Sailing Koala

It seems all the illustrations I see of koalas are in gum trees (ok, probably for obvious reasons), so I wanted to take one out of the trees and on an adventure!  As a gift for friends who just had a baby, I drew a koala in a paper boat with a sheet as a sail and a eucalyptus mast.  Happy sailing!

Map of English Coastal Towns

Here's another map in the same issue of International Traveller focusing on 5 English Coastal Towns :)
Of course the challenge of representing coastal towns is that many have some of the same attractions: beaches, parks and rides, fish and chips, etc.  The trick was to choose the strongest reason to visit each one in accordance with the story.  If I ever make it to England, I'll have to visit these towns!

Asian Hideaway Map

Another fun story to illustrate in a map!  This one's out in the May/June issue of International Traveller Magazine.  I've always wanted to go to Southeast Asia, so it was really enjoyable to research the fantastic resorts they feature in the article.  I tried to branch out a little bit in style, composition, and colour, and hopefully captured the tropical feel of the locations!

Sunset on the Water

Sun setting behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge (taken from the ferry)

Bondi Mural

One of my favorite murals in Sydney (and probably the one most used for tourist brochures)-- it's right up against the ocean pools overlooking the long white stretch of Bondi sand.  As the last part of the beach to get sunlight in the evening, it glows bright orange before the sun disappears for the day...

Tropics Project

Argh, I've been so busy lately, but can't really show most of my work just yet!  Fortunately, I finally have a tiny bit of time to pursue a personal project that involves the tropics...

Moreton Island

Can you believe this island is just and hour's boat ride from Brisbane?  We took the ferry to Tangalooma Resort and spent the day at the pools and gardens, then walked down the beach and swam out to the group of shipwrecks.  Snorkeling was fantastic with schools of fish swimming in and out of coral, although it was a little bit scary crossing the dark trench to get out! 

Hinterland Towns

And up into the Sunshine Coast Hinterland!  The cute little mountain towns are chalked full of cottage shops, tropical gardens, and craftsy treasures.  We had tea with scones nearly every day, browsed antiques and local art, tried co-op cheese tasting, bought flowers at an honesty box and snacked on roasted macadamia nuts at the farm where they were grown (come to think of it, we ate our way through the hinterlands).

Queensland Coast

Noosa

Driving up the coast, we stopped at beach towns along the way.  Noosa was pretty even on a cloudy day, and the off-and-on rain certainly didn't stop the surfers.  One of the tourist brochures said that Noosa National Park was a good place to see wild koalas, and sure enough, we did spot one up in a gum tree.  Then the park ranger told us that there were actually only 2 resident koalas, so I like to say we saw half of all of the koalas in Noosa!