This project was part of the I Love Where I Live campaign in Kerowagi, Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea—a collaboration between Big hART and Plan International. Using community arts processes, creative activities, and public events, the project created a space for meaningful conversations about community health and well-being.

My role involved working with illustrations by local children, healthcare workers, and artists to develop a range of creative materials, including coloring templates for a community colourathon, postcards, a healthcare worker toolkit, and a three-minute animated music video.

I found the children’s illustrations from PNG to be wildly compelling. Their drawings spoke boldly of the world they see and their place within it—depicting thatched huts, lush plants, the community in traditional dress, and local animals, all framed with humor, rich detail, ornamentation, and the wonderful wobbliness of children’s art. When digitising these illustrations for the coloring templates, my goal was to preserve their essence rather than smoothing them out through an adult lens.

For the animated music video, my aim was to honor the creativity of the participants while capturing their humour and deep connection to place. To reflect the warmth of the community, I used an earthy yet vibrant color palette, digitally painting with textas and watercolor brushes to evoke a hand-colored feel. Playful, humorous details were woven throughout to match the spirit of the locally written, mixed, and mastered song. The result is a joyful, dynamic reflection of one community’s love for the place they call home.

This four-minute music video brings together vibrant drawings by local children, healthcare workers, and artists from Kerowagi, Papua New Guinea. To unify the individual illustrations, I used a bold yet earthy palette with rich textures, creating a visually cohesive style. The result is a celebration of place and community togetherness

“This was like an inspiration…when I view the animation, I think that I must live in this kind of world. I sometimes reject my place or home, and see the bad things about my place. I must reflect on my life and my place, and look after my place and change my life.”

Young person, Kerowagi

The Colourathon was created to bring the local community and healthcare workers together for meaningful conversations about health and well-being. To support this, I digitised a diverse collection of children’s illustrations, arranging them into fun and engaging coloring templates that encouraged creativity and connection.

The poscard (below) was created to encourage additional  community conversation. It features illustrations by local children, which I painted with digital watercolours.

The toolkit (below) builds on the success of the ‘I Love Where I Live’ campaign, providing a solid and practical framework for other organisations in Papua New Guinea to develop and deliver similar community-driven initiatives.