I started working in an old local bookshop, Stoneman’s when I was eleven, helping out on weekends and I’ve been circling books and images ever since. In the 1990s I spent two years cycling around Australia with a sketchbook, then moved to London where I worked as a bookseller, cartoonist for magazine advertisements, exhibited my painting and printmaking and then drifted into design and illustration. I worked in design studios including Wolff Olins and Interbrand, and later as a freelance illustrator and designer, developing brands and concepts, designing books, and delivering final art to tight magazine timelines.

After returning to Australia, I continued designing before putting aside my design and arts practice to open and run my own bookshop, Embiggen Books for twelve years. Since closing it in 2019, I briefly worked at Hill of Content Bookshop and then at The Little Bookroom, the world’s oldest children’s bookshop, all restarting illustration, writing, and art. My work has received art awards, been selected as a dPICTUS finalist, and WAMA finalist and I’ve recently completed a 32-page picture book with Amicus Ink to be released in Aug 2026. I work primarily in traditional media, particularly oil painting and drawing, and I’m drawn to projects that reward close looking — from narrative nonfiction and visually driven picture books to standalone artworks for exhibition. For more about me checkout this interview with Image Science.

I’m looking to work with new art directors, designers and editors as well as curators and companies or individuals needing one off commissions including pet portraits.

Author // Illustrator // Artist
Based in Melbourne, Australia

A graphic with a white background featuring the text 'dPICTUS' at the top, a large red rounded rectangle in the middle with white text 'the unpublished picturebook showcase,' and the word 'finalist' below in black.

Some exhibiting history

Two men in an art gallery observing framed artwork on the wall.
Victorian Artist Society New Members Exhibition

Collector’s Delight, VAS Gallery
May 2026

Victorian Artist Society New Members Show
Feb-March 2026

Mornington Rotary Art Show
Jan 2026

WAMA Art Prize 2023
Sept-Oct 2023 (Finalist)

BiblioArt Prize
2021 (Winner Starving Artist Prize) & Finalist in 2022

DPictus Finalist Showcase
Unpublished Picture book 2020 (13 votes)

Embiggen Books Gallery Space
2009 (Solo), 2010 (Group), 2014 (Group)

Herons Gallery Castlemaine
Works in Parallel,2008 (Two person show)

PCL Exhibitionists, Strawberry Hills
Freesize, (Group), 1996

Rocks Market Art Exhibition, Sydney
By Invitation, (Group), 1996

Golden Canvas Gallery, Balmain
Works on Paper, (Group), 1996

Gallery 47, London
Past Lives Present, (Solo), 1994

  • I highly recommend Warren as an illustrator, designer, and collaborator. As an art director, I had the pleasure of working with him on the picture book The Day of Stolen Bicycles. Warren’s technical skill and deep knowledge of both illustration and design made the process not only efficient but deeply meaningful. His research for the topic goes beyond expectations, and he is exceptionally reliable, always delivering high-quality work on schedule.

    —Kim Pfeffer, Art Director at Amicus Ink

  • Warren’s creative sensibility has been invaluable. Through a deep understanding of our mission, his design has clarified complex ideas, giving our materials coherence, elegance, and a strong intellectual presence. He has integrated an amazing array of concepts from science, art, illustration and design that inform his work.

    Peter Ellerton, Director of The Centre for Critical and Creative thinking

Get in Touch

If you're interested in working with me, complete the form with a few details about your project and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

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