Lesson Summary

Kym Langfield, an author and illustrator from Melbourne, Australia, shares her journey into writing and drawing, mentioning her early love for Enid Blyton books that sparked her interest in creating stories and artwork from a young age.

Despite being busy with family and her teaching profession, Kym prioritises time for writing and illustrating, often starting early in the day before life gets hectic.

She discusses her process of sketching, painting with watercolors, and experimenting with lively inks to make her stories come alive through illustrations.

Kym collaborates closely with Jennifer, her publisher at Daisy Lane Publishing, describing the emotional depth Kym strives to convey in her artwork while illustrating stories for other authors.

Kym expresses gratitude for the support from Jennifer in bringing her book projects to fruition, and she talks about her involvement in online networking, community engagement, and teaching creative writing to children.

Both interviewer and interviewee have been authors in residence at local schools, and Kym mentions her students wanting to publish a book of horror stories that she advised them needed to be more appropriate for young readers to avoid causing nightmares.

Morgen also mentions Kym's mental health education involvement, which she agrees influences her stories, focusing on themes of well-being and emotional openness in her writing.

The focus then shifts to Kym highlighting her background as a teacher and counsellor, and her passion for using vibrant colours in her watercolour illustrations for children's books.

Kym goes on to share the details of her current project, a picture book named 'Splash', inspired by a student's positive experience with art, scheduled for release - by Daisy Lane - early 2025.

Kym and Morgen will return when 'Splash' is available when it's your opportunity to ask her questions!

As well as being a published author, Kym Langfield has illustrated a range of books, including ‘Solo Dan’ by Daisy Lane Publishing, ‘Ah-Fur: The Case of the Missing Moggies’ by Morris Publishing Australia, and has been featured in anthologies including ‘Triple Zero Heroes’ by Hawkeye Publishing (shortlisted for the 2023 Speech Pathology Awards) and the Anthology Angels books.

She has written stories and poems for the Anthology Angels books, the text for ‘Teddy Town’ by The Book Company and has been a prize winner in short story competitions. 

Kym has a diploma in illustrating children’s books. She loves using vivid colours to make splashes with watercolour paint. 

She is an experienced primary school teacher, is currently working in the area of Mental Health and Wellbeing and is a qualified counsellor.

When Kym isn't busy working, she loves going on adventures in nature with her family and mischievous dog.

Her publisher's page is https://www.daisylanepublishing.com/kym-langfield.