Children's book illustrator Sandra Morris. Photo / Paul Brooks
Sandra Morris is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, an educator and an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She answers 10 questions from Finn Williams.
What inspires you to create?
Largely natural history and the environment. I’m passionate about environmental issues and the world we live in, but rather than preaching to people about the climate predicament, I like to show people how wonderful the planet and the different species that live on it are, because we’re incredibly lucky to share the planet with them.
People like David Attenborough and his documentaries also often inspire me and make me ask how I could use his techniques as a way to reach out to children.
What does your creative process look like?
I write and illustrate for children’s books about natural history, so creating for me is heavily tied to getting out into the wild and doing a lot of nature journaling.
Each of my books revolves around a specific theme, for my last book North and South, I wanted to showcase the breadth and differences of wildlife across the North and South islands. The idea of opposites always intrigued me.
I mostly work in watercolour paints, but I’ve also done work in pen and ink, subtractive charcoal drawings and gouache paints, so quite a few different mediums.
How crucial is illustration in the world of literature?
Very. In children’s books, illustrations get them into reading. Pictures provide clues that guide children through the book and they’re pivotal in getting them to understand the words in the story.
The visuals of a book are also what draw people’s attention and get it picked up in the first place.
What do you think makes a good illustration in a book?
The main thing to point out is it doesn’t have to be ultra-realistic. When people are learning illustration they often think they have to be realistic and I’ve seen children turn away from drawing thinking they’re not good because they don’t draw realistically.
You don’t have to be realistic to be a good picture book artist and it’s more important to focus on what makes a good picture book rather than just a good picture. This comes down to the whole package; presentation, graphics, the use of space, colour and the pacing of the story, they’re all important.
What advice do you have for young creatives?
There’s no better source of inspiration than our environment, so always be aware and observant of the world around you.
Something else you can do is carry a sketchbook with you to jot down ideas if sudden inspiration strikes. It’s amazing what ideas come back to you years later.
Do you think Whanganui is a good place for creatives?
I do. It’s especially good for me considering I largely work around natural history and there’s an abundance of wild places to explore both here and nearby.
For creatives in general I think there’s a big community here and people aren’t very judgemental either. Coming from Auckland there’s a degree of snobbery towards creative pursuits there I don’t feel here.
What could be done to make Whanganui more creative-friendly?
It’s actually quite hard for me to think of what could make it better, but I’d love to see more creatives represented at the Saturday markets. We could have more musicians playing and more artisans running stalls and displaying their works.
Also, it’d be great to have an arthouse cinema in town which plays more independent films.
What do you like to do when you aren’t creating?
I do a lot of bird watching and go on nature walks, I’m very much an outdoors person so I get out and about as much as I can. When I am indoors with time to myself I like to read or catch a movie.
What are your favourite places to explore around Whanganui?
Firstly Bushy Park, the Bason Arboretum, Paloma Gardens, and a little further out I love the Tongariro National Park, Mt Taranaki and Lake Rotokare, which is near Stratford.
Do you have any projects in the work currently?
I’m working on a proposal for another international children’s book and I’ve just been given the arts residency at the Wellington Botanic Gardens, so I’ll be there working in February and March next year.
I’m also on the committee for Botanical Art Worldwide 2025 so we’re working on accepting proposals from people and also starting our own works, though I still have to plant my subjects for those.
Outside of those, community teaching always keeps me busy.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.