I’m Kate Marie Lewis, a writer and illustrator based in Adelaide, South Australia.
I create children’s books that trust young readers to look closely, think for themselves, and notice the small, surprising details of the world around them.
Illustration
My illustration style is detailed and textural, sitting on the more realistic end of the spectrum while still allowing room for play, exaggeration, and emotional expression. I have a strong grounding in human and animal anatomy through my background in research science, which gives me confidence to push poses, movement, and scale. I’m particularly interested in capturing moments of behaviour, the tilt of a body, a flash of tension or curiosity that help characters feel energetic, observant, and funny.
I work across a combination of traditional and digital media. My preferred materials include acrylic paint, watercolour, coloured pencils, and digital painting in Procreate, often layered together to build depth and surface interest. I also enjoy experimenting with mixed-media approaches, using texture and imperfection as an active part of the storytelling. This flexibility allows me to adapt my work to suit different narrative tones while maintaining a consistent visual voice.
I was awarded the 2026 Buzz Words Illustration prize. Feel free to check out my illustration portfolio.
Alongside my author-illustration practice, I’m an award-winning wildlife artist, bringing an eye for detail and a deep appreciation for the natural world to my work. My artwork has been recognised in competitions including the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, the Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize, and the Solar Art Prize.
Writing
The stories I write are often a playful combination of non-fiction elements and character-driven fiction. I’m drawn to animals, ecosystems, and everyday moments where behaviour, human or animal, reveals something unexpected, funny, or quietly profound. Rather than spelling out messages, my stories invite children to observe, question, and form their own ideas, using humour, curiosity, and precise detail to draw them in. Whether I’m writing about wildlife, children navigating big feelings, or the way the world looks from a child’s point of view, I aim to create books that feel lively, intelligent, and visually distinctive.
I have been awarded an Emerging SA Literary Fellowship through Writers SA and the State Library of South Australia, and my writing has been recognised in the CYA Writing Competition and the JWFK Pitch It Competition. I’ve completed the Australian Writers’ Centre Writing Picture Books courses and Margrete Lamond’s Pitch Perfect Portfolio illustration course, and I’m a member of ASA, SCBWI, CBCASA, and the Cardboard Box Illustrators.
