Behind the Scenes with Katie Wilson

I live in a old railway house, in a small town in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand. I studied graphic design and illustration, but ended up working in museums for a while before returning to illustration a few years ago. I work in a few different illustration markets alongside children’s books, including pattern design and licensing my work for greeting cards and packaging. I also have an online shop where I sell illustrated cards, prints and accessories - www.inmybackyard.co.nz

I fell in love with Penny’s manuscript for Extraordinary! as soon as I read it. I could quite easily spend my days out in nature finding the extraordinary all around me. Many of the images in the book are based on places I love - some of the beach scenes are inspired by the Otago coast near my house, and some of the landscapes are based on places I’ve been.