Ron Brooks
, b. 1948
Ron Brooks is one of Australia’s most distinguished illustrators. He was born in Pambula, on the far south coast of New South Wales, and grew up in Mallacoota in Gippsland in eastern Victoria before moving to Melbourne. He trained at Swinburne Technical School, and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. After working as a freelance artist and designer, he began illustrating children’s books with Jenny Wagner, including the award winning The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek (1973) and John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat (1977). His illustrations have a distinctive style, with prominent linework and detailed backgrounds, but each of his books is unique.
He has illustrated many highly regarded picture books, which have won multiple awards in the children’s literature industry. His collaborations with Wagner (The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek, John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat, Aranea) as well as Margaret Wild (Fox and Old Pig), Ursula Dubosarsky and Margaret Peversi have established him as a key figure in the development of Australian children's books. His autobiography, Drawn from the heart: a memoir, describes his approach to illustrating many of his classic works.
Sources:
allenandunwin.com (accessed: May 6, 2020).
austlit.edu.au (accessed: September 22, 2020).
"Brooks, Ron 1948–" in Lisa Kumar, Something About the Author,vol. 212, Gale: eBooks, 2010, 5–10.
Ron Brooks, Drawn from the Heart: A Memoir, Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2010.
Bio prepared by Elizabeth Hale, University of New England, ehale@une.edu.au and Miriam Riverlea, Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com
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