Every day after school, my daughter and I would ride through the park on my bike, with her sitting on the back, passing some dirt mounds that were overgrown with plants. To most people, they were just mounds of earth, but to us, they became something much more. One day, I decided to tell her that those mounds weren’t just dirt—they were actually sleeping trolls. "They hide from the sunlight," I said. "If they stay out too long, they turn into stone!" My daughter, always ready to dive into the world of imagination, immediately played along. “That must be a baby troll over there!” she said, pointing to a smaller mound.
This little game of make-believe became our routine. We’d pass the mounds, invent stories about the trolls, and decide which ones were adults and which were children learning to hide. It’s incredible how something as simple as a bike ride can turn into an adventure with just a bit of imagination. Because of the continuous work in the park, the mounds would often shift or move slightly, only strengthening our belief that the trolls were sneaking around at night, changing places while we weren’t looking.
One day, after exploring the dirt mounds, we rode a little farther and discovered some bee hives hidden behind them. While the bees didn’t make it into our troll stories, they became part of our adventure in another way. We stopped to watch them buzzing around, and I explained to my daughter why bees are so important for our flora to survive. It became a moment of real-world discovery woven into our imaginative journey—balancing the magic of storytelling with an appreciation for nature.
We often returned there to watch the bees and take it all in. From time to time, she’s still reminded of those days, and she’ll ask if we can take that same exit and look behind the mounds again.
Imagination in Illustration
This playful storytelling is what I aim to capture in many of my illustrations. Just like our troll stories, I like to imagine my daughter and our cat, Puck, going on little adventures of their own. Puck is a real part of our lives, though in my illustrations, he’s transformed into a black cat. The original design was based on our neighbour's black cat, who our daughter connected with before we got Puck, our grey tabby.
Take the three drawings I’m sharing here. In the first one, my daughter and Puck are peacefully wandering through a forest, full of flowers and butterflies. It’s a quiet, simple scene, much like our troll-spotting rides—just a normal walk, filled with curiosity and wonder.
Then, in the second illustration, the scene changes. They meet an octopus disguised as a tree, blending into the forest. Much like how we imagine trolls hiding during the day, this octopus is hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered.
Finally, in the last drawing, the octopus becomes their helper—much like the bees. My daughter and Puck need to cross a river, and the octopus uses its tentacles to form a bridge, letting them safely pass. It’s a playful and unexpected twist, showing that even strange, mysterious creatures can become friends and helpers.
Inspiration from Everyday Life
I find that some of the best stories come from these everyday moments with my daughter. Whether it’s riding past dirt mounds, imagining trolls, or watching bees, these small moments of shared imagination inspire my artwork and storytelling. What starts as a quick story in the park often grows into something more in my mind, eventually becoming an illustration or even the seed of a short story.
These drawings remind me that adventures don’t have to be grand or far away—they can happen anywhere, even on a simple bike ride through the park. It’s this blend of imagination and reality that I try to capture in my work. Just like in our troll stories, I love to take everyday experiences and turn them into something magical.
And that’s what I hope to share with others through my art—that sense of wonder that comes from seeing the world through a child’s eyes, where even a dirt mound can become a sleeping troll and a bee hive can spark an entire story.
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