Hello!
Welcome to my portfolio, have a look around and I would love hear from you.
Hello there
My name is Nisaluk Chantanakom, and my friends call me Nis. Originally from Thailand, I grew up right in the thick of New York City. Now, I call Wangal Country home. I love living in the Upper Blue Mountains with my husband (whom I met while counting 44 giraffes in Ugandan bushland), and our teen and pre-teen kids. And the most important member of our family, our delightful (somewhat smelly!) rough collie named Indiana Bones.
My illustrations capture the little moments of life, often with a dash of whimsy and a touch of the surreal. Watercolours, pencils, digital tools – I love them all! But there's something truly special about the nostalgic scent of crayons.
With both a Bachelor's (Boston University) and a Master's (University of Pennsylvania) in Fine Arts, my journey's been a bit of a winding road. I've been an en plein air painter, exploring the outdoors through my art. I then transitioned into graphic and UX design, even dipping my toes into data visualisation by creating stunning dashboards. But my heart truly lies in education and crafting picture books. These days, I work part-time as a Learning Support Officer at Sydney primary schools, and the rest of my time is spent in my studio, where I bring stories to life through illustration.
The best perk of my day job? Being surrounded by books! I get to read them with the students, listen to teachers read them to the students (teachers are seriously brilliant storytellers, by the way!), and chat with kids about their favourite books. Yep, it's safe to say I'm a bonafide bookworm.
Thanks for visiting and please drop me a line, I would love to hear from you. If you have a book-related query, please reach out to Benython Oldfield at Zeitgeist Agency.
xo Nis
UPCOMING PROJECTS
New Picture Book – Scholastic Australia (2027)
New Picture Book – Hardie Grant (2028)
Awards
2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards – New Illustrator Shortlist
2026 ASLA DANZ Children’s Book Award – Longlist
(Australian School Library Association + Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand)
2024 SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards Winner
Judges for 2024 are: Ann James—Author and Illustrator, Angus Yuen-Killick—Publisher, Red Comet Press, and Tiffany Malins—Publisher, Scholastic Press
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The judges are all pleased to select Nisaluk Chantanakom’s KEEPING MY STRIPES as the winner of the Emerging Illustrator category. Nisaluk’s concept was a stand-out proposal in a very impressive and competitive collection of applications. Keeping My Stripes is a poignant picture-book story told through the eyes of a young girl, who leaves behind the land and language of her homeland to arrive in a new place. Once there, she endeavours to hide her family ‘stripes’ in an effort to look and act more like the people of her new home. The story explores themes of migration, acceptance and the complexities of cultural adaptation in a sensitive and age-appropriate way.
Nisaluk’s character designs were particularly engaging, with a clever use of colour, pattern and mixed techniques to convey emotion and a strong visual narrative. The thoughtful use of pattern, influenced by the intricate Thai designs of the author’s childhood, has been employed to both paint the character’s story and as a visual exploration of the author’s cultural roots and experiences.
The judges were all impressed by how developed and technically skilful Nisaluk’s illustrations and concept storyboards were. Her portfolio reveals an evocative use of light and dark in her storytelling, as well as a strong evolving visual style. Keeping My Stripes was a wonderful and considered concept, beautifully articulated, and we are all looking forward to seeing more from Nisaluk.
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Originality of the intended project
Creativity of the intended project
Artistic and literary merit of the applicant’s body of work (assessed on grounds of stylistic and thematic achievement as demonstrated by portfolio and support material)
Ability of applicant to create an excellent narrative with a significant visual component (as demonstrated by portfolio and support material) which may be textual and visual, or visual alone (wordless).
2023 ASA/CA Award Mentorship Program, Picture Book Illustration Winner
2021 WestWords/Pinerolo Illustrator in Residence Winner
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The work has a breadth, has ideas, stylistic range and is appealing and engaging. Reveals a personal vision, commendably ambitious and has a great affinity with children’s picture books. Timely with much that could be developed, would benefit with some good editorial guidance and is at the right moment for this.
CLIENTS
Hachette, Scholastic, Hardie Grant, Dirt Lane Press
Ulta Inc, Pfizer, BMW, MetLife
Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Jim Beam,
Maker's Mark + more
Skills
Watercolour, pencil, pen and digital illustrations
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Procreate
UI and Web design
memberships
Australian Society of Authors (ASA), Copyright Agency, Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA), Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).