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Lucinda Gifford
Author, Illustrator
Lucinda works as a children’s illustrator and author from her colourful, ink-splattered home studio. She loves to draw and especially enjoys improvised sketching with groups of children because – through the chaos – wonderful things can emerge.
Where were you born?
I was born in Yeovil, England – but my parents moved back up to Scotland when I was tiny and that’s where I was brought up. I’ve lived in many different places since, and moved out to Australia in 2003.
What other jobs jobs have you had?
I have worked as a trainee architect, data analyst, graphic designer, copywriter, cleaner, art studio instructor, bartender, marketing assistant, draughts-person and (most lucratively) as an art director in advertising firms.
What themes are recurring in your work?
My own stories focus on children taking control of their environment and using their imagination. I try to bring humour and warmth into my drawing and love to draw almost anything (with the possible exception of tractors).
What have been the highlights of your career?
Seeing children dressed as my characters for Book Week, and having my book Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas selected for 2020 National Simultaneous Storytime.
Where have your works been published?
So far, Australia, the UK, Spain, Belgium, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, Romania, Russia and the USA.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about giving children the freedom to explore outdoors and go on adventures, both real and imagined.
Haven’t I seen you before?
Maybe hanging out with the ducks in the outdoor pool? I love to swim slowly up and down… especially on rainy days.
Testimonials
We had our sessions today. Lucinda was amazing. She connected with our students from Prep to Year 6. It was so delightful to hear the girls laughing so much. The level of excitement was palpable.
Lucinda was engaging, she was so responsive to the students that made the girls feel so much a part of the presentation.
The response for the students and teachers was so positive. Everyone came away feeling happy.
It was wonderfully uplifting for all.
We had Lucinda Gifford come to visit and she was great. The kids really enjoyed hearing about how she became an author and it was valuable for them to see the evolution of her drawing over time through the portfolios. They also loved the drawing activity she had them do – many were still drawing crazy creatures days after the visit. Highly recommend.
Tony and Lucinda were brilliant. They adjusted their content and interactions to suit all age groups. We had them speak to 4-12 year olds. I would highly recommend either speaker. Lucinda made hers interactive with all children having the opportunity to draw. Tony had the little ones up acting out the stories with him and even gave us a sneak peek of his new book in production which was exciting.
Thanks for a fantastic book week.