Micro-interview with Toeken

And this week's guest in the microinterview series is Toeken, artist of “Believe Me” and “The Trident-Tailed Water Monster” in The Future Fire #76.

Art © 2026 Toeken

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “Believe Me”?

Toeken: Though it is a short tale, Christine Amsden’s splendid story is filled with such vivid imagery that it was tricky distilling ideas into the final illustration.

TFF: What was the image that really stuck with you from “The Trident-Tailed Water Monster”?

Toeken: It was probably something as deceptively simple as the “abandoned pool that had gone green from algae.”

TFF: What would be the most terrifying thing about being in outer space?

Toeken: I’d imagine it would be just trying to comprehend the sheer scale, the enormity of space itself, the awareness of the immense gulfs of space between stars and planets.

TFF: Have you ever seen a statue or a piece of art that you wished was alive?

Toeken: Bill Sienkiewicz’s rendition of the character “Warlock.” That’d be a treat to see strolling around.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Toeken: Working with the writer Phil Emery on a scifi/noir comedy graphic novel, Hammek, which is being shopped around now; Vampyre Noir, another comic series, more paintings and a couple of book covers, one of which is for the writer Simon Bleaken’s upcoming collection of dark tales.

Art © 2026 Toeken

Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2026/05/new-issue-202676.html.

Micro-interview with Toeken

Please welcome Toeken, long-time collaborator and artist of “The Sons of Victor Levitak”  and “Unblooded Gospel” in The Future Fire #74, for this week’s installment of our microinterview series.

Art © 2025 Toeken

TFF: What was the image that really stuck with you from “The Sons of Victor Levitak”?

Toeken: This is kind of funny in a way; after reading and re-reading Rowley Amato’s superb tale I started getting visuals involving what I can only describe as a disgruntled bowl of stew. At one point I spent so much time painting hunks of meat, potatoes and lentils that I thought the whole piece would be just that; a painting of an angry meal glowering back at you. Amato’s story was a beautiful haunting piece that was a real education for me for me as I went about researching the visual cues I wanted.

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “Unblooded Gospel”?

Toeken: As is usual for me this started out as a much more abstract response to Justin Taroli’s fascinating text, which in turn then morphed into a series of disparate sketches and drawings that were of a multitude of images, hospital tiles, the color schemes of Mount Sinai hospital, wearable archictecture, rib cages, dirty bandages and scan codes. Was a real treat to compose and arrange, and a challenge to edit out the things that I thought might give the game away in the narrative.

TFF: What is the most “punk” thing you've ever done or made?

Toeken: Not sure if it qualifies as “punk,” but I can recall quite clearly a Sunday afternoon dog rescue back in 2011. A little mutt owned by some neighbours had disappeared down an uncovered bolt hole while they were out walking near the mountains. Had a few drinks in me and thought “Why not?” With help from some friends I roped up and went down after the little fellow. What I thought was a ten meter vertical shaft turned out to be close to forty meters. After hooking up the dog (a miracle the poor animal was still alive given the depth he’d bounced down) to the ropes I had to wait a good fifteen minutes before being hoisted back out. I’m claustrophobic. That was one of the longest waits I’ve ever experienced and for years afterwards I would wake up in the night sweating and panicking about the whole thing. Dog was a-okay though!

TFF: What's the most unusual or challenging medium you can imagine working with?

Toeken: I’d like to try screwing up an ice sculpture or two.

TFF: Can you tell us about an artist whose work you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

Toeken: The sculpting duo of Liquette-Gorbach, Sarah Ross-Thompson’s prints and the photography of Phil Penman. All fantastic, inspiring stuff.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Toeken: I’m working with Gavin Chappell on the late Gregory H.Bryant’s Caves of Mars books, David Blalock on a ParAbnormal Magazine project and finishing up the first issue of Phil Emery’s Hammek graphic novel project.

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Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2025/09/new-issue-202574.html.

Micro-interview with Toeken

This week we’re joined by Toeken, artist of “The Ships That Sang” in The Future Fire #70, for our series of micro-interviews.

Art © 2024 Toeken

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “The Ships That Sang”?

Toeken: Gorgeous piece of work by Joss Cho. I began sketching after reading the piece about a dozen times, designing and painting about twenty-something screwheads (chucking most of them away ~ less is more, right?) and then painting/assembling the portholes so they don't look quite so 'obvious.'

