Visual Narrative Alyssa Alarcon Santo Visual Narrative Alyssa Alarcon Santo

Influential Graphic Novels Book Stack

A hand-lettered painting featuring ten influential graphic novels

Alyssa-Santo-Graphic-Novels-Book-Stack.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten of the most influential graphic novels of our time. Each book is an existing cover variant, chosen to fill the color scheme I felt best represented the genre. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

Alyssa-Santo_Lit-Stack_Fiction_Graphic-Novel.png

Novels featured:

  • Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

  • This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

  • The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

  • March by John Lewis

  • The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

  • Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley

  • The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

  • Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

  • Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

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Spanish Language Classics Book Stack

Spanish-Language-Book-Stack.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features eleven staples of classic Spanish language literature. Each book is an existing cover variant, chosen to fill the color scheme I felt best represented the genre. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! (You can watch a time lapse video of the lettering process below.) The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

Esta pintura respresenta once libros clásicos españoles. Todas las letras son hechas a mano—no se uso tipo de letra de computadora. (Puede ver el video del proceso más abajo en esta página.)  Los libros están pintados con acuarelas digitales, pero utilizando téchnicas tradicionales.

NOVELS FEATURED:

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  • La Casa en Mango Street <<The House on Mango Street>> by Sandra Cisneros [US]

  • El Laberinto de la Soledad <<The Labyrinth of Solitude>> by Octavio Paz [Mexico]

  • Las Cosas Que Perdimos en el Fuego <<The Things We Lost in the Fire>> by Mariana Enríquez [Argentina]

  • La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao <<The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao>> by Junot Díaz [Dominican Republic]

  • Ficciones <<Collected Fictions>> by Jorge Luis Borges [Argentina]

  • Cien Años de Soledad <<100 Years of Solitude>> by Gabriel García Márquez [Columbia]

  • La Ciudad y Los Perros <<The Time of the Hero>> by Mario Vargas Llosa [Peru]

  • La Casa de los Espíritus <<The House of the Spirits>> by Isabel Allende [Chile]

  • La Muerte de Artemio Cruz <<The Death of Artemio Cruz>> by Carlos Fuentes [Mexico]

  • Cien Sonetos de Amor <<One Hundred Love Sonnets>> by Pablo Neruda [Chile]

  • Rayuela <<Hopscotch>> by Julio Cortázar [Argentina]

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Young Adult Literature Alyssa Alarcon Santo Young Adult Literature Alyssa Alarcon Santo

Young Adult Nostalgia Book Stack

Young-Adult-Nostalgia-90s-Book-Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features eighteen staples of nostalgic Young Adult literature. Each book is an existing cover variant, chosen to fill the color scheme I felt best represented the genre. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

Novels featured:

Lit-Stack_Fiction_YA-Nostalgia_square.jpg

  • A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket [1999]

  • Choose Your Own Adventure: Trouble on Planet Earth by R.A. Montgomery [1984]

  • The Boxcar Children, #1 by Gertrude Chandler Warner [1924]

  • Animorphs, #1: The Invasion by K.A. Applegate [1996]

  • Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume [1970]

  • The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin [1978]

  • Holes by Louis Sachar [1998]

  • Matilda by Roald Dahl [1988]

  • The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien [1937]

  • The Babysitter's Club, #1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin [1986]

  • The Giver by Lois Lowry [1993]

  • The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster [1961]

  • Goosebumps, #1: Welcome to Dead House by R.L. Stine [1992]

  • Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh [1964]

  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg [1967]

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling [1997]

  • Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark by Alvin Schwartz [1981]

  • The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein [1964]

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Non-Fiction Alyssa Alarcon Santo Non-Fiction Alyssa Alarcon Santo

True Crime Book Stack

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This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten staples of classic True Crime literature. Each book is an existing cover variant, chosen to fill the color scheme I felt best represented the genre. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

True_Crime-etsy.png

Novels featured:

  • Zodiac by Robert Graysmith

  • Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen

  • Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

  • Party Monster by James St. James

  • Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

  • I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

  • The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

  • Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

  • In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

  • Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

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Love Stories Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten famous literary love stories. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten classic love stories. Each book is an existing cover variant, chosen to fill the color scheme I felt best represented the genre. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Novels featured:

