While a show may last a few hours, it can inspire creativity in its audience long after the curtain has come down. Illustrator, writer, and comic artist Arielle Jovellanos has remained creative by blending her theatre passion with her studio art, creating showstopping comic-inspired theatre illustrations, inspired by some of her favorite shows.
"I did a lot of shows in high school, and when I was in the ensemble, I learned a lot about how the details in the background of a scene can do a lot to support the visual storytelling of a moment on stage," Jovellanos explains. "With every song in musical theatre, there’s an opportunity to tell an entire story and transport the listener for three to five minutes. I’m always inspired by theatre pieces that immerse you in their world with exacting detail."
"When I sit down to make an illustration or a comic page, I try to do the same thing using the tools available to me," Jovellanos continues. "I don’t have the luxury of sound, but I have color, set design, costume design, prop design, acting through expression, and body language, and even the rhythm of shapes. In a weird way, I think my love of theatre taught me how to illustrate. Whenever I make a piece of musical fan art, it’s usually because I’m chasing how a story made me feel when I saw it on stage or heard it on a cast recording—I'm trying to figure out how to bring that same feeling to a drawing. I recently made a little Hadestown comic because I could not get 20 seconds of music out of my head. I don’t think there’s any other form of storytelling like live theatre, but I can’t help but try to pay homage through my art anyway."
