Monster Meet-Cute: Q&A with Artist Rowan Woodcock
Queer, Weird, and Wonderfully Monstrous: An Artist’s Journey
The following profile was made possible in partnership with Monsterotica Book Con.
You can meet artists such as Rowan Woodcock at this year’s Monsterotica Book Con, which will take place on May 8-10, 2025 in Baltimore, MD.
Meet the Artist: :
Rowan Woodcock
The Mastermind Behind :
Lyonne Riley's "Trollkin Lovers" series, Jenifer Wood's "Abandoned On Niflheim" series
Quick Monster Bites
First monster crush:
It's impossible to say what my first crush was, but I've always had a deep love for trolls; starting with The Hobbit (1977) all the way up to Vore in Border (2018).
Describe your art in three emojis:
👹🫣🏳️🌈
Favorite drawing fuel:
I love a fruity or floral kombucha.
Your soundtrack while working:
It's a big mixed bag: historical Medieval music, film and game soundtracks, early 2000's Europop, 4 hour video essays...
Team claws, team horns or team tentacles?:
Horns all the way. There's so much variety with them.
Inside the Artist's Mind
What brought you to Monster Romance?:
I've been drawing horny monsters since high school and have a deep love of pulp horror/sci-fi/fantasy paperbacks, so when Lyonne Riley emailed me about doing a cover for her it was like I'd found my calling.
What’s the biggest challenge of drawing for monster romance?:
Keeping things fresh; for myself and for the viewer. I love looking at the wild pulp genre art of the past and thinking, "what pieces can I chop off and carry over to my own art?". It makes me feel like I'm continuing a beautiful, perverted tradition and making my own contribution. But I also don't want to impose limits on myself based on the work of my predecessors; as an artist, one should see those boundaries and say, "there's still so much blank canvas to work with", and step over them.
What do you hope authors and readers feel when they take in your work?:
I hope they feel seen. It's a really corny answer, but I hope people can look at my covers and find at least one featuring a character they can see themselves in. Also hopefully they find the monsters hot and/or scary. I want to create stuff that elicits a fight/flight/fuck response.
What work do you have cooking that makes you excited?:
I'm slowly churning out my first graphic novel that, while decidedly less horny than my other works, is still full of monsters and queer love.
Behind the Brush
What’s your origin story?:
I was always making monster art. When I was 9 or 10, I would lay on the floor and draw werewolf comic and werewolf comic, but would lose interest after I'd finished the transformation sequence. When I was 18 I had my first professional comic job doing a story for Iron Circus' Smut Peddler 2014 anthology. From there I would get invited to other Smut Peddler projects here and there, but it wasn't regular enough work to pay the bills. Then, out of the blue, I got an email from Lyonne Riley asking if I did book covers. I'd never done a book cover before, but the subject matter was right up my alley so I had to say yes. From there, the volume of work picked up until I was able to quit my day job and draw monsters full time. Truly living the dream.
What was your first monster romance art piece, and what do you remember most about working on it?:
The cover for "Stealing the Troll's Heart" by Lyonne Riley. At the time, it was the most detailed piece I'd ever made. I still think it's one of my better covers. I just remember feeling like a real, big shot artist while drawing in the tiny windows on the castle in the background. It felt like the first step in a new, exciting direction.
The wildest or most unique request you’ve ever gotten for a commission or favor?:
This one is tough, because most of the requests I receive feel very tame by my standards. I'm not knocking any of the authors I work with, because I love them dearly! I'm just saying my boundaries have, so far, been wholly untested. This is an open invitation.
Monster mash-up! If you could create your dream monster romance hero, what would they be like?:
I need him big. I need his tits comfortably at eye level for me. I need to be able to treat him like a McDonald's Play Place. A little muscle is fine, but fat, hairy, monster men are the gold standard. Beyond that it's just kind of set dressing. Also make him at least a little bit of a safety hazard. I want there to be a non-zero chance I don't make it out alive.
If you could hang out with one of the characters you’ve drawn, who would it be and why?:
This was a tough one. I think one of Jen Wood's characters from her Abandoned On Niflheim series, because I would want to ask them questions about their society and stuff. Really, any character I pick it would be for the purpose of badgering them about their customs and history so I would want to hang out with anybody in a science fiction or fantasy setting.
Vampires, Minotaurs, Humans… the list of species is endless: Which is more fun to draw, and why?:
If I'm given license to lean into anything historical, draw directly from folklore, or play with speculative biology? I'm overjoyed. Gimme more of that. It doesn't matter what the species is. If you let me pick through my little sources and make design choices accordingly, I'm like a little hog rolling around in the mud.
Monster Speed Round!
Favorite monster from pop culture :
I really love witches in films. I love a haggard Baby Yaga. I love a weird lady with a supernatural grudge.
Go-to art tool/software:
Clip Studio Paint, but when I have time to practice with more traditional tools I want to pick up my gouache and pastels.
Dream collaboration (author or artist):
Billy Martin/Poppy Z. Brite or Gretchen Felker-Martin. Whatever they wanted from me, I would jump at the chance. I resonate so strongly with their brands of horny, gay nightmare.
Go-to comfort read:
Anything by Clive Barker is a winner for me.
Impart on us your wisdom! (Please!)
What’s your secret to capturing the perfect blend of romance and monstrosity in your art?:
Be a full-on freak about it. When I'm experiencing art, whether it's a painting or a novel or a film, I can tell when the creator was working with a hard-on. When you're making erotic art you have to be at least a little into what you're doing, because you're sharing that feeling with the audience. If the feeling isn't there, the piece falls flat.
The most rewarding part of working in the monster romance niche?:
The delightfully broad range of weirdos. This is a community that subsists entirely on people filling the world with art they want to see and gobbling up each others work. Whatever you're putting out there, you'll find at least half a dozen people who have been waiting for something just like it. If you're a small-time queer artist with a bunch of niche interests, it's the perfect place to make your home.
Any advice for indie authors commissioning their first piece of book art?:
The more information you can give us about your project, the better equipped we'll be to make some awesome art for you. Be ready to answer the artist's questions about the mood, setting, characters, etc. Some artists are more open to receiving creative license than others. Be respectful of an artist's prices. It's okay if you can't afford their rates, but remember that most of us are already undercharging for our services. Many artists are happy to recommend you to another artist who is in your budget. In niche communities like this, respect and kindness (or lack thereof) makes a huge difference.
What’s next?
What do you want to plug for folks right now?:
It is more important than ever to make weird queer porn or support the people doing it. Buy physical copies of queer art and literature whenever you can! In the digital age, ownership of non-physical items is often dubious so it's best to be safe!
Where do you want readers and authors to find you?:
You can support my work via Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/rowanwoodcock I'm also active on Bluesky: @ragingwoodcock If you want to hire me I can be reached at rowan.woodcock@gmail.com
Housekeeping
For more information about this newsletter’s spice and star system, check out this newsletter’s About Me page.