid=2" target="_blank"><i>Being Katharine Hepburn</i> tall mug</a><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I may have gone a little overboard by also ordering myself a new studio notebook though.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-being-katharine-hepburn?asc=u&p=hardcover-journal&rel=carousel" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoatVBQ39iGnMlvdObfDWKUoiV5LFmzVUS_sbY3T6iLqG74L_YoDDUZHm9P9AlK7b4Ve_JGBDxCk0s_ZKGg_mY6Wl1EvrrsqFZk7agZb_uUUaCX7KgCsvPO1OBWOA8iAK40-lHk_yFxsF0/s640/journal.jpg" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-just-being?p=hardcover-journal&ref=available_products" target="_blank"><i>Being Katharine Hepburn</i> hardcover journal</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-just-being?p=hardcover-journal&ref=available_products" target="_blank">Just Being</a> illustration is also available on many other products from my RedBubble shop.</span><div>
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<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/amalou/works/8902207-just-being?p=hardcover-journal&ref=available_products" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="1600" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIYWIjxZ8xptQlVpmYJw8HK6a8TS8Y5SokVxwnEd0Y_vcn2l_KoFCQpN_f-zLrnUH3_g4LYeOuTe7XVSYtyWzeAOiqQxpsBTlWZNEwDfSKFP1qFSf6x1l4ugcTzi-SGr2b6KBE2t6M4Wi/s640/Just+being.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9mSLxxW7wJ7mMCbV4QvYUp6xNJHg-ot0IZTvZfz1jII8p3ooFZ3W94vGRLMZNM2NszC2Fudx-_GLjCvK7Po8RFC554STsHL7lpFRKN62P7cPGCSbHKflkMXvi3tYQpuJIlNxTV7BKlt/s1600/sightsketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9mSLxxW7wJ7mMCbV4QvYUp6xNJHg-ot0IZTvZfz1jII8p3ooFZ3W94vGRLMZNM2NszC2Fudx-_GLjCvK7Po8RFC554STsHL7lpFRKN62P7cPGCSbHKflkMXvi3tYQpuJIlNxTV7BKlt/s640/sightsketch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">original pencil sketch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xg8ui98Tt3PrSAWVKKa-EMRRNQlael_tRervowiQvXZMbGjyJkk1QwvIxKjCZd-yEuGXDDyfPWYqz8wWYcSZWREy_wppZaLn74TwuaUcqua6zNacxZVnGkbi0xj_3BZC5LCwJSzb7eDL/s1600/sight_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xg8ui98Tt3PrSAWVKKa-EMRRNQlael_tRervowiQvXZMbGjyJkk1QwvIxKjCZd-yEuGXDDyfPWYqz8wWYcSZWREy_wppZaLn74TwuaUcqua6zNacxZVnGkbi0xj_3BZC5LCwJSzb7eDL/s640/sight_web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">full colour illustration</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-29334651059358982672016-12-21T19:57:00.000+10:002019-06-23T16:41:17.528+10:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2w22rJdlypK_9SeGW43xLjGRYFqGevVg4FxSs5OCY_FaezzLpdcLyLXSmTL8AQncqhWAjKkSrNPU8KWl4WkEvjLaFs2WUuHoQG8o1TQ_Huxn_u_6GfR5H-i6XbQtcRbfMMeyoiKltyjx/s1600/XmasGreetingWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2w22rJdlypK_9SeGW43xLjGRYFqGevVg4FxSs5OCY_FaezzLpdcLyLXSmTL8AQncqhWAjKkSrNPU8KWl4WkEvjLaFs2WUuHoQG8o1TQ_Huxn_u_6GfR5H-i6XbQtcRbfMMeyoiKltyjx/s640/XmasGreetingWeb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1278023781"></span><span id="goog_1278023782"></span><br />
<br />
Seems I've developed a habit of drawing Santa puppies each year.<br />
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Last year, we adopted a gorgeous puppy from the RSPCA and my brain had turned to puppy pulp from adoration. So, it was only natural I would draw a Santa puppy.<br />
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This year, I'm illustrating a picture book, featuring the cute fur-character above. Everyone else was wearing Santa hats and I didn't want the puppy to feel left out. This sweet, heartwarming Christmas story, written by Lili Wilkinson, will be published in time for Christmas 2017 by Allen and Unwin.<br />
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I'm currently up to the exciting colour stage of the picture book and have spent this week preparing and experimenting. (Some onlookers may call this part of the process, procrastination.)<br />
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I've been working out my character colour palette, making my own texture brushes using pastel, pencil and watercolour, and experimenting with some new brushes I recently purchased from Kyle T Webster. I'm having so much fun procrast... I mean, preparing.<br />