  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

  • Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

  • To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

  • Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

  • All About Love by Bell Hooks

  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

  • Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

  • Collected Poems by e.e cummings

  • Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Lit-Stack_Romance-IG-04.jpg
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Harry Potter: Slytherin House Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter books in the Slytherin house colors. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

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This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter masterpieces by JK Rowling, color-coded to your favorite Hogwarts house. This Slytherin House Book Stack is made up from existing versions of book spines. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Lit Stack HP Slytherin_RGB.png

NOVELS FEATURED:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Arthur A. Levine Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Arthur A. Levine Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Juniper Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic, Inc)

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Harry Potter: Ravenclaw House Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter books in the Ravenclaw house colors. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter masterpieces by JK Rowling, color-coded to your favorite Hogwarts house. This Ravenclaw Book Stack is made up from existing versions of book spines. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Lit Stack HP Ravenclaw_RGB.png

Novels featured:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Bloomsbury 20th Anniversary)

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Bloomsbury Children)

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Scholastic, Inc)

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic, Inc)

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Juniper Books)

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Harry Potter: Hufflepuff House Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter books in the Hufflepuff house colors. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

Alyssa-Santo_HP-Hufflepuff-Book-Stack-art.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter masterpieces by JK Rowling, color-coded to your favorite Hogwarts house. This Hufflepuff House Book Stack is made up from existing versions of book spines. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Alyssa-Santo_Hufflepuff-Book-Stack.png

NOVELS FEATURED:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Scholastic, Inc)

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Juniper Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Bloomsbury London)

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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Textbooks Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features twelve Hogwarts textbooks all young wizards must procure. I referenced as much as possible from Harry Potter movie props, but took artistic license where necessary. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

HP-Textbook-Mockup_small.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features twelve Hogwarts textbooks all young wizards must procure. I referenced as much as possible from Harry Potter movie props, but took artistic license where necessary. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Lit Stack HP Textbook.png

Textbooks featured:

  • Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp

  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

  • The Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk

  • Defense Against the Dark Arts by Galatea Merrythought

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

  • Advanced Potion Making by Libatius Borage

  • Magical Me by Gilderoy Lockhart

  • Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky

  • A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

  • 1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

  • Hogwarts: A History by Bathilda Bagshot

  • The Monster Book of Monsters by Edwardus Lima

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I comb through reference images of book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

I comb through reference images of book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

Also available in a 5 pack set of 5”x7” prints

Also available in a 5 pack set of 5”x7” prints

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Harry Potter Gryffindor Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter books in the Gryffindor house colors. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

IMG_0292-Edit-2.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features all seven Harry Potter masterpieces by JK Rowling, color-coded to your favorite Hogwarts house. This Gryffindor Book Stack is made up from existing versions of book spines. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Alyssa-Santo-Harry-Potter-Gryffindor-Book-Stack.png

Novels featured:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Scholastic, Inc)

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Arthur A. Levine Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Scholastic, Inc)

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Bloomsbury London)

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Juniper Books)

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic, Inc)

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Science Fiction Classics Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten staples of classic science fiction literature. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

Alyssa-Santo-Book-Stack-Sci-Fi.jpg

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten staples of classic science fiction literature. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Lit Stack_Sci Fi_RGB.png

Novels featured:

  • Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

  • The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

  • The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

  • Foundation by Isaac Asimov

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

  • A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

  • Dune by Frank Herbert

  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

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I comb through reference images of real book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

I comb through reference images of real book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

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Horror Classics Book Stack

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten staples of classic horror literature. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques.

This hand-lettered book stack painting features ten staples of classic horror literature. All text is done freehand—no fonts in sight! The composition is then digitally painted, utilizing traditional watercolor techniques. Art prints are available as a small 5”x7”, a medium 8”x10”, and a large 16”x20”.

Novels featured:

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

  • Psycho by Robert Bloch

  • The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

  • Coraline by Neil Gaiman

  • The Call of Cthulhu & Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

  • The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

  • House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

  • IT by Stephen King

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I comb through reference images of real book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

I comb through reference images of real book spines, pick my favorites, and build a color scheme that mirrors the themes of the genre. I then carefully sketch out the text.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

From there, I ink the text with traditional inking brushes and paint the whole stack with digital watercolor brushes and traditional painting techniques.

Want to see more book stacks?

 
 
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