Internet Goodness

When I first started out as a know-nothing ignoramus freelancer, it was the wonderful world-wide web that pulled me off the Turnpike of Confusion, led me down the broad paved Street of Good Beginnings, patted me on the back, gave me a water  bottle, pulled out a well-thumbed street directory and said "Turn left here, then straight, then 3rd right..."  Now I actually feel like I know where I'm going, more or less. 

I have a lot of people emailing me asking how to get started, so I thought it would be good to share some of the amazing resources I've found out there in internet land.

  • How do I get published?

    • The Purple Crayon
      A n incredibly helpful site with collections of articles on all aspects of writing, illustrating, and publishing in the children's market. Compiled by Harold Underdown, a children's book editor.

  • Helpful Organisations

    Never underestimate the value of networking...

  • Bookshelf

    • Useful Books
      These are great "how-to" books that will give you a good grounding in how to illustrate for the children's market.
    • Books I love...
      These are the books that make me really really wish that I was fabulous enough to have written/illustrated them. I think they're pretty darn great, and chances are you will too.

  • Illustration Inspiration

    These sites and blogs are where I go to gasp in awe at the sheer number of talented people out there, and then, once I'm over the feelings of comparative inadequacy, to get all excited and inspired by what's going on in the world of illustration.
    • Gurney Journey
      The blog of James Gurney, creator of the Dinotopia books and notable plein air painter. He posts daily about the theories, tips, tricks and techniques relating to his art practice. Seriously, visit! I can't wait for him to turn his blog into a book...
    • lines and colors
      A blog which manages to spotlight all the finest painters and illustrators
    • Illustration Mundo
      Where Illustration gets all the love...
    • Concept Art
      Monsters. Muscles. Mayhem. Unstoppable Painting Technique. You Will Be Awed.
    • Drawn - The weekly illustration blog
    • Drawger
      Some of the world's leading illustrators posting on their process, ideas, etc, and managing to be entertaining at the same time.
    • Illustration Friday
      Feel like playing? Illustration Friday is a really fun collaborative site where folk from all over the world participate in a weekly illustration challenge and share the results online.

  • Authors I've worked with

    • Colin Thompson
      Colin started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990 and by the end of 2008 will have had fifty books published. Since then he has never looked back or even sideways.
    • Joy Cowley
      Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand's most prolific and successful writers of children's books. She has written more than 600 titles for all ages and won many awards, including an OBE for services to Children's Literature
    • Anna Branford
      Anna's first books came out in 2010, but she's going to be quite a sensation! She's created something really wonderful with the lovely Violet Mackerel series, and I'm so delighted to be able to illustrate Violet for her. Lucky me!
    • Juliette MacIver
      I've illustrated Juliette's first book, Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam, which is coming out in 2010, and she has a wonderful way with words. She's a total wiz with rhymes, and can make words do amazing things.
    • Chris Cheng
      Christopher Cheng is an award winning Australian childen's author of fiction and non fiction books, including picture books, junior fiction and novels.
    • Sue Whiting
      Sue has more than 50 published children's books to her name, and works as editor for Walker Books, Australia
    • J.R.Poulter
      The author of "Mending Lucille" has worked in a circus, as a librarian, book reviewer, film reviewer, associate lecturer and editor.