I am so excited to share my interview here with Flavia Z Drago, just in time for the release of the boxed set of The World of Gustavo: Three Spooktacular Stories! Check out below how the series evolved and learn more about how the illustrations came to life!
About the books:
This gorgeously designed boxed set includes paperback copies of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost; Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire; and Leila, the Perfect Witch, plus a dazzling sticker sheet.
Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?
Vlad is a vampire with the misfortune of having rosy cheeks that—gasp!—make him look abysmally alive. But being the fabulous vampire that he is (and hoping to avoid rejection), he hides his rosy complexion behind elaborate vampire outfits in traditional black. That is, until he finds out that his best friend has a pink secret of her own . . .
Leila Wayward is a little witch who excels at everything she does. She’s the fastest flier, the most cunning conjuror, and the most superb shape-shifter. She has won trophies for potions, herbology, and alchemy—and now she dreams of winning the Magnificent Witchy Cake-off! As the youngest in a long line of masters of the Dark Arts of Patisserie, Leila wants her entry to be perfect. But even with the most bewitching of recipes, she realizes a terrible truth: she’s a disaster in the kitchen. Luckily, Leila has three magical sisters who are happy to share their culinary secrets with her. What’s more, Leila discovers that baking with them is fun! Win or lose, she has already tasted the sweetest thing of all: acceptance—with a pinch of nightshade and a bit of mandrake.
Let's talk Flavia Z Drago!
LTPB: Where did the idea for Gustavo the Shy Ghost come from?
FZD: The idea for Gustavo came from a tweet I posted around 2015–2016: “He was such a shy ghost that he always wore a sheet with holes for eyes.” The image of a child hiding under a blanket (like someone wearing a paper bag with eye holes) to cope with shyness became the seed for the book.
However, as I developed the idea, I realised that making Gustavo an actual ghost felt more meaningful. When I was little, I often felt invisible during lunch breaks, wondering how other kids could just play or talk to each other. In this sense, the image of a ghost as an imperceptible being felt like a better visual metaphor of shyness than the sheet, and so Gustavo and his friends became paranormal beings
LTPB: Did you always see this project as a series with Leila the Perfect Witch and Vlad the Fabulous Vampire, or did it naturally evolve that way?
FZD: Gustavo was originally a standalone picture book, but in 2019, inspired by the show Nailed It!, I baked a cake with my sister and nieces and posted the pictures on Instagram. My agent saw the photos and asked if I would consider making a book about baking. This made me think of Hansel and Gretel and the idea of witches being really good bakers. At the same time, I realised one of the background characters in Gustavo was a witch, so I thought it would be fun to make her the main character, and that was how Leila came to be.
Later on, while working on Leila I drew a little vampire wearing pink clothes. I didn’t know yet what his story was going to be, but my publishers and I liked him so much we decided to call him Vlad and work on his book last. It just made sense for us to have a ghost, a witch and a vampire.
Although the books are connected, each one evolved on its own. The ideas came from different experiences, coincidences, and my love of horror tropes and fairy tales.
LTPB: What is the first thing you do when you receive a new project?
FZD: The first thing after reading a manuscript, is to see if I can fit it in my calendar! I've had to turn down wonderful projects because I didn't have the time.
In general, I usually start by looking at art, films or other books connected with the topic. I then take my sketchbook and draw loose characters, objects or scenes. I also do artwork tests to see which materials and/or colours I am interested in using for that particular book. This is possibly one of my favourite bits of the whole process because I can just have fun without really worrying about keeping the characters or the colour palette consistent, or about page turns, solving tricky sequences, or finding the right words for the story.
LTPB: How do you make a conscious effort to tailor your illustration style to each new manuscript? Do you have a clear vision for the illustrations when you saw the text?
FZD: Although I often have an idea in my head of what I would like each book to look like, it is only during the exploration process that I can truly find its visual identity, often in ways I couldn't have predicted. This ‘style’ is always shaped by my drawing and technical skills at the time, by my visual and cultural references, and even by my sense of humour and time constraints.
LTPB: What did you find most difficult in creating these books? What did you find most rewarding?
FZD: I think the most difficult part in making The World of Gustavo series was to find the right story for each character. There were many things I had to consider like, Will my readers understand this part of the story, or is it too confusing? How can I use fewer words so the illustrations do most of the work? Is this funny? Etc.
It can also be tricky when my publishers and I disagree about certain elements of the story or the artwork. It takes testing, experimenting, and negotiating to find an approach that I find creatively fulfilling and that the publishers can also see as fit for publication, which requires lots of trust and respect on both parts.
Besides seeing my books in bookshops, the most rewarding part for me is whenever people reach out to me to say how my books have inspired them, made them happy, or to show me children’s art inspired by my books. In the end I make books about things I care about, so it is lovely being able to connect with others through my work.
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in these books? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from project to project?
FZD: I usually work with whatever I’m enjoying working with at the time. For instance, for Gustavo, Leila and Vlad I was doing black and white layers with pencils, crayons and ink and then colouring them using Photoshop, whereas for my newest books C is for Chupacabra, and my upcoming book The Door I made the art using gouache layers in colour and then I added the details digitally. I like to change so each time I can discover a new aspect or material, which keeps the process fun!
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us? Any other books coming in the series?
FZD: Well, in the last four months I became a mum, so I've been mostly spending time with my lovely baby!
That said, I have two new board books coming out: Monsters Play... Hide and Seek!, which explores monsters' favourite hiding spots, and Monsters Play... Trick or Treat, where monsters get ready for a Halloween party. In these, you’ll find familiar characters from my picturebook series The World of Gustavo.
I also illustrated C Is for Chupacabra, a bilingual ABC book featuring monsters from Latin America. I am really happy a book like this exists.
And most excitingly, next year I'll be publishing my newest picturebook, The Door, about two children who decide to explore a haunted house. The story is inspired by my own childhood memories, and is actually meant to be a little bit scary. We'll see if readers agree!
LTPB: If you got the chance to write your own picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
FZD: This is a tricky one, but I think I'd love to have it illustrated by either Steve McCarthy or Erika Meza. Erika is my best friend, and she knows me better than anyone else, so it would be really interesting to see the important events in my life from her perspective. As for Steve, I love the way he designs characters, so it would be really fun to see my family and friends through his eyes.
Thank you so much, Flavia, for taking time to chat! The World of Gustavo: Three Spooktacular Stories published last month from Candlewick Press!
Special thanks to Flavis and Candlewick for use of these images!
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