From Drawing to Building Worlds: Jomike Tejido shares his journey to “Mermaid vs. Unicorn”

For award-winning author-illustrator Jomike Tejido, storytelling has always begun with a picture. Long before he wrote his own books, Tejido was already illustrating for other authors. But he realized that while the topics were interesting, they weren’t exactly the stories he wanted to tell.

“I discovered my love for writing because I wanted to make illustrations for books based on my own interests,” he shares. “After illustrating my first two books, I felt the topics given to me were nice but not quite what I wanted to draw. I wanted to create my own worlds and build my own ideas into pictures.”

That creative impulse became the foundation of Tejido’s storytelling career. Two decades later, he continues to balance both art and writing by staying curious and adaptable.

“Children’s books are an ever-evolving and ever-changing niche,” he explains. “When I write, it has to come from genuine interest so the process feels natural. But when I illustrate for other people’s books, I make sure to keep learning what’s new, especially for global titles. Trends change, and so do readers’ preferences. I think that’s what has kept me going for twenty years.”

Despite his wide range of work, Tejido intentionally limits his subjects to stories meant for young readers. Whether he’s creating picture books or comics, he prefers to stay within the imaginative, childlike space where creativity thrives.

“Even when I make comics for slightly older kids, it’s still for children. I like that boundary,” he says. “It keeps my focus on the kind of storytelling I love.”

From Sibling Rivalry to Story Rivalry

Tejido’s latest picture book, Mermaid vs. Unicorn, launched this Manila International Book Fair 2025 (MIBF), a follow-up of his 2024 title with Tahanan Books, Robot vs. Dinosaur. The latter, he says, came from a playful dilemma.

“Robot vs. Dinosaur featured my two favorite things to draw. I couldn’t decide which I liked more—so I made them fight it out on the pages,” he laughs.

The idea for Mermaid vs. Unicorn came from a more personal place—his two daughters, now aged 7 and 15. Watching them at home, he noticed a funny kind of sibling rivalry that sparked the story’s concept.

“Even though there’s a big age gap, they still compete. If I ask one to do something, the other will somehow get in the way. It was ridiculous but so real,” he recalls. “As an only child, I never experienced that. But now as a parent, I suddenly understood it—and one way I deal with it is by turning it into a book.”

The Art Always Comes First

For someone who both writes and illustrates his own books, Tejido admits that art still leads the way.

“Always the illustration,” he says without hesitation. “If I don’t feel that I can draw it properly, I won’t write it. The main goal is still to make the picture.”

Originally, Mermaid vs. Unicorn and Robot vs. Dinosaur weren’t even meant to look like a comic book. Tejido first envisioned it in his signature painterly style, similar to his U.S. picture book projects. But a surprising influence changed his mind—his younger daughter’s love for Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series.

“When she got into Dog Man, I didn’t like it at first because it looked too simple. But then I started reading it—and I got hooked! We ended up collecting all the books,” he says. “That’s when I thought: if I were to make my own graphic novel, I could make it look like that. And that’s how Mermaid vs. Unicorn took shape.”

Inspiring Young Creators

Ultimately, Tejido hopes that Mermaid vs. Unicorn will do more than entertain—it should inspire children to create worlds of their own.

“I just want kids to draw their own characters,” he says. “That’s why there’s always a drawing activity at the end of my books. I want them to feel that if they can draw something, they can make a story out of it.”

By Julienne Salazar