Exhibition | Aliens, Zombies & Monsters - How Children's Books & Characters are Created

Aliens, Zombies & Monsters! is my interactive, immersive exploration into how children’s characters and books are created. As a children’s writer and illustrator, I reveal the tricks of my trade which gives visitors a unique peek into the process behind illustration work – starting from initial ideas and sketches to creating believable characters, then developing layouts and final completed pages.

The space will be filled with life-sized aliens, zombies and monsters that are ready to mingle with visitors of all ages. Beam aboard an alien spaceship, take a photo amongst the monster mayhem or be part of a zombie family! Visitors are encouraged to be creative and create their own characters.

A colorful cartoon scene featuring various friendly, whimsical monsters with bright colors and playful expressions, gathered together with some holding objects like a drink, a book, or flowers.

Poster featuring colorful cartoon aliens, zombies, and monsters surrounding a black-and-white photo of a man. Text promotes an exhibit at Hove Museum and Art Gallery from February 10 to September 4, 2018.

Hove Museum of Creativity

Brighton & Hove

2018

For over a year, I worked closely with the curator of Hove Museum to create a fun, immersive exploration into how children's characters and books are created.

Colorful cartoon-style illustrations of zombies and birds with exaggerated features and bright colors, set in a room with a wooden floor and white walls, featuring signs with words like 'BRAIN!' and 'SLURP! BURP!'.

Colorful cartoon monsters share a fun scene, some holding treats, drinks, and a comic book, set against a vibrant, illustrated background.

Colorful cartoon monster cutouts on a gallery wall, featuring varied designs, colors, and expressions, with some holding objects like books and drinks.

Colorful cardboard cutout of a purple monster with big blue eyes, a mustache, and a wide open mouth, sitting on a toilet with a roll of toilet paper, while wearing star-shaped sunglasses, next to a small character with glasses encased in a clear ball.

Colorful cartoon illustration of a group of ghoulish characters with exaggerated features, including one with green hair holding a tea cup, another with a long mustache and purple suit, and a small green creature. The characters appear to be in a spooky, humorous scene with the words 'GHOULS! BLOO! G!' written in blue on the wall.

A young boy standing in front of colorful cartoon alien and monster cutouts, with a green and yellow slime-like background. The boy is wearing a blue hoodie with marine animal illustrations, blue shorts, and black sandals, and has his mouth open in an excited expression.

Colorful cartoon illustration of friendly monsters, including a large blue monster with a beard and smaller green monsters with big eyes and sharp teeth, all smiling and with playful expressions.

Colorful drawing of two cartoon sea monsters dressed as pirates. The monster on the left is green with three yellow eyes, wearing a pirate hat, and has a speech bubble that says "World's best monster pirate Octopus." The monster on the right is blue with yellow eyes, wearing a pirate hat with a skull, and has tattoos of anchors, fish, and other nautical symbols on its body. It is holding a plunger connected to a red bucket.

Behind the Book Gallery

This area gives visitors a unique peek into the process behind creating children’s books.
A video shows how I create a book cover. The desk and shelves display are filled with my drawing tools, inspiration and references.
Walls are covered in sketches and a step-by-step process of my book illustration proces.

Three children standing in front of a large display wall with comic strip art and illustrations, in an indoor space with wooden floorboards.

An informational wall display about the process of creating a story, including sections titled Characters, Behind the Book, Sketches, Pencils, and Finals. The display features various sketches, storyboards, and artwork.

Children watching a digital drawing being projected on a white wall in an art gallery. The drawing shows a character with an oversized hand holding a stick.

Display case with sketchbooks and loose papers containing character and scene sketches, mainly in pencil with some colored ink, organized on a black backing.

The Novium Museum

Chichester

2019-2020

A man standing in front of a colorful poster for an exhibit titled 'Aliens, Zombies & Monsters' at The Novium Museum. The poster features cartoonish illustrations of various monsters, aliens, and zombies in vibrant colors, with the exhibit running from September 28, 2019 to January 4, 2020.

Colorful cartoon-style characters at an exhibit with a pink background, featuring a large cartoon leopard with blue eyes and a big smile, and various other monster characters in the background.

Colorful cartoon illustrations of various zombies and monsters displayed as standees in an art exhibit, with the word 'BRAINS!' in bright green on a red background.

Colorful display in a museum or exhibition featuring cartoon monsters, with a red background and various monster characters including a large green monster with pink flowers, a purple monster with one eye, and other quirky creatures. Hanging cartoon bird figures are suspended from the ceiling.

