Andy Marshall Illustrator

Andy Marshall Illustrator I’m a South Australian artist, podcaster, farmer’s husband and dad, 100% human biologics.

I get excited by weird animals, creative people and patterns in nature, exploring how uncommon animals and artists move from surviving to thriving.

Just sold this large Coconut Crab sticker to the USA.When people see the sticker size they often think it is huge, and a...
12/08/2026

Just sold this large Coconut Crab sticker to the USA.

When people see the sticker size they often think it is huge, and at 21.6 cm wide by 9.4 cm tall, it definitely makes a statement on a laptop, toolbox, car window or sketchbook.

The funny thing is that compared to a real Coconut Crab, it is still tiny.

The Coconut Crab can grow to a leg span of around 90 cm and weigh up to 4 kg, making it the largest land living arthropod on Earth. If one of these giants wandered across your path, this sticker would look more like a name tag than a life sized portrait.

Another uncommon animal making its way out into the world, one sticker at a time.

10/08/2026

The benefits of life experience Fork in the Road Podcast

There is an old saying that you become the sum of the people you spend the most time with. I am not sure if it is five p...
10/08/2026

There is an old saying that you become the sum of the people you spend the most time with. I am not sure if it is five people, ten people, or twenty. The number changes depending on who is selling the self improvement course. What I do know is that we are shaped by what surrounds us. If that is true, then I reckon I am doing pretty well.

I spend my days with my wife who cares deeply about the land, two kids who still see wonder in small things, and a collection of animals who remind me daily that the world is far stranger, fun and more interesting than most people realise. That seems like good company to keep.

Ramping Up – My Visual Dream JournalThe shark patiently waits because it understands something the surgeons don’t. It kn...
09/08/2026

Ramping Up – My Visual Dream Journal

The shark patiently waits because it understands something the surgeons don’t. It knows that every struggle eventually ends, every emergency eventually becomes stillness. The shark isn’t the villain. It’s the only thing that’s at peace with reality. The doctors are fighting the tide, fighting nature, fighting mortality itself. The patient lies suspended between worlds. Sometimes the most terrifying thing in a dream isn’t the monster. It’s the creature that doesn’t need to chase you because it already knows where you’re headed.

The Only Smart Way to Spend Lottery Money (If You’re an Artist)Time to make art without squeezing it into the cracks of ...
08/08/2026

The Only Smart Way to Spend Lottery Money (If You’re an Artist)

Time to make art without squeezing it into the cracks of exhaustion. Time to explore ideas that don’t have an immediate ROI. Time to fail gloriously in peace.

Which brings me to my latest dream journal artwork mug: Free Hugs — where I’ve befriended a Komodo dragon. Yes, a real life dragon. The kind of creature that could absolutely ruin your day… and yet in my dream world, we’re just there, hugging it out like two old war buddies who’ve seen some stuff.

This image didn’t come from logic. It came from the part of the brain that exists before capitalism, before productivity apps, before the phrase “monetise your passion” sucked all the magic out of creativity. It came from the same place your best ideas come from, the place that doesn’t care about permission.

If I won the lottery, the first thing I’d do is laugh. Not because I’m rich, but because the universe finally decided to slip me a cheat code instead of another side quest. Then I’d probably cry. Then I’d make a coffee. Then, and this is the important part, I wouldn’t run off to buy yachts, Lambos, or some soulless beige mansion with nine bathrooms and no soul. I’d buy something far more radical: time. Money helps, obviously. Anyone telling you otherwise is either rich already or selling something. Money can buy you tools, time, courses, space, freedom from the constant low-level panic of “how am I paying for this month’s groceries?” But money can’t guarantee success. It can’t guarantee happiness. And it definitely can’t guarantee that you’ll actually sit down and do the work.

There are broke artists who create relentlessly and wealthy people who haven’t created anything since their last midlife crisis haircut.

The myth of the starving artist is romantic nonsense, usually written by people who’ve never had to choose between paying rent and buying paint. Poverty doesn’t make better art. It just makes everything harder. But money alone doesn’t make thriving artists either. What does? Investment, intentional, ruthless, self-directed investment, in your skills, your tools, and your time.

