Sonia Kretschmar - 2011 Archibald Prize Finalist!

April is proving to be quite a busy month! Happy to say the Archibald prize finalists were announced today, and my portrait of author Cassandra Golds made the cut! I chose Cassandra as I have already illustrated the covers for three of her novels published by Penguin Books (Clair de Lune, The Museum of Mary Child, and The Three Loves of Persimmon) and I love the imagery she uses in her writing so it seemed like the natural thing to do :)

Sonia Kretschmar - Song of the Dove

Just released! Written by Errol Broome, and published by Walker Books, 'Song of the Dove' is a love story based on the life of Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini. As tragic as any great opera, it was a lovely project to work on, as the 1830's were a lushly decorated time indeed.

For those in Melbourne, the book will be launched Friday April 8, 6.30 - 8pm at Readings Carlton.

COOOOEEeeee?

It is indeed a good month for awards! My series of covers for Affirm Press' Long Story Shorts has been accepted into the 2011 Communication Arts Illustration Annual. The latest cover in the series is pictured above. Just love doing this series, only one more to go and I'll miss it dearly.

The series also garnered a silver in the Illustrators Australia Awards (published in this months Australian Creative magazine) along with a silver for The Kinglake Cookbook, silver for Smarten Up (Boss Magazine), also pictured, and Bronze for Street Drugs (AFP)

And in not so new news, the belated arrival in the post of the as always lovely 3x3 Annual reminds me to mention I was lucky enough to have 3 series entries accepted: The Kinglake Cookbook, Smarten Up and My Dad's a Wrestler.

Congratulations to all the picturepig stablemates who scored, its a good month for the pigpen!

WOOHOOOOOO!

I'm having a good month with the awards in Feb! I was lucky enough to bag 7 medals in the Illustrators Australia Awards which you can checkout in Australian Creative on the newsstands now as well as getting the Waterhouse illos into the Advertising Series category in Communication Arts. Congrats to all the other Piggies who got stuff in as well, I'm honoured to be amongst some amazing illustrators here. WooHoooo!

Christopher Nielsen/ T-Shirt Design

I've been playing about with some new techniques and thought I'd design a t-shirt. This is what happens if you listen to too much Phil Collins. Lookout ladies it's...Easy Lover-Lite Sleeper. I've submitted him to Threadless and if I get enough votes than lover boy here might actually get printed. MAKE IT HAPPEN HERE!!!