Mandy is an award winning, best selling author and illustrator of more than 25 picture books, predominantly with an Australian theme. She holds a Bachelor of Design specialising in Illustration from the University of South Australia, is an Ambassador for Raising Literacy Australia, a Role Model for Book in Homes, the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI SA branch (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and a huge animal lover.
Mandy's career highlights include a lengthy relationship with the Adelaide Zoo Education Service, drawing enough animals to fill an encyclopedia. Her obsession with drawing, particularly animals, and giving them an abundance of personality began when she was around 2, with chalk, on her grandparents pavement (she has been told by numerous students she was drawing a giraffe or a frog or a chicken - really, they were simply wonderful scribbles). She loves sharing this with students to inspire and encourage their own creativity.
When she is not drawing or painting, she spends time walking her two border collies (or stepping over them) and her pony Piccy, who she drew in ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’. Side note, he doesn’t really like apples but can hear a carrot crunch a mile away.
The only thing Mandy loves more than being in the studio or time with her animals, is sharing her passion of literacy, creativity and drawing with thousands of school students each year through workshops and presentations, especially during Book Week - discussing the process of creating a picture book, the roles of both author and illustrator and bringing along her sketchbook and paintings for show and tell… she may even draw a chicken.