The Curious Explorer’s Illustrated Pocket Companion to Exotic Animals A-Z’ – a book and A-Z illustration project by Marc Martin
Melbourne illustrator Marc Martin is a quiet achiever. He created this incredible collection of bold and beautiful A-Z illustrations for a very special self initiated project – a little book entitled ‘The Curious Explorer’s Illustrated Pocket Companion to Exotic Animals A-Z’. It is TRULY so exquisite – though the book itself is rather little(!) – so if you REALLY want to admire Marc’s amazing animal illustrations, you should definitely pop over to the online shop and nab a limited edition A4 giclee print! Beautifully printed in vibrant colours, they’re a steal (most are $50!) – and such perfect painterly pieces for any little person’s bedroom!
Marc would also love to give you opportunity to WIN one limited edition print (of your choice!) and a copy of his sweet little book!
FIRST please share the love by visiting Marc’s website and having a browse through the full collection of prints!
THEN pop back here, and leave a comment letting us know your FAVOURITE illustrated exotic animal.
A winner will be selected at random and notified by email tomorrow. How lovely! Thanks Marc!
I asked Marc a few questions about this beautiful little project -
What inspired you to create the ‘Curious Explorers’ book?
The idea behind the book was to do a bit of a world safari of animals. I like the ‘old world’ idea of bizarre, unknown creatures in far away lands, when people weren’t very familiar with a lot of animals and the notion of the ‘exotic’ was still new. I drew a lot of inspiration from old books on flora and fauna – Ernst Haeckel’s ‘Art forms in Nature’ is a big influence, as are my illustration heros Eric Carle, Charley Harper and Bruno Munari.
How long have you been working on this project?
The idea for this project started over a year ago when my lovely partner Skye and I were traveling overseas. I did a lot of drawings whilst we travelled, and some of those drawings (especially the drawings of Borneo and Indonesia) somehow developed into this book. The feedback from the first book I did (A Forest) was really positive, so I knew that there was an opportunity to carry that momentum through to another book.
Which is your favourite print!?
Hmm, I think the Loris is probably my favourite – I love their big eyes. I actually spend way too much time on Youtube looking at videos of them!
L is for Loris – illustration by Marc Martin
What is next for Marc Martin?
I’ve got another, larger book coming out later this year through Erm Books, which is really exciting. It will probably be more of an artist book rather than a narrative or conceptual based work, so I’m looking forward to cutting loose and doing something really amazing. That should also coincide with a show in September at Lamington Drive, so it’s going to be a busy few months leading up to that!
And for all the animal lovers, there’s also an A-Z poster due for release in a couple of months, and more animals added to my webstore.
AND, most importantly, a friend and I are teaming up to form a new studio – LANZ+MARTIN. We’ve just finished an identity for Perimeter Books in Thornbury, and we’re on the lookout for new creative clients to work with!
The Curious Explorer’s Illustrated Pocket Companion to Exotic Animals is, as the name suggests, perfectly ‘pocket-sized’ and assembled by hand, with a soft cover. What would be AMAZING, I reckon… is for this beautiful project to be published properly, with a beautiful hard cover… and distributed to all the best book shops in the land! Now I KNOW there are some clever publishing people reading… if Marc’s stunning work has struck a chord with you today, he would love to hear from you! That’s all I’m SAYING.
X is for X-Ray fish – illustration by Marc Martin
W is for Walrus – illustration by Marc Martin
WOW. these are gorgeous! I love them all…they’re all really cool in different ways. I’d have to say the hippo is my favorite because of the color scheme :)
what beautiful work! I think the walrus would have to be my favourite…
Choosing my favourite animal is difficult… But I’d have to say the hippo. I love hippos. I always think about a book that I read when I was a child when I think of hippos.
Totally gorgeous! Another very talented person.
Love the hippo.
The Jellyfish and the Owl are my favorite. I love the colours used for both.
man I love that ibex. The angles on the mountains and then the curve on the horns… brilliant.
Thanks for introducing me to this. I absolutely have to buy this book now.
Wow – so hard to decide, but I think the quetzal, followed closely by the walrus. Amazingly good.
These are beautiful! I love the jellyfish! Stunning.
I LOVE the kangaroo print!
