This video shows you how I drew and painted in watercolour the olive tree that appears a fe times in my recent children’s picture book, Pandora. A longish video with a lot of chat about drawing, painting, illustration and making picture books.

The tree is a recurring theme in the book. I wanted something to connect the inside world of the story with the outside world.

In my researches I came across the stunning wall painting in Akrotiri in Crete, dating back some 3400 years. The swallows and the lilies really got me going, and then I decided to have a lone, ancient, gnarled olive trees too, as a symbol of the mediterranean and. You can see a video about Akrotiri and the amazing wall paintings here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gb7g9w6fxo

You can get your own copy of Pandora here:
Pandora on Amazon USA 
Pandora Amazon UK
Pandora Amazon Canada
Pandora Amazon Australia