Hello!
Welcome to my portfolio, have a look around and I would love hear from you.
Hi 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 Sydney with my husband (whom I met while counting 44 giraffes in Ugandan bushland), and our three 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.
x Nis
SKILLS
Watercolour, pencil, pen and digital illustrations
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Procreate
UI and Web design
AWARDS
2021 - Awarded an illustrators residency at Pinerolo by West Words and Pinerolo.
2023 - Winners of the 2023 ASA (Australian Society of Authors) / CA (Copyright Agency Cultural Fund) Award Mentorship Program, Picture Book Illustration category.
2024 - Winners of the SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards. Read more about the judges’ feedbacks here.
PICTURE BOOK PUBLICATION
Dirt Lane Press - A Teaspoon of Light, June 2024.
Hachett Australia - A Lemon for Safiya, 2025
CLIENTS :
Dirt Lane Press, Hachette
Pfizer
BMW
Coke, Fanta, Sprite
Jim Beam, Maker's Mark + more