The book looks amazing. We seem to collect alphabet books in our house so this will be a super addition to our collection.
Thank you!!
My favorite is the zebra, I think they are really cute.
I am loving the turtle – and I would adore to be able to give the book to my beautiful little grandson who is to turn 1 soon, imagine learning about animals and colour in such a beautiful way, he will never forget his first journey inside your beautifully illustrated book.
I love the yellow-tailed cockatoos! I hear these birds fly over my house quite often and the noise they make is beautiful. When I hear them, I rush outside to watch them fly over. This print helps me to hear that gorgeous noise!
Thanks for introducing me to the work of this wonderful artist. I can’t go past the Bird of Paradise print, though the Tassie Devil is certainly not without his charms
I love the hippo and his hungry mouth!
The seadragon. He’s so graphic and clean, and evokes the calmness, and gentleness these creatures have in real life!
the moodiness, mystery and the elegant movement of the Jellyfish illustration is the one for me (please)
I love the redback spider! everything about that illustration is amazing!
The hippo is very cute, this would have to be my favourite
seriously fond of the Ibex – the composition and light was very dug by me ;)
Marc Martin’s work is truly inspiring. All of his art work evokes a sense of joy and beauty for each animal he has drawn. To choose a favourite is difficult but it would have be the red-back spider.From a distance it appears to me to be a beautiful red hot air balloon.What a wonderful way to showcase the arachnid.
This takes me back to the wonderful illustration books of my own childhood…very wonderful! love the bird of paradise!
I woke up this morning thinking about my job for today… to find a pressie for my best friends new baby. Ahh, Marc what inspiration!!! I’m very competitive and I always like to give the best presents!! I love your work. The ‘Chameleon’ would be my choice, I like their nature and the many characteristics they possess.
Was too hard to pic a fave! Id go for the print with the whole alphabet. Perfect for a nursery!
What an amazing collection, both for animal lovers and lovers of fine art! It’s no easy pick but the Armadillo is my favourite and would be amazing in my girlee’s jungle room with her zebra hanging, owl stencils and elephant mobile!
I am mildly obsessed with flamingos, so that print is my favourite. Love the work- a modern day Charley Harper.
Love them all..but i think my favorite is the owl.
I really love Kangaroo illustration. Beautiful colors and It’s really Australia!!! ^_^
Loving the flamingo! Gorgeous work.
Wow that was hard! But if I’ve got to just pick one, I am totally in love with the Bird of Paradise print… it is absolutely adorable and I love the colours and tones. Amazing!
The Walrus is to die for!!
My favourite is the butterfly!
L is for Loris – too cute !!
Awsome work. If I had to choose, my favourite would have to be the X-Ray fish.
Absolutely beautiful illustrations. The Hippo is a fine chap. he would be my choice.
The yellow tailed cockatoo is a delight.
oooh. it’s definitely a toss up between the owl and the jellyfish.. stunning illustrations. nice work marc.
they are marvellous! am lovin’ the red back
Gorgeous! My favourite is the owl but that’s because there isn’t a Giraffe one :)
But honestly I love them all. The fish come a very close second.
What amazing artwork! love them all. my 2 year old loves the fish, who am I to argue..
I absolutely love the ‘birds of paradise’ illustration! the colour palette, textures and overall composition is just fantastic! i have recently been looking at Marc Martins illustrations as inspiration for a drawing project of my own. I do Textile Design at RMIT. He is such a talented illustrator. I love them all!
I love the gorgeous owl!
I love the hippo – it’s a wonderful vision that marc captures
I love all of them!
So hard to chose one favourite.
They would be a perfect addition to my son’s new bedroom!
Congratulations Marc on such amazing work.I really enjoyed the co our and detail in all of the animals. My favorite though like you would have to be the Loris.
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
I’m having trouble choosing….. the Bird of Paradise, or the (Leafy) Sea Dragon. Gorgeous! But then, there is the Vampire Bats, and the Owl…. and the fish. My son thinks they are great as well. Keep it up! Great work.
What a great book full of wonderful illustrations! I LOVE his Graphic style, all the animals are pretty amazing but I would have to vote the X-Ray fish as my favourite though. Wishing Marc all the best with the book and future projects!
