I create picture book illustrations that feel thoughtful, story-driven, and professionally delivered. I love building gentle, whimsical worlds with hidden details for curious readers to discover over time.

Right now, I’m working on:

• A debut picture book with Hunter Valley author Chantel Volker (Pegasus Publishers, UK), due early 2026

• A picture book with Mosie Johnson, in development with Fulton Books (US), expected early 2026

• An ongoing series with Jennifer Marshall for early readers and their grown-ups. First book due Early 2026

• Illustrated endpapers for an upcoming Hipkiss Publishing title, due early 2026

• A contracted picture book with EK Books and author Jess Galatola, due 2027–2028

Before picture books, I completed a Certificate III in Design Fundamentals, followed by a Diploma of Visual Merchandising, and spent years at Harvey Norman in junior to senior merchandising roles (including 2IC). I was the person thinking about layout, flow, and how people moved through a space.

That background became part of my illustration work. When I’m planning a spread, I’m thinking about composition, balance, light, and where a reader’s eye will go first. It helps me create pages that feel clear, intentional, and easy to read.

I love being around people who care about kidlit and craft as much as I do. Workshops, critique groups, and mentoring keep me learning and help me see my work from fresh angles.

A few things that have shaped me:

• Being mentored by publisher Margrete Lamond unlocked so much for me. She helped me put words to my intuitive storytelling, connect it to my design training, and shape both my illustrations and my early writing craft.

• CYA Conference 2024, including boot camp with Clare Halifax

• Facilitating and participating in critique groups (SCBWI and local writing communities)

• Starting a picture book writers group through the Hunter Writers Centre to support aspiring writers and illustrators

I’m autistic and dyslexic, which shapes what I notice and how I build character worlds. I feel the emotions in a story deeply, and I love adding subtle visual details that help bring them to life.

When I receive a manuscript, I usually see the world instantly. Then I read it again and again until I know the key scenes and emotional thread by heart. As ideas start forming, I make notes and thumbnails, then begin shaping and refining elements as the story takes form on the page.

I also remember what it felt like when reading was slow and hard. Creating memorable stories that support children, spark imagination, and gently remind them that anything is possible means the world to me. That’s my why.

My work is led by story and emotion, and built to be lived in. I love illustration that carries feeling, whether a story is light and bubbly, gentle and quiet, or a little sorrowful.

I think about the whole book as a world. I picture what each page will look like, how the spreads connect, and what small details can link the story together. I love when a child wants to pick a book up again and again because there is always something new to notice.

I work traditionally using watercolour and pencil, so the texture and line work you see is real on the page. My lines are intentionally imperfect, which keeps the illustrations warm and full of life. I also love that there are endless possibilities in how a story can be brought to life through pictures.

I love playing with patterns and repeating motifs too, both inside books and across marketing and promotional pieces, so the story world feels beautifully connected.

Music lights me up just as much as illustrating and writing, and the three feel intertwined for me. When I hear music, I can instantly see a children’s animation scene in my mind, and I could easily translate that into an illustration. It feels like the scene arrives first, and then I get to shape it visually.

I grew up in a house full of music. My dad managed my brother’s band and was deeply involved behind the scenes, organising gigs, keeping everything moving, and even mixing tracks from home. My brother was basically born with a guitar in his hands. My mum was the glue, holding our family together and making space for all of that creativity. I danced for years, dabbled in piano and singing, and I’m now picking singing back up. I’ve also just started learning violin to strengthen my musical ear, with the long-term goal of creating my own music to sit alongside my illustrations.

I haven’t composed original music for a picture book yet, but I’m excited to explore it as I grow my kidlit career. Longer term, I’d love to perform my own stories in a way that blends music, illustration, and storytelling, inspired by Emma Memma and Justine Clarke. I’m naturally shy, but as my skills grow and Sienna gets older, I can see this becoming part of my creative path, even in spaces like Play School.