Spellbound fairy tales

In my sketching journal for 2026 fish, frogs, deer, hedgehogs, snakes and bears have ambled across the pages in acrylic, gouache and markers.

Which got me thinking about animals in fairy tales. For Spellbound, I’ve picked stories where the animals are very much the centre of the tale. Some may grant wishes, some are shapeshifters but many are humans under a curse waiting to be set free by an adventurer brave and true.

Each animal character has been drawn in acrylic pen or with gouache paint and the backgrounds are abstract textures printed in acrylic. The magic that brings them together is a digital art program where I mix and blend layers together. In black silhouette, elements of the story are shown.

The animal bride or bridegroom is a very popular story motif in fairy tales

Princess Honeysuckle and the Bird of Hundred Feathers is from a collection called “Spanish Fairy Tales” published by Hamlyn in 1973.

The Frog King - Children’s and Household tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, first published in 1812.

Prince Hedgehog is a tale is found in The Russian Grandmother’s Wonder Tales retold by Louise Seymour Houghton published in 1913.

The Fisherman and His Wife can be found in Children’s and Household tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, first published in 1812.

Brother and Sister can be found in Children’s and Household tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, first published in 1812.

The White Cat was told by Marie D’Aulnoy and published in 1698, you can find English