This is such a beautifully illustrated book! I just want to decorate my house with every image from it…but if I have to choose it would be either the chamelion or the sea dragon. Can’t wait for an occasion to buy them all!
It’s hard to choose – I love the facial expressions captured in all the animals. But my favourite would be the owl…beautiful colours used!
The Ibex, the tassie devil was tempering but the Ibex is the winner for me!
The flowing, intertwining Electric eels caught my eye….just beautiful.
Marc’s book is now on my wish list. Thanks for the introduction to his art… what beautiful work! I love the Loris.
xxx
Beautiful work Marc! I love the Loris. I can just imagine it saying “who me?” ha ha
so delightful. my fav would be the jellyfish
decorating the nursery for my little one now and have been on the hunt for beautiful prints…I would have said the HIPPO, but the ZEBRAs caught my eye just as I was about to click on comments…so, if I don’t win this giveaway, I’ll have to buy that print I think!
Thank you for such a lovely giveaway – and congratulations to Marc on such a treasurable book! x
I agree that a hard copy edition should definitely become reality, I admire the kangaroo and the yellow tail black cockatoo. I would love a compedium of these llustrated books; An Australia specific edtion, insect specific, endangered species specific. Your work is inspiring, thankyou.
they are all so beautiful, but I loved the Zebra one!
All wonderful but especially love the Macaws.
Gorgeous!
I love Work/Life 2
The zebra is my favourite. Although an A-Z poster with them all on it would be amazing.
Wow, so beautiful! I love the owl and the narwhal.
The bird of paradise wowed me, very pretty.
Definitely the flamingo! Gorgeous :)
good morning miss lucy…after MUCH deliberation (you know i don’t say that lightly) i think my fave is the Zebras. It’s black, white and yellow after all! Seriously good stuff. nxxx
I love the Hippo because it has a huge mouth! The colour scheme goes with the nursery for our little one due in 2 weeks!
Oooh I agree with Marc, the Loris is so captivating!
I LOVE the Birds of pardise. After having just watched the Planet Earth series and watching these amazingly decorative birds try to woo their females with their plumage and dance. This one Marc has illustrated is such a beautiful creature! x
I love the Ibex, with the hard edges against the curve of the horns. And the colours are beautiful!
Henry, my little boy, would just love to share his room with some beautiful black cockatoos!
its got to be the hippo. gorgeous!
Marc’s Hippo is most def my fave! Such amazing colours and the lines oh, stunning!
Definitely the Quetzal. Who knew such a thing existed? And so beautiful.
F for Flamingo = FABULOUS!
The cheeky Panda! :)
jellyfish! definitely the jellyfish!
Love the Dodo! In fact, love them all! But the dodo stood out due to Mauritian family ties. Just beautiful.
Kangaroo came close, but Loris wins out!
It’s interesting what an even spread of favourites there is in the comments. Guess it proves that the images are all really strong and appealing.
I too would love to see an all-Australian version.
I love the macaw.beautiful colours
Love the work. There is a feeling of steadiness. My favourite is the sea dragon. So glad you havn’t put clothes on the animals.
Congratulations.
VAMPIRE BAT!
Wow, a zoologist’s dream! I love them all. But the Ibex is my favourite – I love how much it seems to be enjoying the precipice on top of the world!
Wow, really hard to choose but I think I’d have to go for the narwhal for its gentle colour scheme and Japanese-ink-painting-type background. Closely followed by the cockatoos. Beautiful work, Marc.
ooooh that quetzal is gorgeous!
I love the high contrast and graphic of the Zebra, very inspiring!
they are all amazing illustrations! it’s a simply gorgeous collection by marc! the colours and animals are wonderful!
it was so hard to chose a favourite but the kangaroo is adorable and i love the hippo too!
really striking illustrations using beautiful colours.
the x-ray fish i like most!
My one year old loves birds, so I would pick the Quetzal or the Cockatoos for his room. Love them!
love the colour palette!!! and the hippo. just gorgeous.
The Quetzal is my favourite.
They are all so beautiful, Marc. My favourite, though, is the macaws. Such beautiful colours, and the design is simple, stylish and elegant.
Ohh such a spendid feast for the eye’s, too hard a decision to choose just one. I love them all, the colours are soo alluring and bold. Very appealing!
