WORLD LOKI DAY IS COMING
OK, World Book Day, fine
Hello everyone!
It’s been a busy month of editing and drawing on book 5 but I’m now gearing up for World Book Day events. It’s next week and if you need an easy Loki costume, here are my tips.
Oops I just spotted a typo in the above image. It’s FEET not feed. Ahem.
Here’s a how to make paper loki hair. If you want to add accessories to your costume you could carry a whoopee cushion (as pictured) or any other object that can be used in a prank. (And, with enough imagination, any object can be used in a prank.)
For an alternative Loki costume, dress as any animal, object, or other person in the world. In fact, you could go without a costume and say you’re Loki pretending to be you. The joy of a shapeshifter character!
I would LOVE to see any World Book Day costumes based on my books. If you’d like a reader’s costume to be featured in my newsletter, just send it to me by replying to this email after WBD, or tag me on social media and let me know I have permission to put it in my newsletter. I’m pretty the same on every social media (medium??), @louiestowell, just with the added bit on the end for bluesky, @louiestowell.bluesky.social)
WORLD BOOK DAY ACTIVITIES
Teachers and educators, if you want a Loki-themed activity for World Book Day (or any day), why not download this sheet to decipher the runes on the cover of Loki Book Four, or write your own insults in runes?
COMING SOON
I have a new book out soon, on the 20th March. Look at it! It features a short story about the day Loki fell to earth and why he REALLY cut off Sif’s hair, plus lots of puzzles, games, quizzes and doodling tips. Fun fact: its original title was “A Bored God’s Guide”.
You can preorder it HERE or at your local indie bookshop.
BEHIND THE SCENES
I wanted to share a little glimpse behind the creative curtain today. I often get questions about my process - do I draw the pictures first or write the words? The answer is, words first, although I do design all new characters alongside writing them, so I know how to describe them. So, for example, while I was writing book 4, I did a lot of doodles of Vinir the elf before settling on a final design. EG this version with earrings - I decided against them as it would make drawing him fiddly as anything.
I also did a version where he had black hair, but I wanted him to contrast visually with Loki, so I went for pale hair.
When I was deciding on Vinir’s human form, I started out with him looking very different to his elf form - I had a whole notion that it would be funny to have him unrecognizable across forms, given that a disguise is MEANT to disguise you. But I realised on a narrative level that would be too confusing. Oh, and elf-form Vinir had antennae for a while. I was considering pushing elves in more of a fairy-alien direction.
In a more literal “behind the scenes” view, here’s an old photo I found of me painting the window of Foyles on the south bank.
Have a great World Book Day and keep doodling!
Louie x