live briefs
Settle Stories – Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky
The brief
In the summer of 2025 I undertook a work placement at Settle Stories, a charity dedicated to using the power of storytelling to promote empathy and help people understand themselves and each other. One of their projects is Stories for Schools – short, illustrated videos for use in schools to teach morals and values.
One story that I illustrated for Settle Stories was Jabberwocky. I received the original poem and some ideas for illustrations, and through an iterative process, I produced the final illustrations below.
My response
Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s use of a non-existent language, I wanted the dress of the protagonists to reflect no existing culture. I combined elements of a number of cultures in order to create a discordant style that belonged to no nation or time period in particular: tattoos inspired by Filipino batok, European-style plate armour, a Jacobean ruff, Ukrainian oseledets hairstyle and leopard fur.
I started designing the monsters mentioned in Jabberwocky. Naturally, the Jabberwock itself was the most important design of these, and I was eager to do something different from the iconic depiction by John Tenniel. To this end, I made my design look more akin to a monkey. In the poem, the only features of the Jabberwock that are focused on are “the jaws that bite”, “the claws that catch” and the “eyes of flame”. I wanted to make these features stand out.
The illustrations
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: / All mimsy were the borogoves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! / The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! / Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun / The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand; / Long time the manxome foe he sought— / So rested he by the Tumtum tree / And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood, / The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, / Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, / And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through / The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! / He left it dead, and with its head / He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? / Come to my arms, my beamish boy! / O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” / He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: / All mimsy were the borogoves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.
