The Beastly One
My former roommate told me she wanted to get a pet rabbit. This worried me, because I wasn't convinced she could keep a houseplant alive. I had this nightmare where she bought an un-spayed/un-neutered pair and the rabbit population got out of hand. When I asked her what she was going to do with the extra bunnies, she said, "Oh, it's not a problem, I'll just run them through the garbage disposal." As a personal project, I converted this dream into an illustrated storyboard, and retrofitted it with a proper ending. It's a tale of a selfish girl, whose pets suffer because of her irresponsibility; and because I abhor animal abusers, it's also a tale of vengeance. (You can decide who "The Beastly One" is.) The style was heavily inspired by Lane Smith (who illustrated The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales). This meant dark, muted colors, and the use found paper and cutouts to create an unsettling, patchwork nightmare for children.