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The deadline is fast approaching, so I'll be busy working on this book for the entire school holidays. My children have had to make their own fun at home so far. The inside of our house has turned into a paper jungle of lanterns, snowflakes and streamers dangling from windows, ceilings and fans. My husband and I pretty much have to crawl around on our hands and knees, so that we don't tangle ourselves up in it all. FYI - children design Christmassy lands for child height people.<br />
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Our house is feeling festive at least.<br />
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Merry Christmas!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NahBn-M_BJpDDBE5qWClatnZQCIws4HEtS0xtSXRAdlAvdB7wv_WS1X7lVxWCc0DMVBhvY5PmgeBkY-kNyAWq32vUT6PCP53vI1VnnGxwAE-I-QkEu_S20UBjXrplTw36Dc9Dv9_3yrZ/s1600/wip3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NahBn-M_BJpDDBE5qWClatnZQCIws4HEtS0xtSXRAdlAvdB7wv_WS1X7lVxWCc0DMVBhvY5PmgeBkY-kNyAWq32vUT6PCP53vI1VnnGxwAE-I-QkEu_S20UBjXrplTw36Dc9Dv9_3yrZ/s640/wip3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small section of some final drawings from the book.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3mne3GRinwU8719xctVjsn1UIJ65T-T8348GM2_a1dGsyNESwpvvLm7SeWElWlDtacILvXfVhXhTuYS_XehOXHSp_iePoBhJziZE9ZWvHMCqJRuTtz0grmMMORvca1nC-3Oqlzhy3YG2/s1600/paper+jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3mne3GRinwU8719xctVjsn1UIJ65T-T8348GM2_a1dGsyNESwpvvLm7SeWElWlDtacILvXfVhXhTuYS_XehOXHSp_iePoBhJziZE9ZWvHMCqJRuTtz0grmMMORvca1nC-3Oqlzhy3YG2/s640/paper+jungle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small section of my children's paper jungle.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELC1i1kD-iRQ3_pbzdnIbN3F_Uqc3z99zRbeWQwommuZC646mf5VO-LxhsqOPHf4qKPblceBYlKF0sQur9zkT3whp5NjES8VCa2jCavR3XJ70OiZ3-CI2hsGiqnr43U9EG4jupyS96iMW/s1600/DSC_0005_1843sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELC1i1kD-iRQ3_pbzdnIbN3F_Uqc3z99zRbeWQwommuZC646mf5VO-LxhsqOPHf4qKPblceBYlKF0sQur9zkT3whp5NjES8VCa2jCavR3XJ70OiZ3-CI2hsGiqnr43U9EG4jupyS96iMW/s640/DSC_0005_1843sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our puppy when she was small.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLyzZAWW9Py3VNcM01l8OI0Pup_y_xLc4l7_OMZ7PwV_IYAGRDLYyfDmYLuY1Xm5ovGCuQN1gvGYprQa2jwce0IGKwkKpFKMKujOTdhKIyVD-NF75n-75h4XZA9SQfNWWfLRe-2Vk_S1Z/s1600/bedexplosion-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLyzZAWW9Py3VNcM01l8OI0Pup_y_xLc4l7_OMZ7PwV_IYAGRDLYyfDmYLuY1Xm5ovGCuQN1gvGYprQa2jwce0IGKwkKpFKMKujOTdhKIyVD-NF75n-75h4XZA9SQfNWWfLRe-2Vk_S1Z/s640/bedexplosion-sm.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day her bed exploded.</td></tr>
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<br />Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-14092133649576875322016-06-23T15:20:00.003+10:002018-06-18T11:42:29.311+10:00Children's Picture Book Illustration process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8v-0dQERLSk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8v-0dQERLSk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Another new video showing more of my illustration process from the picture book Take Ted Instead (written by Cassandra Webb).<br />
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<a href="http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead/1070.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HhYvd4s8rbd5Kjf8rmealKWnJ_0WdLGI7qpzBRZPFeSkXf7MLVHER7VvqGmU7ReYsjz6FJToJoqQCnC69n7gxJdcq8BYNgGJJlaUPQM9MA9SbzkMo8yRMi5JGfA4Ay7mxX2RUVNfBnnD/s1600/NFP+TTI+xxs.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;">Take Ted Instead</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Cassandra Webb</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>New Frontier Publishing 2016</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
It's bedtime for one tired little boy. Why should he go to bed</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
when everyone else in the house is still awake?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He has a plan to keep himself wide awake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from New Frontier Publishing<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-81362119081732854062016-06-17T14:37:00.000+10:002018-06-18T10:16:10.809+10:00Hiding with Ted - Illustration process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fTGrZhwb_AA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fTGrZhwb_AA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This video shows my illustration process in fast forward. I scanned my pencil drawing and greyscale watercolour washes, then coloured in photoshop.</div>
