Francesca Damkar is an illustrator from Hollister, California, specializing in comics, comic strips, fantastical worlds, talking animals, and life in the twentieth century. She graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2017 with a BFA in illustration with a focus in comics. She also works as a writer, writing short stories and poems. When not working on her illustrations or written works, she pursues her other passions of cooking/baking, archery, traveling and spending time with her family. She also dedicates her time to volunteering and is a member of the Friends of the San Benito County Free Library.
The titular character from Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Little Mermaid” forms three identities based on her sacrifices. From mermaid to human, she sacrifices her fish tail and voice for human legs and love. When faced with a choice of keeping her life beneath the waves by plunging a knife into her beloved one’s heart, she offers up her own life and becomes sea foam. Ultimately, she is rewarded for her goodness, earning her place in her final identity, the Daughter of the Air.