@la-fumettista / la-fumettista.tumblr.com
“Hands off public education
Hands off of our health care
Hands off our undocumented neighbors
Hands off trans siblings
Hands off our bodies”
Visit the handsoff2025.com for more information and to find your local protest spot.
And be safe out there!
so, a while ago, you all inspired me to write a little novella about a woman who gets a mail-order alien husband of her own. the writing is in progress now and it's going well, but I decided to jump ahead and get a cover artist working on it, too, so that hopefully both will be ready around the same time.
usually I drop covers only when they're done and the book is good to roll, but I thought you guys might find it interesting to see the design process at work! Theresa Chiechi is a marvelous designer and I've adored all of her work so far. (she did another cover for me that you'll see later in the year.)
Theresa asked me to tell her a little about the book, and I explained the storyline: mail-order husband, but make him an alien with a tragic backstory, and the tone: playful, fun, low stakes and cozy. she handles all the illustration and design herself, so she came back to me with 3 design options and 6 font options.
(yes, this is "book 1" because it will be a duology :)
uh oh, now I have to make choices!! Theresa advised me I could mix and match elements from each design, so I did.
I decided that #3 was a little too plain, and I didn't love the drink being the focal point (even though the alien having his first drink is a big and comical event in the story). #1 was a little too much like the Bubble Babes covers, which is a comp title, so I settled on #2. I really love the doodles on the back—they remind me of when you were a kid and put those glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling.
I asked for the pose from #1, though, to be put into the frame of #2 (it's just so on brand for the story that he's being shy and she's being flirty), and we are likely going with the font from #3.
I'll update this when Theresa comes back with the next version!!
Theresa came back to me with a sketch of the cover based on the feedback I gave her in the first round. she provided two different font options based on what fonts I liked from the first round.
I decided to go with the chunkier font (the first one) because it's a little easier to read with the designs she has planned to go around the frame.
I also requested for his right arm (our left) to be raised instead of his left arm to really show off the fact that he has four arms :) She also added these antennae, which I LOVE, and quickly added to the book! They're so cute, and they betray his emotions even when he doesn't mean them to.
I'm about 10,000 words into the story, and we're looking at maybe a total of 40,000? So I'm excited to have more time to work on that soon!
Now that Theresa and I have agreed on the font and design, it's time for her to head off and do the final artwork.
She was so quick! She came back to me with this.
(If you're wondering why the artwork is bigger than a book cover, that's because she's designing a full paperback wrap, i.e. the front cover, spine, and back cover.)
I loved this, so I ran it past some fellow authors, who all agreed the multitude of colors made it look too childlike. I asked Theresa if we could maybe choose one complementary color and use it for all of the cute doodles she did.
I'm really happy with how this is coming out, and how easily we can transfer the design to the second book.
Theresa is amazing and came back the next day with THREE more options. (Have I said how much I like working with her?)
Personally, I really liked the one that has blue and pink, but in the end, I decided that drawing the reader's eye right to the couple in the middle was what's most important. And the all blue echoes the alien (Roth'kar) skin well, while still being a complementary color, so that's the option I chose.
Theresa's going to come back to me with the final files when the book is finished and we know the exact page count (to get the size of the spine right and make sure everything is centered).
Hope this was fun and educational! She's going to start on book #2 next month.
The People's Union USA is calling for a 24-hour economic blackout. Don't spend money, if you can. If you need to make purchases, only shop with local or small businesses.
"February 28 is a symbolic start to economic resistance, a day where we show corporations and politicians that we control the economy."
I suggest you continue to vote with your money even after today. Money is the only thing big companies, billionaires, and politicians care about, and the working class constantly suffers because of the "profit over people" mentality of our society. It doesn't have to be this way. Please take today to rethink where your money is going and if it's worth continuing to support companies that are actively harming us. (spoiler: it's not!)
New round of designs for my sticker club members to vote on.
This month’s theme is “clowncore”
Which do you like best? Which do design do you think will win? Members have until the 5th to decide!
Hello?? How cute are these!
These are my January sticker and art print postcard designs for my Patreon members.
If you're not part of my monthly sticker club, water you doing? You won't find breader designs than these.
I went rogue with today's Mab's Drawlloween Club drawing.
Instead of following the theme, "alien," (although you could argue that the plot is...out of this world) I decided to create some artwork for Ithaqa.
Ithaqa is a 1920s Lovecraftian horror comic series that I illustrate, written by Michael Watson.
You can read the first two issues for FREE if you sign up for their email list.
Ithaqa will be on Kickstarter towards the end of October, please sign up here to be notified on launch day.
Mab's Drawlloween Club, Day 5: Witch
This is the design my Patreon members are getting this month, to get them in the spooky season spirit.
Join my monthly sticker club before the end of the month to get this sticker 👻 🎃
I might be saying this every month now, but I'm a little obsessed with this month's sticker design for my Patreon sticker club. Spooky summer vibes? Immaculate.
Join before the end of August to get this cute cryptid campfire sticker!