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I originally illustrated this for the cover of, Take Ted Instead, a picture book written by Cassandra Webb (New Frontier Publishing, 2016). However, I had to change the orientation layout of the boy and Ted to standing position, so the illustration would fit nicely around the words.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead/1070.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HhYvd4s8rbd5Kjf8rmealKWnJ_0WdLGI7qpzBRZPFeSkXf7MLVHER7VvqGmU7ReYsjz6FJToJoqQCnC69n7gxJdcq8BYNgGJJlaUPQM9MA9SbzkMo8yRMi5JGfA4Ay7mxX2RUVNfBnnD/s1600/NFP+TTI+xxs.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;">Take Ted Instead</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Written by Cassandra Webb</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>New Frontier Publishing 2016</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's bedtime for one tired little boy. Why should he go to bed</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
when everyone else in the house is still awake?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He has a plan to keep himself wide awake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from New Frontier Publishing<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
</div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-66047095663200944402016-04-01T14:32:00.001+10:002019-06-24T20:31:48.808+10:00Take Ted Instead is out now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPX6xopVkdj11aWUBIFoOC015W0URG9tZj06J9N7goZG8rP_adPPKqkVa1R8KtrR4gIZXutY36OHX2ORFQKEP2Psi01fU8bY_RBLe641EqvYVuVz-htODmb8tO2aBkXifiObVJG_c0T_V/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPX6xopVkdj11aWUBIFoOC015W0URG9tZj06J9N7goZG8rP_adPPKqkVa1R8KtrR4gIZXutY36OHX2ORFQKEP2Psi01fU8bY_RBLe641EqvYVuVz-htODmb8tO2aBkXifiObVJG_c0T_V/s640/cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Take Ted Instead</b><br />
Written by Cassandra Webb and illustrated by me.<br />
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<i>It's bedtime for one tired little boy. Why should he go to bed when everyone else in the house is still awake? He has a plan to keep himself wide awake . . .</i><br />
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It seems so long ago since I completed the illustrations for <i><a href="http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead/1070.html" target="_blank">Take Ted Instead</a></i> (way back in May last year). Here are some illustrations from inside the book . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINKumx6AHNTKVw_4vG-M3hm12WvrHigPjzQgkoq9iaIsvvZvumqJnxEppnHIty_oaWYftHDlAmXHArIHAiLNPnYks67LNybb-SflJzcUjsfY-WQ9iOPEupUa7QqdY7oilz3FUZ6RNCjnC/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINKumx6AHNTKVw_4vG-M3hm12WvrHigPjzQgkoq9iaIsvvZvumqJnxEppnHIty_oaWYftHDlAmXHArIHAiLNPnYks67LNybb-SflJzcUjsfY-WQ9iOPEupUa7QqdY7oilz3FUZ6RNCjnC/s640/001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaOu79OJfQwC8VCtCBpfAGdIXHubhI1_RsYNNGwc2MQGuKk7qMSHs_q2pXVIVy_9NVQJSEY1mUsFbR7CAFd_os71UnFQDZWE_Uct_iJOcdw-RItP07dB0mvPzEoXJZhyphenhyphenfQiHVDyVCmOnB/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaOu79OJfQwC8VCtCBpfAGdIXHubhI1_RsYNNGwc2MQGuKk7qMSHs_q2pXVIVy_9NVQJSEY1mUsFbR7CAFd_os71UnFQDZWE_Uct_iJOcdw-RItP07dB0mvPzEoXJZhyphenhyphenfQiHVDyVCmOnB/s640/003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHztDg8sK6PFQchnHm2ytCfamwyB-vSsDJc2rd2E6G9L0WtkAAHPGHPi_vGAZiDM7E6oqnggTegw4mPQQPPnPVzayioNB8r1cRWY_cHrmdXN_OeamxYM4i2DxyspuufCUUHIst_ug9oh9/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHztDg8sK6PFQchnHm2ytCfamwyB-vSsDJc2rd2E6G9L0WtkAAHPGHPi_vGAZiDM7E6oqnggTegw4mPQQPPnPVzayioNB8r1cRWY_cHrmdXN_OeamxYM4i2DxyspuufCUUHIst_ug9oh9/s640/005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And some of my very early sketches and storyboard layouts . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljekYadkYKyj_RwP7H-0-PNpm7gaBQ0vUgyKk0XH4KNdgdIo-LoE-qwwivDZjt_79ZnRPE9onqxH9yYRmLylcwBAJs06jTdMHODawziCYDDTBHxUWgU8R66x3epdc9Y6VPGyXebhHQigh/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljekYadkYKyj_RwP7H-0-PNpm7gaBQ0vUgyKk0XH4KNdgdIo-LoE-qwwivDZjt_79ZnRPE9onqxH9yYRmLylcwBAJs06jTdMHODawziCYDDTBHxUWgU8R66x3epdc9Y6VPGyXebhHQigh/s640/006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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More illustrations and sketches from <i><a href="http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead/1070.html" target="_blank">Take Ted Instead</a> </i>are on my <a href="http://www.amandafrancey.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead/1070.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HhYvd4s8rbd5Kjf8rmealKWnJ_0WdLGI7qpzBRZPFeSkXf7MLVHER7VvqGmU7ReYsjz6FJToJoqQCnC69n7gxJdcq8BYNgGJJlaUPQM9MA9SbzkMo8yRMi5JGfA4Ay7mxX2RUVNfBnnD/s1600/NFP+TTI+xxs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;">Take Ted Instead</b></div>
