This gouache children’s illustration explores the theme of nightmares.

Inspired by Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay and Francisco de Goya’s The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, it combines dreamlike imagery with a darker, unsettling atmosphere.

The blue palette, associated with sleep and night, draws inspiration from Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouÿ and Odilon Redon, while the composition reflects the influence of Hieronymus Bosch, Matthias Grünewald, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

The hybrid creatures are inspired by Odilon Redon, Japanese yōkai, and Salvador Dalí, creating a surreal world where dreams and nightmares intertwine.

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