Katie 'Katiebell' Roberts

Welcome to my artwork, welcome to the worlds of my imagination! 

World building, character development and magic is my jam. My favourite illustrations are maps and landscape, both fantasy and realism. 

I am a professional artist with a 30 year career and a masters of Fine Art, but I love to illustrate too! Which I do under my teenage nickname of ‘Katiebell’ (because of my laugh and the bells I used to wear in my hair). An artist all my life, I studied art for ten years and majored in Drawing. I am traditionally trained but love to experiment. I am proficient in tonal and colour work; mediums including pencil, ink, watercolour, gouache, marker and a range of other materials including collage, digital and mixed-media. I am able to turn my hand to many styles but my favourite for children’s book illustration is magical-realism based artwork, especially maps and landscapes. I love maps, did I say that?

I have a special interest in drawing architecture. I illustrated the Dictionary of Military Architecture, by Stephen ‘Sven’ Wyley. I enjoy creating book covers, recent works include covers for magical middle grade book series including The Secrets of the Lost Souls and The Rise of the Enchanted by Pete Lewis and the soon to be released Weather Casters, by Penny Showers. I was recently commissioned for the latest book cover for PETAA (Primary English Teachers Association of Australia).

I am happy to work with self-publishing authors, publishing houses and in educational publishing. My skills include layout and design, writing, fine art, illustration and graphic design. I have lectured in drawing at university and in the community. I have a great passion for community, social justice and equality. My artwork, stories and projects are optimistic, ethical, deep and meaningful. 

I welcome your enquiries especially for covers, story maps, end papers, full page artworks and middle grade and picture book illustration.