where snowmen are made of sand.
11 x 17 inch，Procreate, 2024.10
Inspiration
As a child, I always found the long summer holidays and short winter breaks a bit unfair—especially since I didn’t like winter. I often thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could celebrate the New Year in summer?” Unexpectedly, an Australian summer Christmas made that wish come true.
In this zine, I’ve captured a few real moments from Christmases I experienced in Australia:
— Dancing under a giant Christmas tree (cover)
— Watching a light show at a church (back cover)
— A music festival on the grass
— A Christmas market
— Christmas on the beach
— And a cozy gathering at a friend’s house (back flap)
The main characters are still a group of small animals and their friends, but their pets and some background characters—like staff in certain scenes—are unique Australian animals, such as a pet kangaroo or a platypus chef. These details helped bring a stronger sense of Australian identity to the illustrations.
After receiving feedback from my teacher, I moved these special animals to the right side of the back page and added their names, so viewers can more easily recognize and identify them.