Expanded Exhibition

With a larger exhibition space, I had the chance to explore alternate ways to showcase my illustration process. Multiple screens throughout the gallery, played looping tutorial videos of me drawing characters and creating a book cover. There was also a dedicated drawing area for museum visitors to sit and draw and then put their creations up in the gallery.

Colorful signs and arrows directing people for a themed event, with messages like ‘Aliens, Zombies & Monsters This Way’, ‘C'mon in, Human!’, ‘Yes, You!’, ‘Ladies & Gents, Boys & Girls!’, ‘Open this Door’, and a pointing hand with a sign reading ‘FUN!’. There are also two prohibition signs for food or drink and flash photography, and a small blue sign saying ‘Fire door keep shut’.

A colorful wall with cartoon characters and a TV screen. The wall has the text 'Creating A Cover!' in large, yellow, and green letters. The characters include a green creature with multiple eyes and a purple wizard with a hat, holding a smaller creature.

Colorful classroom with tables and chairs, decorated walls with drawings and a large mural of a monster, and educational posters.

Floating Sketch Pages Display

With the opportunity of a different and expanded gallery layout,
I devised of new ways of displaying the behind the scenes sketches of my books and of the characters in the exhibition.

Display of sketches and drawings of people and characters, hanging in a glass case with a banner that says 'SKETCHES!' at the top.

Display of various character sketches and drawings on paper hanging inside a glass enclosure, with a colorful cafe or restaurant visible in the background.

New Characters

The Novium asked me to create four new characters that each represented part of Chichester’s history. A naming contest for kids was held online and the winners were photographed with their newly named character.

A young girl wearing a pirate hat, standing in front of a pirate-themed poster with a cartoon pirate and a barrel labeled "ALERT" containing pink smuggling critters. The girl is smiling and holding her pirate hat.

Two children stand behind a large cartoon cutout of a mystical creature with a blue beard, purple and blue face, and green robe. The cutout has openings for the children's faces, and features purple and pink monsters on its hands and shoulders.

Colorful display with a cartoon character of a giraffe with multiple blue eyes, wearing a superhero outfit, giving a thumbs up, standing next to an informational poster about Nova, an alien space pilot.

Below- Left to Right
Zeke the Boxgrove Zombie,
Sally Seaweed the Monster Joke Smuggler,
Spongicus Maximus the Roman Bath Monster and Nova the Alien Space Pilot

Colorful cartoon monsters spelling the word 'SPOOK' from left to right, each with unique features and accessories.

Leadenhall Market

Monster Supply Pop-Up Shop

London

October 2023

A key component to this exhibition is the flexibility of the character layout. There are endless possibilities on where they can be displayed- so I was asked by Hoxton Street Monster Supplies to hide my characters all throughout the historic Leadenhall Market in the City of London. Visitors could collect activity sheets and a monster map from the pop-up shop during the month of October and search for my characters.

Colorful poster at a Halloween event featuring a cartoon monster with bright yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and blue hair, raising fists. The background shows the ceiling of an ornate indoor shopping area with hanging lanterns. The poster promotes the Halloween event at Leadenhall Market in 2023 and mentions it is kept monster-themed for Mayhem.

A colorful illustrated map of a market themed around aliens, zombies, and monsters with street names, character icons, and fun descriptions of each section and character.

Colorful cartoon monster characters painted on a glass storefront window, with a woman in a green jacket and red lanyard standing outside making a peace sign.

Storefront for Beau Gems with decorative window display featuring cartoon characters, including a green creature with pink nose and other animals, in a colorful and artistic design.

A smiling woman wearing a green hoodie and a man with light brown hair wearing a dark shirt take a selfie in front of colorful cartoon monster cutouts inside a market or arcade with glass ceiling and hanging lights.

Colorful cartoon illustration of a sea monster holding a mug that says "World's Best Monster Pirate Octopus," with a blue whale with yellow eyes and sharp teeth, a pink monster with purple hair playing a guitar, and an orange fish with blue eyes and a mischievous grin, all set against a blue background with nautical symbols.

A large, colorful cartoon cutout of a person eating soup, with exaggerated features and green hair, set against a white paneled wall. There are tables with jars and bottles nearby.

Cartoon illustration of a witch with purple hair and green beard holding a small green creature with yellow eyes, standing in front of a sign for Hoxton Street Monster Supplies.

People taking photos in front of a colorful cartoon monster display at Leadenhall Market in London.

People sitting at a table outside Leadenhall Market in London, engaging in conversation with animated cartoon virus characters adding a playful element to the scene.

Monster Portraits & Halloween Drawing Workshops

Leadenhall Market, London

October 2023

Two days of character creating drawing workshops and monster portraits.
Previous to their scheduled spot, people could select various descriptive words for each of their monster personas.