I love the bird of paradise. Wonderful colours and it makes me smile.
Thank you.
Wow, seriously cute prints! My fave is the kangaroo one, love the colours, iconic I think.
I have a fascination for butterflies and a softness for hippos…but butterfly it is as a symbolic reminder for me. Stunning.
I think the chameleon is my favourite, but the sea dragon is a close second. Looks like a typographer’s fantasy.
Beautiful work. They are all amazing but the Zebra is my favourite.
Love those zebras, and having a gorgeous print is a much better idea than a zebra-skin rug!
My 4 year old Owl obsessed Son loves the Owl print. I loved the jellyfish, they are all so beautiful!
It is so hard to choose. I could easily have anyone of half a dozen hanging on the walls, but my favourite has to be the owl (for subject and colour scheme).
I love the form of the bird of paradise and the blue, green and charcoal tones.
Beautiful -all of it.
The Flamingo would be very welcomed to live on my walls!
I love the way they appeal to children and adults. They’re very Charley Harper with a fresh new Australian approach. I love LORIS!
my son squealed at the cheeky hippo and I love the zebras and the xray fish.
What beautiful, sensitive images. They’re all gorgeous but the Owl is super striking. Very impressive :)
The slow moving Loris is the most amazing animal and Marc’s drawing captures the creature perfectly. I had the same expression as the Loris when I checked out his website, completely struck by the beauty and simplicity of the illustrations
Ahh they’re all so gorgeous but it’s the zebra for me!
the hippo makes me smile,
it makes you want to make hippo noises at it!
Hard to decide but the flamingo’s win! Just beautiful work.
Stunners, all of them. I am a fan of the Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo. There are flocks of the birds in the national park near where I live and the cry of one gives me goosebumps. Haunting, yet exciting to know you’re so near to one.
soo gorgeous, i love the Zebras
The quetzal is my top choice. So regal.
What beautiful and vibrant illustrations. That fabulous green chameleon with his long tongue nabbing some food. Fantastic!
DEFINITLY MY FAVORITE IS THE O for OWL!!!! This work is fantastic it make the adults come back to childhood, creating imaginary escenarios for life!!! This is fantastic and I will love to have one of this beautiful piece of art in my home!!
all of them are so gorgeous and would look great in the nursery…..love the hippo most x
These are amazing, and my favourite is definitely the Narwhals in their whirlpool. Have always wanted to see one for myself!
jellyfish and narwhal are simply beautiful!
Wow! Truly amazing illustrations. I’m drooling over the owl!
I am absolutely in love with these prints! What a talented artist they are incredible. Regardless of whether I win or not I will definitely be buying the book for my son I can’t imagine a more gorgeous book for him to look at (he’s only 6 months old so can’t read yet!). I would have to say I love the bird of paradise but I am sure my little boy would love the hippo!
Sooooo beautiful and very hard to choose just one.
The HIPPO has my heart though, with its gorgeous colours and lines. The book is wonderful & Marc has such a refreshing style & technique . . . reminiscent of early 20th century poster art which I adore !
A worthy successor to Charley Harper! Love the zebras and flamingo.
The kangaroo and the flamingo I think are the best. The whole art style is pretty fantastic though, great work.
They are all so beautiful, so hard to choose! Although I was inspired by Marc to look up the loris on You Tube … I understand his captivation, I think it’s the owl who’s caught my eye… or who’s watching me?!?!
They are all so georgeous it’s hard to pick!
The jellyfish are amazing but I think the Owl is my favourite.
Giant Galapogas Tortoise is my fav, and now I have a new fav site for children’s presents!!
Cant go past the HIPPO!!! Beautiful…
it’s got to be the zebra’s! how sweet are they?! love love them xx
What gorgeous illustrations! I like the sea dragon the best – I love the way all the leafy bits just float off its body. A beautifully bizarre animal!
These are beautiful! I love the jellyfish most.
i just love the spider and the hippo. beautiful work and a great website too. x
macaw! macaw! amazing :D
Love that fancy flamingo! so vibrant!
N is for Noah who is for Narwhals!
I love the Loris as well, but the symmetry and yin/yang of the Narwhals really drew my eye.
It’s gotta be the yellow-tailed black cockatoos. They are gorgeous and what a nice change from the usual Y for yak.
