…is the name of today’s story at Fictive Dream.
Throughout the month of February 2023 I will be showing you illustrations I did for Flash Fiction February 2023 at Fictive Dream, an online magazine devoted to the short story.
Here’s the image editor Laura Black chose for this story, My Old Man, by Pete Prokesch.
And here is the artwork with the banner. Take a look at this image. And then…
Read the story at Fictive Dream.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
The story was unsettling to me in that it made me think of the dysfunction of the relationship depicted and the insecure attachment the narrator has with his father. I think your chosen colour palate keys into that atmosphere and the tobacco is an important symbol in the story so I like the way you use those brown blobs to unify the whole piece.
Thank you. This story has a feeling of inevitability about it and not in a good way, I agree. Unsettling is the perfect word.
I agree with Laura that My Old Man by Pete Prokesch is unsettling in the relationship it presents between father and son. The story is told through the motif of tobacco chewing so the illustration with its brown circles is perfect. I also like the dark green background which for me symbolises what is most likely a drab room. Thank you, Claudia, it’s a great complement to the story.
Thank you. I think this illustration is a good example of how color choice influences meaning. (Imagine this in pink and yellow. ) I think this story depicts a pivotal moment in the relationship and the colors fit the mood and emotional direction.
It’s hard for some people to show emotion. They have to come at it sideways and inside out. You’re illustration captures that dizziness. (K)