A children’s book illustration project: “Snake Rapunzel.”

Children's book illustration. The front cover of "Snake Rapunzel."

Snake Rapunzel is a children’s book illustration project. I wrote, illustrated, and designed all elements of this book. It’s a parody of the fairy-tale Rapunzel, but with an offbeat, modern twist. This book is 62 pages long, with black-and-white illustrations throughout. Here is a description of the book, as written on the back cover:

“Every snake needs a mate. When Belinda the snake sets out in search of a husband, she knows it won’t be easy. But when a simple mix-up devolves into a tumultuous caper, finding a Mr. Snake becomes the least of her concerns. Join Belinda and her prickly guardian as they masquerade in the world of man, and learn just how much trouble romance can be.”

The idea for this story came out of a children’s book illustration project at The Center for Cartoon Studies. A friend of mine was doing a fairy-tale retelling, and that somehow gave me the idea to parody Rapunzel in a Mrs. Doubtfire-esque sort of retelling. In my version, a snake goes off in search of a mate, but ends up meeting Rapunzel, dressing up in her clothes, and impersonating her in a beauty pageant.

Below are some of the interior images.