Celia Allison (born 1958) is a New Zealand illustrator, best known for creating the character Cecily.

Early life

Born in North Canterbury in 1958, Allison attended boarding school from the age of 10.

Education

Allison has a Bachelor of Science from

Otago University The University of Otago () is a public research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in Oceania. The university was created by ...

and a diploma in Visual Communication Design from

Wellington Polytechnic Massey University () is a public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand shows that in 2024 ...

. Following her graduation Allison worked in illustration and graphic design in Wellington and in London. In 1988 Allison 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 its own. The cartoon character was Cecily.

Career

After graduating from Wellington Polytechnic, she worked "in illustration and graphic design in Wellington and in London". Since the late 1990s, Allison has been drawing the cartoon character of Cecily. She was inspired to create Cecily as a "representation of womanhood in New Zealand cartooning, which we didn’t have". Cecily first appeared in ''Next'' magazine, and has since appeared on a range of merchandise. From 2017, Cecily was syndicated in the American satirical magazine '' Funny Times''. She also creates the stationery range Moa Revival, and was a contributor to ''Three Words: An Anthology of Aotearoa/NZ Women's Comics''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Celia 1958 births Living people New Zealand illustrators New Zealand women illustrators New Zealand comics artists New Zealand female comics artists