Megan Vermaak

PANDA BEAR Megan Vermaak

Mr Bird is on a mission to find his missing friend, Panda Bear. There are other animals who are willing to help Mr Bird. However, each of them is so busy with something else that they mishear who exactly Mr Bird is looking for, sending him on a search for a possibly non-existent creature. At the end of the day, each animal brings someone to Mr Bird who they think could be Mr Bird’s missing friend. Instead, standing before Mr Bird is a group of very strange-looking creatures, and Mr Bird is left wondering where his missing friend, Panda Bear, could be.

The last page reveals Panda Bear happily munching on some bamboo in the middle of a bamboo forest, very far away from Africa.

MEGAN VERMAAK is a young South African children’s picture book illustrator. She completed her BA Honours in Visual Communication

Design at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography in 2020, receiving an overall distinction for her degree. Her deep affinity for children’s book illustration was recognised by the Australian agency, The Illustration Room, during her final year of study and the agency now represents her worldwide as a children’s picture book illustrator.

A peek into Megan’s process reveals a predominantly traditional approach in which she uses both traditional media and a digital process to create illustrations which retain a hand-made quality. Every element is individually hand-painted using watercolours and ink. The images are scanned and digitally compiled to produce the final composition. Megan has developed a unique and humorous approach to characterisation which is especially noticeable in her quirky animal characters.

JURY REPORT Megan Vermaak uses playful visual language, full of movement and humour. Her portrayal of the characters is free and loose. Her hand-drawn watercolour technique combines well with the handwritten wording in-between the animal drawings. The result is light-hearted and will make for a delightful picture book.