What can I say? I like to talk! If you want to find out about me, but just don't have the time for my life story, head to the short version. However, if you've got an extra couple of minutes to spare you can read all about my development in the long version.
The Short Version:
I am an up and coming, published illustrator with a variety of experience already under my belt, including 3 children's books, stuffed toy design, worksheet design, cartoon strips, christmas cards, valentine's cards, storyboards and concept art.
Although I don't tend to add the letters to the end of my name (Bronwyn Coveney BA(hons) is a bit over long) I actually have a high level degree in animation, so I can also make pictures move. All the teaching over the three years have enhanced my art skills and added an extra sense of movement and style to my work.
The Long Version:
It would be very twee to say that I wanted to be an artist from the word go. I still remember in my first year of primary school drawing a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. After stirring the pasta the night before, I'd decided I wanted to be a chef. My best friend wanted to be a farmer's wife.
This was all very short-lived, and my next life choice lent towards marine biology. Not being very good at science, but very good at drawing, my wonderfully encouraging parents said I should be a cartoonist.
That stuck for a long time, though dreams so grand don't always survive high school. Despite my loathing for high school and seeing both my parents go through it, I had a brief period where teaching seemed like a good idea for the holidays, then went back to the literal drawing board.
During art A level, I played guinea pig to the new animation software the art department had gained. It took weeks of drawing, scanning and editting, but finally my first animation - a statue turning in a circle - came to life.
To this day, I still feel like I'm playing God when an animation comes to life on screen, and it's that feeling that got me hooked. So much so, that I went to university to do a whole three years of animation study! I passed with a very high 2.1, days after my now husband proposed to me. A good week all told!
So, with a shiney new degree clutched in my eager hands, I walked out of the kind, university doors to expect a world of open arms welcoming graduates and artists. However, this was 2008, just as the recession hit the world straight in the gut. Regardless, I got my first freelance job from Josef Bastian as a book illustrator two months after returning home from uni, before I'd even doned the graduation gown.
Now this was going to be an interesting learning curve; illustrating not only for an author who had a fair few published books under his belt, but an author who lived on the other side of that great pond known fondly as the Atlantic! Thankfully, Josef (also Joseph) was very patient and very encouraging, helping me by constantly being clear in what he wanted for his book. Once the characters were designed, I started work on the final images.
Illustrating Keith Doodle Saves Christmas quickly absorbed my time. Within a couple of months, the 26 final images were complete, and already being placed on the final text layout. In early December 2008, Keith Doodle was released for sale on Amazon US, coming to the UK a couple of weeks later.
During this busy time, I had also offered my services to the Parental Alienation Awareness Organisation. They were searching for someone to design their mascot for them, produce cartoons and posters for him, and other bits and bobs over the year. I volunteered my services, doing it purely to help the charity. PANDA Abuzz was initially designed the same year as Keith Doodle's released, though it's taken a long time to get him up and going. It's been a labour of love for everyone at PAAO, and his presence - I hope - is helping their campaign.
I could carry on to describe the rest of published work to date, but to carry on adding and adding would mean the Long Version would turn into the Novel Version. These two projects certainly helped me to start my days as a graduate doing what I loved, instead of washing pots.
Within the 18 months of graduating from University, I've gone on to do a whole mixture of artsy wonder, from storyboards to stuffed toys! Although I consider myself an animator and illustrator, and the illustration is the name of the business, I've become quite a jack of all trades! I don't care what I do though, so long as I can have a pencil in one hand and an eraser in the other, all work is considered.
You might think the long version's over, but I'm afraid that's only the beginning...