Maria Blackman Creates

Just spent some time updating my writer/illustrator website. Wasn't as easy as I remember things but maybe I am nostalgic for the good ol' days of blogging in the mid 00's? mariablackman.net/about/

Day 26 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - Hunter's Moon ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #huntersmoon #watercolourillustration #inkandwatercolour

Day 24 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - veil ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #veil #inkandwatercolour #brideoffrankenstein

SCBWI Artober continues - 21 faerie, 22 knit, 23 concoction. If you want the backstory to 'knit', let me know! #scbwiARTOBER2026 #illustrationoftheday #sketchoftheday

Writing news! I have a short story in the next issue of the little journal. Here's a sneak peek of the front cover! The official launch of the journal is next month at the Australian Short Story Festival on Sunday, 29 November at 12.40-1.30 pm australianshortstoryfestival.com #writing #shortstory

Day 19 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - wish ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #wish #watercolourandink #papercuttingart

Day 18 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - cosplay. I had the idea to make paper dolls and wanted to make more costumes but it was getting late so I only made two...for now! Let me know if you loved Anne of Green Gables or the Narnia books! #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #cosplay #watercolourandink #paperdolls

Day 17 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - oddity ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #oddity #watercolourandink #illustration

Bless the little heart on this post if you think Elon deserves to burn in Hell for all eternity. 🔥

Day 17 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - hairy ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #hairy #watercolourillustration #characterart #kidlit

Day 15 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - carnival ✏️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #carnival #collageart #illustration

SCBWI Artober day 14 - belonging. A long time ago I looked after a stray tabby cat that turned out to be pregnant...she had four kittens, three tabby with white paws and one completely white! ✍️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER  #belonging #watercolourillustration #catart

SCWBI Artober continues...I'm behind with art and posting because school holidays are finished😭 10 - Vestiges 11 - crusty 12 - lunge #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #kidlit #sketchoftheday

Day 9 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - home. Oh, to be a cosy witch dozing by the fire in her tidy cottage ✍️ #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #papercuttingart #home #cozywitch

Day 3 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - crush. Even a witch's cat says "If I fitteth, shall I sitteth". #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #inkandwatercolourillustration #kidlit

Day 1 of SCBWI Artober 2026 - pumpkin Ages ago I saw a video about making envelopes out of old artworks so I made a bunch of them which I then forgot about. For this year's Artober I'm turning them into little paper artworks. #scbwiARTOBER2026 #scbwiARTOBER #papercuttingart #inkandwatercolour

I just finished reading The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden and it's one of those books that was so good I can't think about anything else now. I'm also afraid to pick up anything else to read because it won't be as good as The Safekeep! Gosh, the problems of a reader

If you're feeling down, may I recommend looking at the fat bears of Katmai wildlife reserve? This is one of my new favourite things. Well done to all the brown bears of Katmai, I will have trouble voting but you are all fat and all winners in my eyes explore.org/fat-bear-week

The first thing that's annoying about the ABC Top 100 Australian Books site is that when you sort by authors, it's alphabetical by first name, not surname?! Does no one know how to alphabetise properly anymore?

Aug 30th sighting: Christmas stockings at grocery story. Haven't even had Halloween yet!!

Happy Wear It Purple Day! 💜🏳️‍🌈 #wearitpurpleday #ally

Yikes, I'm on the train going to work and someone's reading Atlas Shrugged 🫣

I am so thrilled to be a featured writer with this project by WritingWA and Yagan Square. Writers were asked to contribute a short prose piece or poem about winter or nature. My poem Mycelium Network is one of them! #storiesfromwa #writingwa #dragonflypublishing #poetry

I saw a trailer today for the Klara and the Sun film. I love Kazuo Ishiguro's work and this is one of my favourite novels ever. I'm so scared that the film won't live up to the book!

My first born (aged 12) wants to go protest One Nation next week (it's on a school day, middle of the day) and I said no because that would be truanting but secretly I am so proud 🥰

More writing good news! I have a story accepted by Night Parrot Press for their Little Journal. I am so excited for this! www.nightparrotpress.com #flashfiction #nightparrotpress #writing #littlejournal

Good news! I've been shortlisted in my favourite writing competition. Also! Support your local writers' centre and writing community!

Fare thee well, Neil!