RULE OF THREE 062525 - Interview with artist Miriam Nassereddine

RULE OF THREE. The rules are simple. Three questions. Three answers. Here we go!

Miriam Nassereddine worked on the original concept designs for "Once Upon a Time in Xanatopia," interior artwork for issues 1 & 5, and several extra cover art pieces.

QUESTION 1: Walk us through your process for designing a comic book cover. How do you balance the story’s essence, shelf appeal, and personal voice as an artist?

MIRIAM NASSEREDDINE: Like any illustration, a comic book cover needs to encompass a great composition first and foremost. I believe the best approach is

that for the beginning of this process to start writing down key words which express what feelings you want to evoke with the illustration. Those key words should also be tied to the story's themes. From here on it's just a matter of sketching out some quick ideas which help me explore and visualise the cover. As with everything, research is always king. I always look for other famous comic book covers and study them to understand what exactly makes them stand out on the shelf. Sometimes it's the character's pose and sometimes the colours and yet through it all, the composition is always solid.

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QUESTION 2: Beyond comic books, are there unexpected influences – film, fine art, photography- that shape your cover art & do you have a favorite cover that you’ve worked on?

MIRIAM NASSEREDDINE: Absolutely! I am always on the look for inspiration and in this day in age I can admit that sometimes there is way too much of it for my own brain. However, part of my daily routine is always finding new films and tv shows to watch as well as new music to listen to. Another source I can say is my stamp collection! I consider that most of them are beautiful miniature illustrations. Regarding photography, I always keep up with what a few of my favourite photographers create, such as Elizaveta Porodina and Yeyoung Cho. I also usually try to look for film/tv photographers who manage to capture

some eerie moments during productions, where the reality of the set clashes with the fictional world. Those can be some great composition ideas! As for a favourite cover, I still maintain that the first one I did for Nora back in Issue no.1 is my favourite. During some early drafts of her scenes, I had this Akira Kurosawa feel I tried to emulate which then translated into making her look similar to Yoshitaka Amano's style for the cover. Don, as always, was gracious enough to indulge me, so trying to reference Amano was such a treat! And, of course, Nora has the look to pull off any artistic style!

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QUESTION 3: Having worked on Once Upon a Time in Xanatopia, is that a character, scene, or unexplored corner of its world you’d love to revisit or expand visually?

MIRIAM NASSEREDDINE: I was very fortunate to work during the first part of the story when lots of fun ideas were coming up. But akin to any artist, any previous work you do has to have something you want to fix now. For this reason I would love to retouch some scenes from Issue 5 for example. That and revisit Celeste! I admit her design is full of elements I personally like, so anything with her was always a treat to do!

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XANCONONLINE.COM

RULE OF THREE 062525 - this has been an interview with comic artist Miriam Nassereddine.

You can see her impressive work on Once Upon a Time in Xanatopia 1 by clicking below!

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