Leslye Cole is a graphic designer / illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. With a career spanning over eighteen years, her talents have been used by the top advertising agencies, design studios and publishers in Australia and the world. She has illustrated thirteen books, and is the co-author, with John Richardson, of "The Dog Whisperer" & "Whispers of Wisdom" (New Holland Publishers).

Working in various mixed media, Cole's specialties are pencil, watercolour and digital art. A Photoshop expert who can actually draw, many of her renderings are a mix of digital and hand drawn sketch. She works very closely with designers to create photo-real digital illustrations of new concepts for runway shows, special events, and food & packaging

concepts for market research. Her visuals have been used nationally and internationally. Pencil and watercolour are the main mediums Cole uses for finished art illustration. "Anything can look beautiful when it is sketched in pencil. You can create an emotive, sensitive image by playing with the weight and direction of each pencil stroke on the paper. Building up a beautiful monochromatic form with hatch and cross-hatch". . . ."and watercolour has an honesty that can't be ignored, the transparent nature of the paint is so pure. It is a joy to watch the pigmented wash flow and bleed on the paper, sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally."

Cole is proficient in Adobe CS3, has an excellent eye and attention to detail, a finely-tuned understanding of typography, and is an expert with colour - having a keen interest in its psychological effect. Her employment history includes working as an advertising Art Director. This training honed her colour and design talents. She takes great care to create an aesthetic composition with the subject in each visual, painting or sketch.