I have always had this inexplicable interest in monsters and folklore. Many of the monsters we know and love – Dracula, the wolfman, the invisible man, Frankenstein, the Gill man – have either been written as allegories for queerness or adopted by the LGBTQ community because of how much they resonate with the plights of the ostracized, hunted, and condemned creatures. Even before I knew I was queer, they had a hold on me, and clearly, they still do.

I love making my art colorful, often contained within one or two defined ranges of the color wheel. I consistently included easter eggs or subtle details within my more elaborate illustrations. In my piece “Now They See Me,” I have scattered the vanity and characters with a variety of queer flags and symbols. I enjoy exploring both humorous and dramatic sides of stories, as some of my pieces evoke sympathy or passion, while others are more playful and ironic.

In this work, I have pulled from my experiences as a lesbian to embrace the monstrosity projected upon me and many others by heteronormative society, adopting it as a strength. I have given these beloved creatures the outwardly queer narrative and the happy ending they have always deserved. My target audience being young queer people, I decided to convey my message not only through digital illustrations, but more specifically, young adult fantasy book covers for self-invented sapphic stories based on monsters in pop-culture. These illustrations aim to warm the hearts of other queer viewers, evoke joy and pride for one’s identity, and strike a desire for more positive queer representation in literature, film, comics, and art.