Letter For Anthea

Back in September, I answered a letter from a sharp tack named “M” with questions about The Terrible Two. People seemed to enjoy hearing the inside scoop on the art—and I certainly enjoy being the disher of scoops—so when another tack of equal sharpness wrote in with more questions, I figured I’d post the answers here in my secret diary, which is getting admittedly less and less secret by the year. But failure to protect my personal privacy aside, I’ll certainly try to protect the individual who wrote in, by using only their first name! Let’s get started…

Hello, Mr. Cornell!

Hello Anthea!

1. You posted quite a few alternate covers for the first three books and the rough draft for the fourth book. Which book cover is your favorite?

Several of the alternate cover designs I made for The Terrible Two.

Well, of all these covers, the top middle was my favorite, I think. I love all that negative space. But I also like the top left, with its very minimalist feel. But, of course, that’s not where we landed, and rightly so. Those covers are probably more appropriate for an audience of Swiss design professors in 1962. The cover design that Chad, the Art Director, created, suited our audience much better. Here’s a look at that for anyone unfamiliar…

Have you thanked Chad? Or Susan the editor? Wait — have I thanked Chad or Susan? Thank you Chad and Susan!

It has this lovely electricity, the way the red interacts with the blue. If I remember correctly, he was inspired by the wrapper of Bazooka Joe bubble gum. And you can see from the photo that it has this pleasing texture on the front which means you can identify it in the dark. Not that you can read it then, of course. But it’s great for exfoliating the face before bed.

Now, of the covers that actually went to print, the fourth one is definitely my favorite. I just love the concept of everyone on the cover posing with two dummies while the real Niles and Miles have slipped away to the back cover. Plus, I got to draw all those characters!

Next question…

2. Unlike the rest of the main cast, Stuart has no given surname in the books. If you had to give him a last name, what would you pick? (If this would somehow put you in conflict with the authors, then don’t mind this question. I was just curious given that you captured his chaotic energy so well in your illustrations

A melange of Stuarts from over the series.

Well, I couldn't say what Stuart's last name would be — that's certainly an author question. But perhaps he doesn't even have a last name. He's like a Madonna, or a Beyoncé, or a... um... R2D2.

3. Are there any songs you might associate with the series or with the graduation dance at the end of the fourth book? I’ve been wondering what the last song was!

Hmm... I didn't have a particular songs in mind as I drew the graduation dance. But looking back now, I certainly hope DJ Groovy Vibes played Safety Dance. I love that song. I certainly wasn’t thinking of the song at my high school graduation dance, which was Forever Young by Alphaville. I'm not a fan of its perverse message. I could think of no greater nightmare than being forever trapped in youth. Growing old is the best. I can nap whenever I want.

I might nap right now.

I’m back.

As for the last song at the graduation dance¹, I couldn’t say what it is. But I bet with some sleuthing, one could find it. Mac is quite the scamp, and so several times in the books he creates these little artistic scavenger hunts. There’s a song in book two that’s entirely whistling. Gus the janitor recites the poetry of William Blake in… book one, maybe? And I swear there’s mention of a three-hour opera about Einstein somewhere. So, you know… the answer is somewhere out there.

Also, do you ever illustrate while listening to music or does that take you out of the zone?

I do often illustrate to music, but I do it in a way that would drive most people bananas. If I find a song that particularly captures the tone of what I'm drawing, I put it on repeat. For HOURS. When I did Lucy Fell Down The Mountain I had the song Lower The Heavens by The Donkeys on for eight hours straight, for months on end. It just really captured the emotional arc of falling down a mountain. And as bizarre as it sounds, after about 3-5 plays I start to block music out, and my mind starts to ignore outside stimuli and turn inward—and then I can really focus. It lets me stay in the emotional state I want, so I can get the details right and tell the story as honestly as possible.

Eight hours a day I made Lucy fall down a mountain AND listen to the same song on repeat. Sorry, kid.

