Robyn Belton was born in 1947. She grew up on a farm at Whangaehu, near Whanganui and went to boarding school at Whanganui from the age of 12. Later she studied at the Canterbury School of Fine Arts where Russell Clark was one of her tutors and began her illustrating work for the School Journal in 1977. With her husband Peter, she lived in Levin and Nelson before moving to Dunedin. Her illustration style has been described as focusing on "the detail of everyday life" and bringing "a whimsical touch”. She has illustrated books by Margaret Mahy and Joy Cowley. With author Jennifer Beck, she has produced titles such as The Bantam and the Soldier and The Anzac Violin which deal sensitively with war-related topics Talking with fellow artist Jenny Cooper, Belton commented that “somehow, unintentionally, we've both become ‘war artists'” and added “I tell myself that I'm being a Peace Warrior and hope like anything that it might do some good."
Awards and residencies
Belton's work has won her numerous prizes and awards. Several of her books have been shortlisted for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration or named as Storylines Notable Books. The Bantam and The Soldier, written by Jennifer Beck and illustrated by Robyn Belton, was New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards 1997 Picture Book Winner and Book of the Year. The Duck in the Gun, an anti-war picture book written by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Robyn Belton, won the Russell Clark Award in 1985 and was later selected as one of ten books for the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Herbert the Brave Sea Dog, based on the true story of a dog lost at sea, was both written and illustrated by Belton and won the 2009 Russell Clark Award. Belton was awarded the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal in 2006 and delivered her speech titled "Gathering Images: The Stories Behind the Pictures". In 2011, she was the recipient of the William Hodges Fellowship. In 2015, Belton and Jennifer Beck shared a joint residency as University of Otago College of Education / Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence. During this time, they worked on The Anzac Violin, based on the story of Alexander Aitken and the Aitken Violin, now on display at Otago Boys' High School. In 2018, she received the inaugural Ignition Children's Book Festival Award in Dunedin for her "sustained and dedicated contribution to children’s literature and illustration over a lifetime of work."