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Written by Cassandra Webb</div>
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Illustrated by Amanda Francey<br />
<i>New Frontier Publishing 2016</i></div>
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It's bedtime for one tired little boy. Why should he go to bed</div>
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when everyone else in the house is still awake?</div>
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He has a plan to keep himself wide awake.</div>
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<b style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://www.newfrontier.com.au/books/take-ted-instead" target="_blank">BUY NOW</a></b> from New Frontier Publishing<br />
or <u><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://t.dgm-au.com/c/1249338/69171/1880?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fsearch.ep%3Fkeywords%3DAmanda%2BFrancey%26productType%3D917504" target="_blank">booktopia</a></span></u></div>
Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220710873326052375.post-31368597026836192016-01-02T10:54:00.000+10:002016-01-19T15:20:35.448+10:00Belated Merry Christmas & Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidxaCaLZfUzuYXWUURi1ot8mJqfLzl5WxjefOtBGz279I2xXfjnLWDRvMspCdh0b2LgANazyaMHC_8spMYNZPrcNiwL4OTvjrxGyhYtGyuGpbgf7pab5T2VYQtiUmeUZ7uru6Eca9q2q2/s1600/christmas+illustration-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidxaCaLZfUzuYXWUURi1ot8mJqfLzl5WxjefOtBGz279I2xXfjnLWDRvMspCdh0b2LgANazyaMHC_8spMYNZPrcNiwL4OTvjrxGyhYtGyuGpbgf7pab5T2VYQtiUmeUZ7uru6Eca9q2q2/s400/christmas+illustration-web.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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I was a little too busy leading up to Christmas to attend to my blog (and that would also include the 8 months leading up to Christmas, whoops), so <i>belated</i> Merry Christmas.<br />
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Above is an illustration of my daughter (who had been wearing reindeer antlers since November) and our new puppy (who would much rather be bouncing out of the picture with Santa's hat tightly secured between her teeth).<br />
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We're now onto our second day of 2016 here in Australia, so Happy New Year too.<br />
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Things have been very quiet here, illustration-wise, for the last 8 months, as I've had a few personal things to attend to, and I've been busy moving house and settling back into the leafy edges of Brisbane, near where I grew up. It's so lovely to be among the gum trees once again. Being surrounded by nature fuels my energy and inspiration, so I'm hoping 2016 will bring an abundance of creative zest my way.<br />
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I do have some exciting news to celebrate the New Year with however ~ my new <a href="http://amandafrancey.com/" target="_blank">website</a> is now up and running, I've given this blog a well deserved facelift (after long neglect) and my third picture book is going to be released April this year!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://amandafrancey.com.au/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKy_76DPw6Oq1cmZxrZrYXwtrhydEMEFRgOpSYaMmc5g6jEPWWGLxOq_i9Jd68A4mGASMZrRDOehjxEcgf3vx3Ry2Jfs1WBs0gTyT32lqMfYK3ayHJzq_1sqFB_is9ZNESgJzoekhagrQ-/s640/websitescreenshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Website<br />
<a href="http://amandafrancey.com.au/">amandafrancey.com.au</a></td></tr>
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<br />Amalouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02380858954576736697noreply@blogger.com3