About Janine Dawson

The illustrator of Lily Quench, Janine Dawson, writes about herself:

I was born and grew up in Manly, N.S.W. I was always drawing as a kid, but I was never "the drawer" at school. That was another girl. Still, I just kept on happily drawing for myself, imagining inventions and all sorts of things.I wasn't very good at it, but I just kept drawing.

When I left school I had the idea of becoming a great actress and amaze the world, but after working backstage in a theatre I found the people and the characters much more interesting and so I started drawing them.

I went to Sydney College of the Arts for a short while, until one day I heard a talk on animation. The next day I took what drawings I had around to all the animation studios in Sydney and found myself a job.

I worked happily in animation for the next 20 or so years both in Australia and Overseas. Now I was drawing every day!

I learnt so much from all the talented people I met, but most of all I learnt to observe things. I watched everything and started to really see how things looked, attitudes and expressions. This observation I believe is what drawing is all about.

In 1991 I came back to Australia with my daughter after living in Asia for many years and decided to try illustrating Children's Books because I had loved and collected them for many years, it just seemed the natural thing to do next.

Now I'm happier than ever doing a job I love, and the best thing is....I still draw every day, and quite often into the evening too! To the sounds of one of my cats drinking out of my inky water jar.

Today I live back near Manly again, with my daughter Rosie, two cats and some very nervous fish. When I'm not drawing I'm playing with the cats, reading Calvin & Hobbes and Krazy Kat comics (my favourite!)... or out somewhere walking around watching people and things.

I absolutely love all the Dragons in the Lily Quench stories, especially Queen Dragon and Baba and have a great respect for such beautiful animals. I was very teary-eyed when I read about Baba in the "Magicians Pyramid".

If I were a character in the Lily Quench books I think I'd really like to be Crystal Bright.

Visit Janine Dawson's website: www.janinedawson.com.au