Just cant get past that owl!
My little boy and I love the Quetzal – we have purchased the book, so we can now share some beautiful and exotic adventures. Thank you Marc
Ohh how beautiful! The Tassie Devil is my favourite – the blues, pink, black and white are all stunning together and Tassie is an amazing place x
My favourite is the hippo, so sweet. But love them all!
Quetzal is my favourite I love the beautiful green shades Marc has employed for this illustration and the Quetzal reminds me of a positive lifechanging experience I had in Mexico City.
The book is fantastic, I think all of Marcs illustrations are just fabulous.
The hippo is just gorgeous … my son Ethan would just love looking into that big pink mouth and deciding what the hippo has eaten today. Your illustrations are beautiful … I would be so lucky to hang one in our house … maybe I’ll be adding one or perhaps 2 or 3 or …. to my Christmas list.
flamingo flamingo flamingo….love them all really…..
Love them! Decorating my soon to be baby Olive’s room been looking for prints. Particularly
love the hippo & the tortoise.
So hard to choose… I think the bird of paradise.
Love the flamingo, for both the shape and colours. Though the collage for the cover is fantastic too.
They’re all magical, but the Ibex atop a cliff is as cute as a button!
These are all just beautiful! My fav would have to be the flamingo- my mum has a special attachment to them after visiting the enormous flamingo enclosure at the San Diego zoo during her younger, backpacking years which has since been transferred down to me. Everytime I see one I think of her! Might have to get one of the books for mother’s day I think.
I would have to say that the armadillo has such a wonderful sense of movement that it is my favourite. Although the Pollock-esque sea-horse is also rather fab! I know a little niece of mine who will be getting the armadillo from her website as it is A for Anna
Tough choice between the gorgeous black cockatoos and the tassie devil but I think I have to go with the beautiful illustration of the misunderstood, angry little man…..Mr Tassie Devil.
These are stunning! Great work :)
What amazing illustrations, thanks Lucy! The Flamingo has to be my favourite!
The Giant Galapagos tortoise is my favourite! Marc has perfectly captured the slightly tucked under lips!
B for the wonderfully plump Birds of paradise! Hippo, Loris, Quetzal and the happy Narwhals are extra adorable too. Best wishes for a publisher to pop up, there are many here (waves!) who would be pleased to own the gorgeous prints in hardback.
Such beautiful illustrations!
The Narwhal would have to be my favourite.
I want them all – Marc is so very talented! Reminds me of being little again and being taken away by the wonder of the illustrated world through books Hungry Caterpillar style. I have finally settled on the Hippo and Flamingo as my favourites – to be framed side by side in my new kiddies room! Well done Marc, lovin’ your stuff. Good find, Lucy! A
These are absolutely stunning!! I have a soft spot for so many, especially the sea dragon
wow! these are just gorgeous :) I really like the flamingo, the hippo and the seal, hard to choose. I’d say the flamingo is my fave. Thanks for sharing this with us.
I love the mountain goat. It’s really refreshing to see fun, colourful prints that would work in my 5 yr old boys room… I’ve found them hard to come by!
oooh… how can i pick just one….. ummmm… ahhhhh….. ok Loris.
No wait….. flamingo.
Hang on…. hippo.
But Loris is soooo cute.
Too gorgeous, too hard to choose
An Aussie animal it would have to be should I be the lucky one!
Love the Redback, the Devil and I think the Roo is my emotional favourite,
BUT I can’t ever go past a Yellow Tailed Black.
Have you ever noticed they look like they are flying in slow motion?
Oh my gosh how can you possibly choose one!! Love them all but if I had to choose it would be the Zebras! (the flamingo, sea dragon and the owl also blow my mind)! All are amazing!!
My niece turns one in July- I can post the book, but keep the poster! She’ll never know, she’s in California! xxxxx
They are all beautiful, but the flamingo is my pick.
lovely stuff … especially the flamingo
I must say — there’s two. I love the armadillo & zebra. Such nice work.
i can’t decide between the zebra and ibex!!
Wow, stunning illustrations! I had trouble finding this part of the web site to leave a message. The owl and narwhal are my favorite! I love these animal illustrations!
