Hello, I’m Serena!

“Inside each of us is a natural-born storyteller, waiting to be released.”

- ROBIN MOORE -

Author, Illustrator, speaker & teacher

My colourful career has taken me to places I could never have imagined from my early days working for Walt Disney Studios in Sydney, to publishing around the world and now teaching mindfulness workshops and art to children and adults.

I spent my childhood days reading comic books, climbing trees, making mud patties and watching cartoons. I indulged my growing mind with colours, characters and stories in the books I read and the drawings I created.

My journey into picture books started in 2009 when I emailed as many publishers as I could, and sent them a twelve page portfolio. After a very long wait, I had an encouraging reply from a small publisher who liked a drawing of a giraffe which matched a manuscript they had. This became my first picture book. Over the time I have illustrated more than seventy titles that have been published all around the world. These come in all forms: board books, picture books, middle grade readers but there was a gap in my collection. 

My newest adventure has me embarking on the colourful world of graphic novels.

Jump forward to 2022 my editor at Scholastic asked if I would write and illustrate a graphic novel (what????!) Of course I said YES! As a reluctant reader growing up, my brother's comic collection was my ideal reading material. Filled with colourful pages and little writing, I found myself getting lost in the world of the protagonist. I didn’t realise at the time, but reading the pictures helped me as a visual storyteller capturing my stories through images. The exciting news is… that not only did I write up two stories about Cheysa Moon, (watch this space!) I have been asked by Scholastic to write and illustrate two new novels which I am in the midst of! 

I am so excited to be stepping into this new world of storytelling but I won’t lie, I’m a tad nervous too … but in the words of Amy Poehler…

“I THINK IT’S GLORIOUS TO BE NERVOUS. BEING NERVOUS IS GREAT! HOW OFTEN DO WE GET NERVOUS ON A DAILY BASIS? BEING SLIGHTLY NERVOUS MEANS YOU CARE, AND YOU’RE ALIVE, AND YOU’RE TAKING SOME KIND OF RISK. HOORAY FOR BEING NERVOUS! A FRIEND TOLD ME TO SUBSTITUTE THE WORD  ‘NERVOUS’ FOR ‘EXCITEMENT’ THAT WAY YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE PHYSICAL FEELINGS WITHOUT PUTTING A NEGATIVE SPIN ON THINGS.”

So...I am sooooo exhilarated, thrilled and electrified to be writing and illustrating my first graphic novel for you guys!

Yeah…that actually did help 

xx

Background

Prior to dabbling in picture books, I spent six years working for Walt Disney Studios in Sydney with a group of talented artist on sequels to The Lion King, Peter Pan Return to Neverland, Lady and the Tramp and Jungle Book. Disney offered an intense 3-month training period as an entry level In-betweener and is where I gained most of my skills. Unfortunately the doors closed in 2006 but many of the artists continued animation in studios like Dave Enterprises, Flying Bark and Animal Logic.
Working for Disney has been one of the highlights in my career and definitely was a contributor when it came to illustrating for picture books.

I studied a short course at CCE in Sydney, run by Donna Rawlins and Wayne Harris in 2009 which taught the process of illustrating a picture book. Sharing their knowledge and industry requirements this amazing course attributed to my first official offer months later.

I am beyond excited to be collaborating with the incredibly talented Alyssa Moon on a new comic series called Miles From Home. The reason I’m so excited? Aside from this being my FIRST COMIC! It was a dream of mine to be published in Countdown and Blast Off magazines that reach thousands of kids in schools across NSW. We hope you love Miles and his friends and he tries to adjust to his new life in Orgsborg.

Miles had a peaceful life until his parents got divorced. Now he’s heading off to live with his mum on the island where she grew up. A new country. A new school, with new kids. Grandparents he’s never met. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, it’s no ordinary island. It’s the land of gribblots, purquins, and brumbles: three fairytale races who live in (mostly) peaceful harmony.

Normal kid. Fairytale world. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, and his mum is a gribblot. Which means he’s half-gribblot… Even though he looks (and feels) entirely human. Everything on the island is magical, or dangerous, or magically dangerous. Miles is quickly in over his head. His science partner might want to eat him, he can’t ride a magical skateboard, and he’s never even seen a dragon. Worst of all? He’s failing math. Will Miles ever feel like this new world is home?

In recent months I have begun running creative workshops from my studio here in Sydney. I am loving teaching adults how to access their visual voice through journaling and illustration. Connecting mindfulness and self development with creative exploration. New classes have just been released. To find out more, head to the Adult Classes or to register your interest for the next course below.

PORTFOLIO & OTHER WORK

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