I have a strange relationship with music, because it's such a powerful medium for triggering emotion, and I spend most of my life trying to keep a throttle on my emotions. I find that music is often used in a manipulative way. Like, in movies, a lot of lazy writing and bad acting can be hidden by the music. When abused, music tells you how to feel, and takes away your power to interpret situations for yourself. People look at me like an alien when I tell them this.

People also look at me like an alien when I say I don't really go to see live music all that often. If I am not in a headspace where I want to be emotionally manipulated, music angers me. It's like I'm sitting there trying to get myself in a place of peace and music just keeps barging in and saying "NO! I WANT YOU TO BE SAD RIGHT NOW! ISN'T BEING SAD GREAT! LOOK AT ME! CELEBRATE ME! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE I'M AN ART FORRRMMMMM!". Music hurts me probably more than it nourishes me. That's just how I'm built. Most people would say that sucks, but then most people evolve different defenses for their emotions than me. Like eating all the Cheetos. Or careening through traffic at 90 miles per hour to ‘feel alive’.

4. I was interested when you said Scotty’s design had been based off someone you knew. Were there any other characters or settings that were based on someone you really knew?

Oh, most characters are a conglomerate of several people. Stuart, for instance, resembles a whole clique of kids I went to school with. Not to imply that when I’m drawing a character I always understand just where they’re coming from. Sometimes it’s only years later where I realize “Oh! I was drawing so and so!” It doesn’t have to just be people I know, either. Maybe a stranger on the street just has this look that feels right. They don’t even have to be an actual person—there might be a dash of something from a character in a show or a book. But just a dash—a regurgitated character doesn’t hold people’s interest for very long. It works out best when you’re working from someone you know. The details are real.

Also—and I think most folks who spin yarns² for a living would say this—a little piece of yourself lives in every character you work on. Sometimes that piece is a thing you like; and sometimes it's something you hate. But it has to be there. If you can’t see a bit of yourself in every character, then you’re probably not seeing the world through their eyes. Which means you’re probably just writing an archetype, with motivations that only serve the plot. They might as well be scenery. Remember—everyone is the hero in their own story. Even when they're doing horrific things, they're doing it for what they believe are the right reasons. It’s the world’s most scary truth.

Prank Lab Summer HQ

Now, Anthea, you also mention settings. I wasn’t referencing any specific settings when I’d draw a place, but they’re all distorted vignettes from my past. When I page through the books, I see the rural landscape of my college campus: squat brick buildings beside fields of manure. I see hints of my grade school’s front office: yellow plaster walls, wooden furniture from the fifties, radiators clunking off and on. I see the creek behind the neighborhood I grew up in, where I’d hide for hours, gorging on twinkies³ and slingshotting stuff at the clay banks. I work from memory almost entirely—I might look up something here or there, especially if it’s technical in nature⁴. But for the most part, I draw what I recall, and if I can’t recall certain details, well—they probably weren’t that important anyway. It’s a natural filter.

That basically wraps up my questions… for now. I love your illustrations and plan on buying “What’s Scarier Than Thunder?” when it finally comes out!! Happy 2025!

Oh, that's very kind of you to say, Anthea! Thank you for writing, and sharing a little piece of yourself, as it were. I hope What’s Scarier Than Thunder? tickles your fancy!⁵ See if you can guess what character the sandwich is based on!

- Kev

1. For those of you who haven’t read the book, at the very end of the series Mac mentions the song playing, but doesn’t name it. He simply says it’s the album version, five minutes and forty-eight seconds long.

2. By which I mean storytellers, but I’m sure there’s a respectable amount of medieval peasants who’d agree with my point as well.

3. Oh, what a miraculous time of year when Hostess would sell the three-packs and you’d get an extra Twinkie for the price of two! Paired with Cool Ranch Doritos and a grape soda, it was the ultimate feast for a young boy determined, apparently, to eat his way to an early grave.

4. For instance, when I needed to draw a train engine, I had to look that up. Here’s what’s going on inside one of those wacky things:

5. Though, I should point out that What’s Scarier Than Thunder? is a picture book, so its for a younger audience than The Terrible Two.