It was the mood. An ornery one. And so... I wrote a picture book story. Now the healthy thing might have been to confront the source of my angst but nope... I had fuel, I wanted fire...I lit a match.
It’s a story of Stella, a blackwidow spider...dangerous, diabolical, and darned cute! Writing her misadventures into a picture book is a fine balance. If the black humor carries too much darkness the reader builds no empathy for the main character; doesn’t invest in the outcome. Not enough darkness, and there’s no tension to pull the reader in.
So it is in the creation of Stella. Drawing a cute spider was not the challenge. Drawing “Stella” was. She needed to have just the right blend of threat, vulnerability, whackiness and charm in order to be invited into a reader’s acceptance. She is to be feared and loved simultaneously. The first attempts at Stella in clay and sketches were “too cute.”
Once I was satisfied with the body and legs, her face was a matter of sizing and placement of features to create the right look and expression. I kept drawing until she made me laugh and I fell in love. And as with all my characters, I see a bit of me in her, a bit of you. Or should I say, a bite of you. Chomp!~
Invite her in. Could you? Would you?