Agatha - Short Story Illustrations

In 2023, I wrote a short story called "Agatha," a retelling of Hansel and Gretel from the perspective of the titular witch, Agatha Streusel. In my version, she is portrayed more as a bumbling and misunderstood, sympathetic figure than a villain. For the illustrations of "Agatha," I wanted to figure out a way to convey the essence of these changes.

I wrote the story with a quirky tone, aiming to evoke authors like Roald Dahl or Terry Pratchett. To complement this, I chose to create a pastiche of Quentin Blake, Dahl's longtime collaborator. To imitate Blake's iconic style, I began by sketching and inking each illustration on paper. I then used Photoshop to digitally paint blobs of watercolor to complete the look.