Putting lipstick on the monster

In case you haven’t seen a mockup I composed for the upcoming novel …

Despite reservations about comparison to Japanese tentacle erotica, feedback has been favorable and I’m going with this concept.

Comes now the artist Paul Trif, who says he’s ready to start making art. So, we discussed …

Stage direction — The figures are captured in motion, not posing. The lady is joyful, perhaps laughing. The maroli is hamming it up, making dramatic gestures with his tentacles.

Props — I suggested a facelift for the maroli (Sanskrit: ‘monster’) — leading to a morning spent querying a couple of non-persons of the AI persuasion, for inspiration.

And this is what I got, in no particular order. Comments welcome.

And then, maybe, for the sake of whimsy, we can slap a sticker on him, such as …

As though he’s at a party, and someone stuck it on him as a gag.

And that’s all I have, so far. Like I said, comments welcome!