in profile: celia allinson

"Celia Allison is the creator of Cecily. She grew up in rural Canterbury, and attended school in Timaru and Christchurch. After leaving school Celia gained a Bachelor of Science from Otago University. It was at this point that her left brain took over from her right and she moved North to Wellington to complete a Diploma in Visual Communication Design, in illustration and graphic design, at Wellington Polytechnic. Following her graduation Celia worked in illustration and graphic design in Wellington and in London. In 1988 Celia returned from Europe and started Moa Revival, a stationery company producing products with a notable emphasis on Kiwiana. In the late 1990s a cartoon about a single woman living alone began to take shape; by 2000 this hobby had gained enough attention to demand an audience of it's own."

"The cartoon character was, of course, Cecily. What you see here is the culmination of many hours at the drawing-board following a great many more hours spent talking, laughing and drinking with friends. Not that we are suggesting for one minute that Cecily is autobiographical.The bob hair cut, iconic glasses, the years spent as a single woman and enthusiasm for life are just coincidental, right?"

http://www.cecily.co.nz/