TFF: How do you imagine early digital graphics will be seen by future art historians?

T: Any art of real value, creatively speaking, is born of effort and, to some extent, torment. Hopefully the 'art historians' of the future will still be able to recognize this.

TFF: What is under your bed?

T: I'm looking after two dogs right now. And they are both under my bed. They don't like the heat… or each other, it seems.

TFF: Can you tell us about an artist whose work you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

T: Again, there's a whole bunch but the works I've been digging into lately by Christophe Jacrot, Laura Rich, Eric Brenner, Ikkō Narahara and Juan Ruiz are extraordinary.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

T: I've just finished a few pieces for Shoreline of Infinity, The Future Fire (obviously), Lovecraftiana Magazine and working on a cover with the author Simon Bleaken. There's also a short graphic novella that I'm trying to finish that's based on Phil Emery's excellent tale, 'Hammek', who I've worked with in the past on the graphic novel Razor's Edge. There's an illustrated spec fiction/horror anthology that I've been wanting to finish for years on the way too.

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Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2024/07/new-issue-202470.html.

Micro-interview with Toeken

We’re pleased to have over for a chat our friend Toeken, artist of “Bone Planet” in The Future Fire #68.

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “Bone Planet”?

Toeken: I read Petra Kupper’s fascinating poem quite a few times, making sure I could get a handle on it, then left it alone for a couple of days before firing up the digital tablet. Aside from a few pencilled layers the piece is a combination of photographs and digital art. For example, the initial background template is a shot I took of a sunset outside my home and then digitally painted over.

TFF: Tell us about an artist whose work you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

Tk: There’s always a bunch but right now it’s Rahul Chakraborty, Rachael Mia Allen and Andrea Sorrentino.

TFF: What is your favourite example of hopeful, cosy or low-stakes SFF or horror?

Tk: I just finished with Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind. Fantastic, creepy stuff.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Tk: I just finished some stuff for Shoreline of Infinity magazine, a couple of private commissions while working with the writer Phil Emery on a science fiction/noir project.

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Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2024/01/new-issue-202468.html.

Micro-interview with Toeken

We’re joined for a quick chat by Toeken, artist of “Between the Shadow and the Soul” and cover artist in TFF #66.

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “Between the Shadow and the Soul”?

Toeken: First off: beautiful writing by Davian Aw. There was heaps of evocative imagery to work from. I decided to put the two images together using collage type techniques and then messing around with old Nokia cameras, compositing 72 dpi blocky photographs of fauna, soil and mannequins, painting those separately and then scanning them. As ya do. It’s fiddly fun stuff. I think the whole process becomes what the artist Russell Mills refers to as ‘serious play.’

TFF: Tell us about an artist whose work you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

Toeken: As per usual, there’s a whole bunch of people out there whose work right now I find is a treat for the eyes and mind. Recently I’ve been sifting through and really enjoying stuff by Mark Smith, who does extraordinary work in ceramics, Gudrun Dorsch, Berenice Abbott, Olawale Moses, Mark Marinkovich and Sarah Jarrett.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Toeken: Just finished work for Gavin Chappell, Gypsum Sound Tales, Shoreline of Infinity, a few spec pieces and I'm currently trying to get my head around another possible collaboration with my writer pal, Phil Emery (Android Press will hopefully be publishing the cyberpunk-themed graphic novel Razor’s Edge later this year).

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Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2023/07/new-issue-202366.html.

New Issue 2023.66

“This unrestrained exploitation of the common goods of nature does not generate wealth, but wears down and impoverishes the planet. It is time to fight for the good of humanity and for a new story.”

—Sônia Guajajara

Issue 2023.66

Short stories

• ‘One Day’, Frances Koziar - art by Sebastian Timpe
• ‘Boxes Full of Memories’, Sean R. Robinson - art by Fluffgar
• ‘Out of Bounds’, Anna Ziegelhof - art by Cécile Matthey
• ‘Between the Shadow and the Soul’, Davian Aw - art by Toeken

Poetry

• ‘The Fungal Force: A History’, Colleen Anderson - art by Melkorka
• ‘Mycelial’, Lisa Timpf - art by Dr T. Eratopo
• ‘Smells of Brine, Witching’, Devin Miller - art by Dr T. Eratopo

Download e-book version: PDF | EPUB

Micro-interview with Toeken

We’re joined by Toeken, illustrator of “Side Effects May Vary” in The Future Fire #64, for a quick chat.

