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Thursday, 7 July 2016

Meet the Illustrators: Joshua Button and Robyn Wells

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
The illustrations in Steve Goes to Carnival are bright, loose and expressive.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
The cat sitting on the kitchen table, along with paper, brushes, cardboard and scissors.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
A combination of bright acrylics, and black drawing ink

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Jimmy Pike, Sidney Nolan and Chagall.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
The Da Vinci period, to see the Mona Lisa — she always has a smile on her face.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
Illustrating is really challenging: finishing Joshua and the Two Crabs gave us the courage to write and illustrate a much bigger story set in a place a long way from Broome.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often?


What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Signing the artwork at the end of a long session and then going out to celebrate.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Dream the story, plan the structure, get to know the medium you are using and work hard!

Joshua Button is descended from the Walmajarri people of the East Kimberley in Western Australia and Robyn Wells has lived in the Kimberley region for many years. Joshua first worked with Robyn in a literacy program at primary school that resulted in the picture book Joshua and the Two Crabs (Magabala Books, 2008). Their latest collaboration is the picture book Steve Goes to Carnival, also published by Magabala Books.