Aki Fukuoka

Where were you born?

I was born among the snowy Alps of rural Nagano Prefecture in Japan. When I was eight, my family of seven immigrated to the countryside of Whangārei, New Zealand.

I remember being the only Asian family in the small village we moved to during my primary school years. We moved around quite a bit—my parents were always searching for the perfect rural place to raise their children and animals, and to grow a big garden!

What other jobs have you had?

My first “paid” job was creating a large A0-sized poster for my high school social studies teacher when I was 13. She promised to pay me $50—which was a huge amount of money for young me in the 1990s.

I am still waiting for that payment… I’m looking at you, Miss Dalgleish. 

My next big gig was painting a 36-metre mural with my sister during the summer holidays when I was 15. We were paid $3 an hour—which is actually more than some illustration jobs I picked up after graduating Elam University of Fine Arts, so not bad at all!

As an adult, I’ve always freelanced as an illustrator, mainly working on children’s books and educational publications. I’ve also worked as a lecturer at Media Design School, teaching art and creative thinking to students studying game design, graphic design, advertising and animation.

What themes are recurring in your work?

Stylistically, my art is a blend of Japanese and Western influences. I grew up reading manga and watching anime, and our bookshelf at home was filled with picture books from all over the world—my mum loved collecting them. After moving to New Zealand, I was exposed to many more Western books and artists. Over time, these two worlds naturally merged into my own visual style.

I also love introducing animals in my works, even if they are not mentioned in the manuscripts, I love sneaking them in! 

What have been the highlights of your career?

One of the biggest highlights has been working with Sally and the team at Hardie Grant Egmont on the Billie B Brown series. It was one of my very first illustration jobs while I was still completing my Master of Arts and Design.

The publishing team took a leap of faith on a complete newbie—originally sign on for four titles. Now, more than 15 years later, there are 30 titles in the original series, plus six in the Billie B Mystery series. I’m incredibly grateful to still be part of Billie’s world and truly enjoy creating Billie books together.

I also loved working on the Sam Kerr series. As someone who was absolutely terrible at sports growing up, it’s been amazing to experience life as a superstar footballer—through my drawings!

Art is magical. It has the power to transport us and allow us to become anyone we want—just with pencil and paper.

Where have your works been published?

The last time I checked, my books had been published in 18 countries. The Billie B Brown series alone has sold over five million copies and has been translated into ten languages.

I do know for sure that my books are especially popular in New Zealand and Australia!

What are you passionate about?

Visual storytelling. I love connecting with readers through art—whether it’s a single image or a whole sequence of comic panels.

I’m especially passionate about sharing my creative process with young audiences. Most children draw naturally when they’re young, but many stop as they grow older. We are visual creatures, and drawing is a powerful way to play, explore, and communicate.

Growing up as an immigrant who didn’t speak the language, I struggled to read, write, and express myself verbally. It didn’t help that I was already very shy and awkward—even back in my home country of Japan. In many ways, art became my voice. Now it feels like I’ve come full circle—telling stories to children of all abilities, and knowing that illustrations can support, inspire, and connect with every reader.

Haven’t I seen you before?

Hmm…maybe! I’ve been told I look a lot like Billie B Brown—which was not intentional at all!

I actually drew over 50 different girls before we finally found Billie. At the time, the publisher didn’t even know what I looked like. But when I met them for the first time on my very first Australia tour, they all said, “You look just like Billie!”

Now… that was 15 years ago, and before I had my four kids—so I’m proud to say I probably look more like Billie’s mum these days?

Or maybe you caught a glimpse of me when my face appeared alongside Sally Rippin’s in the Herald Sunday, celebrating 15 years of Billie B Brown!

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I loved watching Studio Ghibli movies growing up (and I still do!). As children, my siblings and I would go bush-walking in the woods on our farm, hoping to catch a glimpse of Totoro. They say you can’t see Totoro once you’re an adult—but I’m still hopeful. After all, we’re all children at heart, aren’t we?