JOANNE CARMICHAEL

Joanne is a mixed-media artist and the creator of the original idea for and characters from Lily’s Driftwood Bay.

It all began in 2007 on the Isle of Arran, with a cottage not much bigger than a beach hut and a compulsion to fill it with flotsam and jetsam, pottery, sea-glass and driftwood. She soon spied the potential to create a whole new world from all the things she was finding: a big red boat, sea-glass sea, a dancing stag, a skateboarding Granny dog, a chicken created from the bottom of a washed-up teacup all began emerging from the beaches of Arran… and that was just the beginning.

With no background in animation, she imagined a storyline of an island girl called Lily setting off on adventures with treasures washed ashore for her by the waves. Amazingly, a TV company seemed to like it – and developed it with her.

After working on series one as creative consultant, she is now studying graphic design and illustration while working on new ideas for TV shows and picture books. She is a founder member of Children’s Media Network Scotland and still likes to do her bit to keep the beaches clean, which the local seabirds are very happy about.

• LILY'S DRIFTWOOD BAY

• Children's and Animation