Commemorative birth certificates

Hi, my name's Serena. I am a Sydney based illustrator and I have the coolest job in the world. I get to draw pictures all day, capturing visual imagery and I put that into children's books.

I've been illustrating children's books for about 15 years, but prior to that I used to work for Walt Disney Studios. They had a studio here in Sydney and I worked there as an assistant artist, on some pretty amazing sequels to the Lion King, Peter Pan - Return to Never Land, The Little Mermaid.

We worked real traditionally, so that's where I get a lot of my experience using emotion and expression.

So with illustrating the certificate, I actually work tradition. So I start by drawing with pencil and paper. Then I actually scan the artwork in and then I drew it digitally. I like to feel into and get to know the characters that I'm drawing, whether they've got a name or a personality.

And I've met so many amazing young kids, that it's that excitement and that love that they have for whatever it is they're passionate about - their art, their music, their sport. I tune into that, I pick that up. And that's what I want to bring through in the certificates.

So each child has their own personality and I really love being able to share that and create a world that has that imagination that kids feel they have a connection to.

With the Matildas certificate, I think what I loved about that image was all the girls sort of getting, having their arms around each other and just working as a team. And I just, I saw that so much with the FIFA World Cup last year, and I think that's something that was really important to get through as a message when I was crafting up the roughs and colouring in the Matildas certificate.

What I was going for with the Soccerroos was that energy, was the joyful celebration. And there was the movement that came through in the players as well. So, and that joy, which is kind of soccer, has such a high energy and high intensity and there's a lot of movement involved, so I wanted to get the boys in that space as well.

What comes through and my intention behind these certificates was the joy, the connection, the teamwork, the play, the passion. I want all of that to come through.

When you look at this certificate, the inspiration behind this project for me was reminding children that to follow their dreams, that we all have a dream and a passion. And I really wanted to inspire them to follow that. And that's just sort of similar to what I've done for myself with the arts, is like I've really stepped into that.

So I've also drawn inspiration from one of the books that I've illustrated called We Are Matildas, which follows a young Jazzy who wants to one day play for the Matildas.

And if I can support and encourage young kids to follow their dream, and that's… my job is done.