This Little Piggy Went Singing

At last my illustrations have been published in a brand new picture book and it's in the book shops now!.  This is a sequel to This Little Piggy Went Singing written by Margaret Wild.  The new book features the piggies getting ready for Christmas and excitedly enjoying the journey to the big day!

It is just the book to get you in the Christmas mood. The illustrations were great fun to do especially as they involved happy piglets in a festive spirit.  I love the sparkly glittery cover.

Thanks to Allen and Unwin, the publishers! 

Piggy Cover by Deborah Niland

Piggy shopping by Deborah Niland

Piggy playing flute by Deborah Niland

More Piggies

I've been hard at work illustrating a sequel to This Little Piggy Went Dancing!  The new picture book will be called This Little Piggy Went Singing and is again written by Margaret Wild. 

This time the piggies are preparing for Christmas and all the illustrations have a joyous happy vibe.  The book is planned for publication towards the end of this year.

Below is a sneak peek!

Looking for Santa

Baking gingerbread

Hanging Christmas stockings

Annie's Chair

Annie's Chair is the title one of my children's books which I wrote and illustrated.  First published in 2005 by Penguin Group Australia, it has been incredibly successful with editions published in Korea, China, USA and Canada.

I have received some lovely letters and emails from kids about this book.

You can read more about Annie's Chair here.

I based the dog in the story on my own beautiful dog.  He's been a great companion and enjoys life every day.  He still thinks he's a puppy even though his increasing white whiskers betray that notion.

I have created an activity for the kids based on an illustration from my book.
Click on the image to print out in the size you want, and colour in bright colours.

A Catty Display

Here are some illustrations from various books of mine featuring the cat.
I've used different techniques for each illustration. Pen and ink, watercolour, and digital.

I'm really a dog person, though.

When Coco was a Kitten

This is another book of mine for the very young. 

The theme is children and pets. The story features a kitten and her owner who looks after the kitten from babyhood to adulthood.
She observes the changes as the kitten grows.

I've made the illustrations simple and colourful, and again I have used Photoshop for the entire book.

I love working on the illustrations using the computer these days.

This book is also published in the USA by Kane/Miller.

First published by Penguin Books, 2009

Let's Play!

I've written and illustrated this book for very young children.
Using bright colours and a simple theme, this story takes a look at friends having fun together in the playground.
The version shown below is the delightful Spanish edition published by Kane / Miller Book Publishers in California.

Let's Play! Cover of Spanish edition

Red Dog climbing

Blue Cat and Yellow Bird Swinging

 This story tells of three friends having a great time by sharing and co-operating with each other.

Grandpa Baby

How exciting to see a copy of the Portuguese edition of a favourite book of mine, Grandpa Baby!
Here is the cover.

And the title page...

Written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by me, this Portuguese edition is published by Editora Fundamento, Brazil.

The magic of twins

I enjoyed the opportunity to portray a day in the life of twin toddlers in my book Double Trouble.

Being a twin I can well remember the sense of unity our twinship had.
Always someone there to share the good times, and always someone there to commiserate with you during difficult times. I saw it as an advantage in my life and never envied the status of the 'sole trader'.
There is a special bond between twins.

Double Trouble was published as a picture-book by Penguin Books Australia in 2008. The story and illustrations were great fun to do.


Some of these illustrations are shown below.

Who can jump higher?

United in purpose

Feeling proud and pleased with creative work

Equally matched

Annie to the Rescue

My book is now in glorious paperback!  Originally published in 2007, Annie to the Rescue is a companion volume to Annie's Chair.
Both books tell stories of a small girl who likes to do things her way. She considers herself resourceful and brave. Sometimes things don't go to plan in Annie's world but she always faces the challenges.

The artwork in these books were drawn and painted in the traditional method on watercolour paper, with some digital input.
Both books have been incredibly popular. I often get lovely letters telling me that the Annie stories have been very much enjoyed by the family.

More about these books on my website. (see side panel)  Also click on the books' covers to read more from the publishers at Penguin.

New book release...

It's Bedtime, William! is the title of my new book, published in June 2010.  This picture book looks into the world-wide occurrence of kids not wanting to go to bed as opposed to the parent who knows the sleeping hour has definitely arrived.
A battle of wills can develop but with some negotiation and some strategic thinking, a child can usually buy some more precious time. In this story William has played his last card and reluctantly trudges up to his room only to find his bed is already occupied by a huge uninvited lion.
After the initial shock of this unexpected discovery, it is William who tries to persuade the now energetic and wide-awake lion to stop fooling about and go to sleep.
Does William succeed and will his parents find out?

I had a lovely time working on this book, creating the characters and writing the story.  Nowadays I tend to keep the design and format of the layout quite simple and direct.  I can then concentrate on the rapport between the main characters, their expressions, and vitality of the book as a whole.

These illustrations were drawn on a Wacom tablet using Photoshop.

Its Bedtime, William! is published by Viking, Penguin Australia.

 

Grandpas and grandchildren

I've been very fortunate to work with Margaret Wild on two picture books. One is called Chatterbox, first published in 2006, and the other is called Grandpa Baby published in 2009. These are some illustrations from the lovely Grandpa Baby, one of my favourite books. Grandpa has swapped roles with his grand-daughter for the day and I think he is really enjoying the role!  This book has recently been nominated for the 2010 Speech Pathology Australia Awards, and was a delightful story to illustrate.
For these illustrations I worked digitally, drawing and painting using Photoshop..