for teachers – Page 2

How to create a linocut style digitally

For my picture book Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story, I used a digital linocut technique for the illustrations.

Linocut is normally a printmaking technique – so how do you do it digitally?

Find out in the demo below.

Demo tech specs

I’m using a 2017 iPad pro, with a 1st gen apple pencil and the Procreate app.

The digital linocut brushes came from Patternologie and Seamless Team.

Buy Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story

🌏 *Signed copies* – Paper bird

🇦🇺 🇳🇿 Local Indie bookshops

Free capybara colouring pages

Here’s three colouring pages for your home, school or library – free for non-commercial use – featuring Happy Barry Capybara.

How to use comics in the classroom

Hello teachers!

Would you like some FREE P.D.?

Check out this 15min video I made, commissioned by the good people at Awesome Arts Festival! It’s full of tips and tricks for teaching Comics in the Classroom.

No drawing skill is required, because comics aren’t about being the best at drawing; they’re about effectively communicating ideas, and you can do that with stick figures if need be!

Check out the video for more.

If the video doesn’t show up for you, you can view it on youtube here.

Stellarphant headed to the stage

This is fantastic news … Barking Gecko Arts is adapting my picture book Stellarphant for theatre!

Having seen their incredible show House, I’m beyond excited to see how Barking Gecko Arts brings Stella’s story to the stage.

Artistic Director Sam Longley will lead the Barking Gecko team in bringing the production to life. It’s currently scheduled for January 2026.

Stellarphant around the world

It’s never not a thrill to see one of my books travelling overseas! I love seeing how the translators and graphic designers adapt the titles and covers.

Here’s some of the international covers Stellarphant has collected so far.

Book Week costume ideas – and free printable masks!

Stuck for a CBCA Book Week costume idea? Here’s how to dress up as Max Mole, Helena Hippo or Bug from my series, Secret Agent Mole.

And scroll down for free printable masks of Max, Helena and Bug!

Printable masks

You can download all three of these masks in one handy pdf.

Tips:

Each is designed to print out at A4 paper size; they’ll work best of printed or glued onto thick card.
Cut out the black eyeholes, and cut around the thin outline on the outside edge of the mask.
Add colour if you wish.
Don’t forget to add string or a paper loop so that you can attach the mask to your face.
And don’t forget some antennae for Bug – you could use thin strips of paper or card, or pipe cleaners.

Download the 3 masks

Littlescribe Mini Writing Festival

It’s a writing program and a writers festival all-in-one, and it’s back for another year!

The 2023 Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival features Australian Children’s Laureate Gabrielle Wang, past laureate Jackie French, CBCA picture book of the year winner Claire Saxby, best-sellers Jacqueline Harvey and Louise Park, and festival favourites Deb Abela and Oliver Phommavanh. Oh, and me too.

It’s on from Monday 31st July to Friday 4th August and is fully online, so no matter where your school is (or whether you’re homeschooling), you can join in. There’s sessions for students aged 5-14, covering everything from poetry to picture books, and sports writing to slam poetry.

I’ll be chatting with Tim Harris (we made Toffle Towers together!) about creating and illustrating unique characters, plus joining all the other sessions as an illustrator-in-residence.

Program below. Full details on the LittleScribe website.