Behind Her Eyes Graphic Novel and Installation
Created on Procreate and Photoshop in 2025 for the BFA thesis project at Western Washington University
Behind Her Eyes is a graphic novel that explores death, grief, toxic relationships, identity, and the journey of healing. Rooted in personal experience, the story blends surreal imagery with a deeply emotional narrative to reflect the protagonist Mya’s shifting mental and emotional states.
The first act opens with warm, soft tones that evoke the innocence and comfort of Mya’s childhood. These hues gradually give way to a deep blue as her world begins to fracture. In the second act, we witness the trauma and emotional weight she carries into adulthood, illustrated through a stark black-and-white palette that mirrors her inner desolation. The final act begins a slow return to color—symbolizing growth, recovery, and reconnection—culminating in a moment of shared presence as the story ends in a gallery, where art and healing coexist.
Alongside the novel, I created a series of paintings that represent the depression, anxiety, anger, and fear Mya endures. Complementing these is a Cyanotype Bean Bag Chair, printed with imagery from healing moments in the story—a physical embodiment of comfort and recovery.
This installation invites you to step inside the world of Behind Her Eyes. As you enter, you're flanked by pages from the novel, leading you into Mya’s reconstructed bedroom. Here, drawings, paintings, furniture, and artifacts from her journey create an intimate space that blurs the boundary between fiction and memory.
Through creating this work, I discovered strength in vulnerability. What began as an expression of pain became a story of resilience, healing, and self-discovery.
*Behind Her Eyes graphic novel is available for purchase on my shop
Artist holding a copy of Behind Her Eyes
Cover (digital file)
Cover (large print)
Page 11 (digital file)
Page 11 (large print)
Page 14 (digital file)
Page 14 (large print)
Page 32 (digital file)
Page 32 (large print)
Behind Her Eyes Installation
Behind Her Eyes Installation detail
Cyanotype Bean Bag Chair
Behind Her Eyes Storyboard
Lilith Comic
Created on Procreate and Photoshop, 16 pages, August 2024.
Lilith was my first attempt of a full comic, created in only three weeks for the graphic novel summer class at Western Washington University.
Lilith Storyboard
Lilith Character Sheet
Cover
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Comic Practice
Miscellaneous character sketches and comic page practice.
Comic style practice 1
Comic style practice 2
Comic style practice 3
Dracula scene from book
Howl's Moving Castle scene
Mood practice
Senses practice
TetraChrome, Title page sketches
TetraChrome, Marceline redraw
TetraChrome, Characters sheet
Little Witches, Illustration
Little Witches, Character sheet
Little Witches, Character sheet