Lovelock, Brian

IN BRIEF

Brian Lovelock is a children’s book illustrator and geothermal scientist. His books include, Roadworks, written by Sally Sutton (2008), and, The Cat with No Name, written by Sher Foley (2009). Lovelock is highly regarded for his strong compositions, his use of saturated colour and the imaginative perspectives that enliven his illustrations. His first children’s book, Roadworks, won Best Picture Book in the 2009 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards and is short-listed for the 2009 Russell Clark Award for Illustration.

About the Author

Lovelock, Brian (1956 –) is a children’s book illustrator and scientist. Lovelock was born in Marton, and he has lived in Christchurch, the Philippines, Auckland, and Taupo. He has been based in Auckland since 1994. Brian Lovelock has worked as a geothermal scientist since 1979.

Brian Lovelock’s list of published works includes, Roadworks, written by Sally Sutton (Walker Books 2008), and The Cat with No Name, written by Sher Foley (Scholastic 2009). His has two further books scheduled for release with Walker Books over the coming two years.

Lovelock won Best Picture Book at the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for Roadworks. The work was also listed as a 2009 Storylines Notable Picture Book. In a review of Roadworks, Publishers Weekly commented, ‘Kids who love trucks and construction will find an ideal vehicle for their passions in this exuberant book from New Zealand, which uses full-bleed and rhyming text to show how each of seven machines functions in the building of a road…Using ink, acrylics and colored pencils, Lovelock conjures artful landscapes with visible brushwork, reserving a speckling effect not unlike concrete for the road. These subtle embellishments in the background set off his clean, precise renderings of the construction trucks, which serve as de facto main characters.’

Lovelock comments on his work as an illustrator, ‘I aim for strong composition, saturated colour and imaginative perspectives in my pictures. I think this is the main appeal of the pictures in Roadworks. While I try to portray a mood that is consistent with the story, I also try to add another dimension by adding a strong human spirit, movement and sometimes flights of the imagination.’

In 2010, The Cat With No Name (written by Sher Foley, Scholastic New Zealand) and Your Mother Didn't Do That! (written by Sharon Holt, Walker Books Australia) were listed as Storylines Notable Books.

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writers in schools information

Brian Lovelock is able to visit primary school students to talk about Picture Book illustrating, including picture book design as part of the Book Council's Writers in Schools programme.

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Media links and clips

• Brian Lovelock’s profile on the Walker Books site.
• Brian Lovelock’s profile on Sandra Morris’ site.

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