TFF: How did you go about illustrating “Side Effects May Vary”?

Toeken: An elegant, piquant tale by Avra Margariti, full of inspiring imagery that was difficult to hone down into just two illustrations. I began by sketching Bengal tigers ~ as ya do…

TFF: If you could choose only one book to take on a long space (outer or inner) journey, which one would it be?

Toeken: I’d take a copy of Sartre’s Nausea stuffed inside a copy of Bukowski’s Post Office, within a copy of Barker’s Imajica.

TFF: How has geography influenced your work?

Toeken: …If you stay where you are, I wonder how much can you expect your art or creative response to the world to alter or change in any vital or meaningful way.

TFF: Tell us about an artist whose work you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

Toeken: A whole bunch: Cosima Von Bonin, Kent Williams, Kim McCormack, Valerie Depadova, Rick Berry.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Toeken: Just completed illustrating a graphic novel written by Phil Emery for Android Press, Razor’s Edge, cover art for Lovecraftiana Magazine, illustrations for Shoreline of Infinity Magazine, a couple of book covers along with a bunch of other stuff, but until it’s done…

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Reminder: You can comment on any of the stories or illustrations in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2023/01/new-issue-202364.html

Micro-interview with Toeken

Micro-interview with Toeken, illustrator of “New Day Dawning” and cover artist in The Future Fire #62.

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TFF: How did you go about illustrating “New Day Dawning”?

Toeken: Extraordinary tale by Francesca Forrest, truly remarkable. I began sketching several elements—for example the Cacicus cela, the “bloom” and the branches that fire off the choker. Then it was messing around with gouache washes in magnolia and various blues on water color paper before scanning them and arranging the roughs for the two illustrations digitally.

Illustration © 2022 Toeken

TFF: Is there a difference for you between creating artwork to order, and composing purely from your own imagination?

Toeken: I’ll be frank, when I got the chance to read this I initially thought “I can't do this,” and when that happens I usually just jump in and hope I don’t make a mess of it. With my own stuff, it’s actually a very similar reaction when an image starts to suggest itself. If it’s too easy? F**k it. What's the point of wasting your time doing that?

TFF: Who would you most like to meet, living or dead, for a drink tonight?

Toeken: Right now—Harlan Ellison. Mostly just for the incandescent rage convo.

TFF: Tell us about an artist whose work you’re particularly enjoying at the moment?

Toeken: As always, there's a bunch: Saelan Wangsa, Julie Dillon, Fan Ho, Leslie Ragan.

TFF: What else are you working on now?

Toeken: Paintings/illustrations for Shoreline of Infinity, Bag of Bones Press, Archive of the Odd and personal stuff, but the monster that’s chewing up the bulk of my creative time right now is the graphic novel for Android Press, written by the ridiculously talented Phil Emery—that’s Razor’s Edge and it is due out early 2023.

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Reminder: you can comment on any of the stories or illustrations in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2022/07/new-issue-202262.html

New Issue: 2022.62

“La révolution et la libération des femmes vont de pair. Et ce n’est pas un acte de charité ou un élan d’humanisme que de parler de l’émancipation des femmes. C’est une nécessité fondamentale pour le triomphe de la révolution. Les femmes portent sur elles l’autre moitié du ciel.”

—Thomas Sankara (le 8 mars 1987)

Issue 2022.62

Short stories

• ‘Song of Your Life’, Nicole Lungerhausen – illustrated by Fluffgar
• ‘We Were Ghostless Against Her’, Ioanna Papadopoulou – illustrated by Sarah Salcedo
• ‘Unspoilt’, Louise Hughes – illustrated by Eric Asaris
• ‘New Day Dawning’, Francesca Forrest – illustrated by Toeken
• ‘The Heart of the Party’, Sarah Day – illustrated by Miguel Santos

Novelettes

• ‘A Door of My Own’, Tim Pratt – illustrated by Carmen Moran

Poetry

• ‘We Don't Always Have to Toss Her in the Deep End’, Jordan Hirsch – illustrated by Cécile Matthey
• ‘Reasonable Accommodations’, Nicole J. LeBoeuf – illustrated by Cécile Matthey

Download e-book version: PDF | EPUB | Mobi

Editorial by Djibril al-Ayad