Illustrator
Something about the Artist: Martha Newbigging
Martha Newbigging is a graduate of both the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and the Sheridan College graduate program in computer graphics. The daughter of two art teachers, Martha was born to draw. There was even a chalkboard near the kitchen table for after-dinner artwork. Every special occasion was celebrated with the production of homemade cards and holiday road trips were documented with picture journals. She started making animated films and flipbooks when she was nine. She and her brother often hosted basement screenings for the neighbourhood kids showing their own super-8 cartoons along with films borrowed from the local library.
Martha has worked as a graphic designer, web designer, animator and a children's book illustrator. Research Ate My Brain (Annick, 2005) is the sixth children's book she has illustrated. Martha's illustrations have also appeared in online games, website graphics, corporate and educational brochures, posters and t-shirts. Her artwork has been called, 'hip and helpful' and 'cool and clear'. She has drawn everything from diagrams to comics to engage kids in learning. Her style is cartoony and humour is an essential ingredient to her pictures. Her animation has been shown around the world at independent film and video festivals and on CBC's Zed TV.
Martha has taught computer graphics to students of OCAD and Sheridan College and animation to children and artists in community workshops. This fall she toured lower mainland British Columbia for TD Canadian Children's Book Week where she talked to children in schools and libraries about her work as an illustrator of children's non-fiction books. She is now participating in the Ontario Arts Council's Artists in Education program providing workshops for school kids on making comic books. Martha enjoys sharing books with kids and encouraging them to draw.
Martha now lives in a small village in eastern Ontario where she breaks up her long hours at the drawing board by playing hockey or tennis depending on the season.
Publications
Research Ate My Brain: The Panic-Proof Guide to Surviving Homework
Written by The Toronto Public Library; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Annick, 2005
Attack of the Killer Video Book: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors
Written by Mark Shulman and Hazlitt Krog; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Annick, 2004
Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed
Written by Priscilla Galloway; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Annick, 2003
The Little Book of Big Questions
Written by Jackie French; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Annick, 2000
Crime Scene: How Investigators Use Science to Track Down the Bad Guys
Written by Vivien Bowers; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Owl Books, 1997
Cybersurfer: The Owl Internet Guide for Kids
Written by Nyla Ahmad; illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Owl Books/ Maple Tree Press, 1996