The Zebra is amazing!!! Love the colours and your style. Its awesome!! Thank you Marc Martin!
I was so hard to decide! Each illustration is so beautiful. My favourite is the Zebra – I love the yellow used in the sky.
Its so hard to pick just one! But I think the pandas win my vote!
If I had to choose I’d pick the flamingo! Beautiful work!
Oh me oh my!!! They are all so gorgeous and delicious! but my exotic tendancies lean towards the beautiful macaw!!! Very hard to choose a favourite! x x x
They are all great, but I love the walrus best.
The dodo – so cute!
Oh my word, how do I choose between the hippo, panda or zebra…eeni, meeni, mo – it’s gonna be the hippo. Too cute!
the spider is soooo awesome!
I am the Loris! Have you ever seen such gorgeous eyes peering out of the dark???
wow! what lovely art. hard to choose a favourite but the galapagos tortoise has me hooked. x
oOoh i love P is for Panda!! Sooo cute!! bx
♥ vampire bat…
Oh, it’s impossible to choose only one! It’s hard to go past a chameleon, but those jellyfish! That kangaroo! The black cockatoos are also pretty spectacular. I’d like to live with them for a while before deciding :)
oh man – HOW does one even BEGIN to choose…….. but if forced I would say I rather love the Sea Dragon print……. and all the others are my equal favourites!!
The loris is so lovely!
Loving many ~ but that Dodo is a keeper!
Totally buying this for my partner’s niece – she loves it when her Uncle makes animal noises and I will get a great laugh out of watching him try to imitate all the animals in this book! The illustrations are amazing. As for a favourite? Very tough call, but I would have to say the Zebras. I love the colour palette. Well done Marc, beautiful piece of work!
Haha! What a beautiful book!
I’ve just finished admiring the mating dance of a Supreme Bird of Paradise on BBC’s Earth with my partners six year old son. I’m off to get a copy of this book post haste because I know he (me) will love it!
The bird of paradise is exquisite. Colourful, playful, and a little bit abstract and mod. Please please please can I have it for my living room wall?
How can one possibly pick a favorite!? They are all such wonderful, painterly, colourful, textural pieces. Clearly a lot of hard work!! But I do love the Ibex.
Oh so hard! The Jellyfish are my top pic but the Narwhals are a very close second. Thankyou for finding this, my niece is going to get a nice surprise on her birthday when i buy it for her :)
The x-ray fishes just rock!! In shapes and colour!! Love them!! :-)
all look great but Loris wins
Love the seadragon, it just jumps out at you!
Ah, the entire book is great, but my fave would have to be the Zebra’s!
I really like the blue bird of paradise – it is a standout and really fits with the character and uniqueness of this amazine bird which I really respect out of the many exotic birds – the bird of paradise is stylish and uniquen with his amazing dance formation and exiqusite feathers – beautiful work!.
What a beautiful book. I particularly like the macaws, they are drawn so well and the colours are amazing.
Oooh I’m definitely feeling ‘Quetzal’.
The colours are so modern in all of them though, I’d love to order have a 1x2m print!
Beautiful prints! I like Sea Dragon.
The sea dragon is spectacular!
I am so enamored of/with this work. It makes me feel like I am a child again staring at the Australian 10c piece in my small hand wondering what on earth I was looking at. As a NZer I thought the lyrebird was an amazing, otherworldly, feathery instrument. I could see how my little niece and nephew might draw equally poetic interpretations from your images – they are just so stunning. Congratulations and best wishes with you quest for a publisher. The owl is my favourite … he’s small and quiet too.
Oh how delightful are his illustrations….I love the Bird of Paradise one – I love them all but that is my favourite
I have a soft spot for eels and love the curvature of the entwined pair in your illustration. You’ve also beautifully captured their habit of appearing abruptly from their hiding spots, to often startling effect…
I’m happily reminded by the textures in your illustrations of my favourite Lionni books from childhood; Swimmy and Fish is Fish. I have recently introduced my young son to these enchanting works and would relish adding yours to his library.
The vampire bats have so much motion, almost free-falling and plunging towards you. I think they are the ones for me.
I love the pandas! They just keep staring at me. The hippo is also equally awesome.
Beautiful images!
The sea dragon is fantastic! The representation of their fins is beautiful.