We often hear that “comfort is the killer of creativity,” and there’s some truth to that. When we’re too cosy, we tend t...
05/08/2026

We often hear that “comfort is the killer of creativity,” and there’s some truth to that. When we’re too cosy, we tend to stick to what’s safe and familiar. Creativity, on the other hand, thrives in uncharted territory, where uncertainty and discomfort push us to explore new ideas. So why not snuggle up with an uncomfortable coconut crab pillow and embrace the unexpected? Sure, it might not be the typical choice for a pillow design, but that’s exactly why it’s so perfect.

This piece holds a special place in my heart not only because it’s an incredible uncommon animal, but also due to the un...
04/08/2026

This piece holds a special place in my heart not only because it’s an incredible uncommon animal, but also due to the unique challenges it presented. Coconut crabs are the largest terrestrial arthropods in the world, reaching up to three feet in length from leg tip to leg tip. Their incredible size and strength are awe-inspiring; they can even crack open coconuts with their powerful claws. When illustrating this magnificent creature for my children’s book, I aimed to convey its massive size in a way that would captivate young readers.

However, capturing the sheer scale of the coconut crab proved to be quite a task. I found myself struggling to fit this enormous animal within the confines of a single page. After much trial and error, I decided to have the crab’s outer legs extend off the page, creating the illusion that it was too large to be contained within the book’s margins. This technique not only emphasises their impressive size but also adds a dynamic and engaging element to the illustration. In the book, the legs continue onto the next page, and keep going underneath the text.

Small actions repeated often rarely look impressive in the moment. Yet they are usually the difference between unfinishe...
03/08/2026

Small actions repeated often rarely look impressive in the moment. Yet they are usually the difference between unfinished dreams and completed work.

A page from Motivate Man, a kids book I created by consistently chipping away at it in the tiny gaps in my free time. Co...
03/08/2026

A page from Motivate Man, a kids book I created by consistently chipping away at it in the tiny gaps in my free time.

Consistency is one of those things that sounds simple until you try to build a life around it.

Most people wear multiple hats. There is work, family, responsibilities, unexpected problems and somewhere in the middle of it all sits the thing that matters deeply to you. The book you want to write. The art you want to create. The business you want to build. The dream that keeps tapping you on the shoulder.

The challenge is rarely a lack of desire. More often, it is a lack of energy, focus and systems. By the time a pocket of free time appears, the temptation is to scroll, procrastinate or simply do nothing at all.

Over time I have realised that consistency is less about motivation and more about a handful of simple habits.

The first is getting my head right. A few minutes of quiet reflection, meditation or simply sitting still can clear the mental clutter that accumulates throughout the day. Creativity struggles to grow in a mind crowded with noise.

The second is having a plan. Free time is too valuable to spend deciding what to do. Knowing the next step before the opportunity arrives removes friction and makes it easier to begin.

The third is starting before thinking. The longer we negotiate with ourselves, the harder the task becomes. Opening the sketchbook, writing the first sentence or making the first mark creates momentum. Action has a way of generating its own motivation.

Another habit that helps is creating before consuming. Social media, news and endless scrolling can quietly drain the energy needed for meaningful work. The ideas of other people are always waiting. Your own ideas need protecting. Creating first and consuming later helps keep that balance in check.

Most of these lessons came from paying attention. Looking honestly at where time was going. Noticing which habits supported creativity and which habits slowly stole it. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to build an environment where showing up becomes easier.

Back in for another dose of nature with the girls at Bowman Park near Crystal Brook. Maybe this nature thing is actually...
01/08/2026

Back in for another dose of nature with the girls at Bowman Park near Crystal Brook. Maybe this nature thing is actually working for all of us. Tired legs, muddy shoes, memories being trained to find our way back along unfamiliar tracks, and that strange feeling of becoming part of a place instead of just passing through it. Then there’s the adrenaline rush of nearly stepping on a stumpy tailed lizard soaking up the winter sun, reminding us that the bush is never really empty. It’s just quietly waiting.

And if the lizards are out, there’s always the chance our old friend the eastern brown snake might be doing the same. Nature has a funny way of making you feel completely alive and deeply connected, while also reminding you that you’re only one small animal wandering through a much bigger ecosystem. It can heal you, surprise you, scare you, and it can kill you just as easily. Nice sunny day though.

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