Outer Space Mystery Pizza Club: Behind the Books with Illustrator Luke Séguin-Magee

Blast off into space and come along for an intergalactic mystery—with plenty of pizza, in books 1 & 2 of OUTER SPACE MYSTERY PIZZA CLUB! Illustrated by Luke Seguin-Magee. Luke answers a few questions and shares with us his experience in illustrating this project. Written by Bruce Hale and published by Penguin / Workshop.

What was your initial inspiration for the visual style of the Outer Space Pizza Mystery series? Did you have a specific vision or reference when starting?

The brief was for a semi-retro (1980s-90s) sort of Star Trekkie feeling— that’s right up my alley. For the kids, I thought of kids I grew up with and how we dressed, remembered how my kids dressed at their ages—and then tried to stay away from stereotypes as much as possible. For example, Booker is skinny and anxious. I immediately pictured “Urkel” from “Family Matters,”—which is fun. However, I thought it would be more interesting having him be big: someone you’d automatically assume had it all together—but who does not.

What was the most enjoyable aspect of illustrating space-themed scenes? Were there any particular elements of space you were excited to bring to life on the page?

The books needed a bunch of aliens—so I drew inspiration from Muppets and cartoons I watched as a kid. I just let my imagination move the pen and let whatever creature I could come up with stay on the page. No one had any objections! I guess if you have fun with it, others will feel it somehow.

One thing I probably hadn’t shown in my portfolio was my interest in architecture and vehicles. I wanted the Earth kids to live in a suburb like the one I grew up in—in Nova Scotia—with houses and hedges and fences—and for the space kids to live in a sort of Dr.Seuss meets modern, Scandinavian architecture from the 30s-50s. I lived in Copenhagen for 15 years and have been in Stockholm longer. The functional and playful architecture here really sparks my interest.

The functional and playful architecture here really sparks my interest. Lastly, I like for machines to look a bit DIY. Star Wars (Episode IV) is a big inspiration, and many things seem to be used and repaired—not smooth and slick. I think The Empire has a slick aesthetic. Star Wars sticks with me—it was the first movie I ever saw in a cinema.

How did you approach designing the main characters? Did you collaborate closely with the author on their appearance, or were you given creative freedom?

I had a lot of freedom. The brief was on ethnicity, character personalities, and a bit about clothing and details, such as this alien has pointed ears; these are small and elephant-like. I feel like I had a lot of room to play!

How do you balance the illustrations with the text, especially in a chapter book where both are important? Is there a specific technique you use to make sure your art complements the story without overwhelming it?

Not this time. Jay, the book designer, had the burden of that balancing act;)

What was your favorite part of illustrating the Outer Space Pizza Mystery series so far? Is there a particular moment, character, or scene that you enjoyed working on the most?

Action scenes are great fun, especially if I can add an element of slapstick to them! I also love the chance to draw expressions on characters, and there was a lot of that in this series: awe, surprise, fear, determination, coziness—all good stuff. It was great fun putting together these books—I hope I get the chance to make more!

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To work with Luke, get in contact here.