Building a Universe

I'm building a universe while listening to this. 

Totem illustration

I'm here.

I've been keeping myself busy for the last couple of months, but now I'm here. I'm full of ideas and plans and recipes for this year - I've written tons of lists and resolutions already, per usual. 2015 is going to be amazing. 

Totem is my last illustration for 2014, here's to a lot more in 2015. 

No.25

There is a magical cabin in a magical forest where magical things happen. 

Quiet music plays in the background, everything is illuminated and time doesn't pass. 

World II Illustration

I leave my house to go to an adventure by boat. I put on a raincoat, because it's a grey chilly Sunday around here, and play a nice tune on repeat.
What is your Sunday like?

Bear and Fox

There is an old Bulgarian saying that goes like this: "Sun is shining, rain is pouring down, a bear and a fox are getting married". February is far away from shining sun and pouring rain but in my mind I'm picturing the loveliest forest feast under the rainbow. 

I've added new illustrations in my Etsy shop (you can also find these two!). You are more than welcome to take a look here.

Lilac tulips

I've always considered myself a winter lover. How come I always dream about summer when it is actually winter then? I guess it's just too cold outside. 

And by cold I mean really really cold. And snowy. And all I've been dreaming about are lilac tulips and sweet sweet bubble tea and picnics in the park.

I guess I prefer warmer days after all.

World Illustration

My very first illustration for 2014. Goes really well with any of Little People's music.

If you guess in which house I hide, I might invite you in.

Red Shoes Illustration #2

The mysterious lady with the red shoes and striped socks visits the town during the night. She comes in through an opened window, plays one of your favourite songs (she might even introduce you to this one, it's magical) and leaves you with the feeling you should cook a nice dinner, bake cookies (you could tell I'm into baking lately, couldn't you?), or just do something you don't usually do. She is such a nice lady, I am sure you've already met her in some way.
This is actually the first illustration I did of her. (see previous one here) I have a couple more in mind, because - well - we better know all her possible whereabouts. She's not to be missed.
If you have any useful information, feel free to share! :)

Red Shoes Illustration

Ah, December.
Тhe time when the cute lady with red shoes and striped socks comes to visit and leaves a trail of sweet perfume over the town.  Or was it an old man with a red hat, leaving presents during the night? Oh. I guess I've completely messed up my illustration then.
But hey, December's here (although it feels like June was only yesterday) which means hot tea, lebkuchen and an occasional run in the snow every now and again. I'm not a big fan of Christmas songs, but I've been listening to some good tunes and dreaming about a cosy house in the woods, lots of snow and dozens of home-baked cookies. Who knows, the mystery lady with red shoes and striped socks might actually exist and show up just there. I hear she smells like cinnamon and leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling of love to whoever she touches.
How about you - are you excited about December? Planning your gift lists and New Year's resolutions yet?

Ф is for Flamingo.

Ф is for Flamingo (cyrillic f is pretty, no?), AM is for Arctic Monkeys (lovely songs in the new album, this one is a favourite) and november is for tangerines and mint tea. Аt least that's how things are around here.

I wish you all an amazing week - mine started pretty sweet :)

Little Town Illustration

November has finally settled in: days are getting shorter, nights are getting colder and winter is just round the corner. I make raw nut power balls, drink lots of freshly squeezed orange juice and spend as much quality time with Illustrator as possible . Which means that - yeah - I pretty much stay at home most of the time, drawing little buildings and cloudy skies.
What do you like to do in November?

Rubik Illustration

You can find this illustration on my Etsy shop.

Symbols

Оctober has been nice.
Uni has started and I'm having fun attending lectures and writing homework once again. I try to eat more healthily, to run more (all about that - in a detailed post real soon - i promise!), I try to read more and draw more and, of course, learn Illustrator as promised.
Тhis is a set of illustrations I did just for fun, inspired by one of my homework assignments (the things I get inspired by, huh?). I used typographic symbols as distinctive woman features and as little free forms as possible. Let me tell you this: it is highly addictive. Now I want to transform every single thing that exists into a symbol illustration.
And I might just do it.

Enjoy what's left of October and here's a secret: November would be even better. I know it for sure.

Flowers

I have a list about pretty much everything. Some things I check quickly after writing down, others... just take a little bit longer.

Something that has stayed for waaay too long on my "To-learn list" is vector illustration. It is completely different from what I'm used to in digital drawing and to be honest - I've been afraid of it. I've been so afraid of it that it took me a couple of years to get out of my comfort zone (Photoshop) and try new things. Turns out vectors - like every single other thing - aren't that scary at all, once you get to know them. I've been watching tutorials and playing around with tools in Illustrator and I've been enjoying it so much, that I've come up with a resolution: I've given myself three months to learn Illustrator. I say it out loud so that I feel guilty whenever I watch a Regular Show episode instead of another tutorial. I'll keep you updated on my progress and let's hope this flower vase - my very first attempt in vector illustration - will look a lot better in a few months' time.
Some wise words before I leave you for yet another tutorial: don't be afraid to try things. Starting is always the toughest. It gets fun afterwards. ;)

KOI illustration

This illustration is available on my Etsy shop.

Bear & Fox Illustration

"To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. 

To you, I shall be unique in all the world."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

You can find Bear & Fox on my Etsy shop

Jellyfish illustration

If you like jellyfish just as much as I do - I've got some exciting news for you!
You can find this Jellyfish illustration on my Etsy shop or purchase it on a t-shirt for a limited time only via Mister Dress-Up. How fun is that?

Falling Foxes Illustration

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed"

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

You can find this illustration of Falling Foxes on my Etsy shop.

It is better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring

Long story short: I found a broken TV in our basement a couple of months ago. It looked so tiny and cute that I didn't want to throw it away. It was a freezing winter, I didn't have anything better to do (aside from studying for exams) so I took out some paint and brushes and decided to have some fun. 

I spray-painted the TV in white and let it dry completely for a day. It took about three or four coverings to hide the original color, especially the dark frame around the screen. Оnce the TV was all white, applying paint was pretty easy. I had chosen a favourite colour combination and a simple geometric texture (triangles have always been a soft spot). I used masking tape to keep the borders clean and two, sometimes three coats of paint to get a vibrant, vivid shade. The quote came last - Marilyn Monroe has said it quite well, hasn't she? It is better to be an absolutely ridiculous yellow TV with a quote on the screen, than one that has ninety-nine thousand channels and still cannot show you anything better.
Тhe original idea behind it all was to put the TV somewhere around town for passers by to see. I talked with a lot of people in order to find the best spot for it, but somehow we always ended up with nothing. We couldn't think of a place where the TV could be safe and visible at the same time. So it now resides in my room waiting to find a proper home.

Hello, September

I'm glad it's September already. I love chilly mornings and sweater weather and rainstorms and how everything looks during autumn. I decided to create a couple of autumn-loving characters to welcome September and besides - after having so much fun painting on stones and sea shells - it was only natural to try out leaves, too.

There is something very relaxing in working with natural materials. Working with stones was easy, because the surface is flat and the material is easy to paint on. Leaves, on the other hand, are very delicate and can easily be damaged if not handled with care. I used permanent markers with soft tips for the illustrations and pressed the painted leaves afterwards to preserve their form. This is the perfect home decoration for September, or - even better - the cutest little gift for a complete stranger in the park.
I haven't used anything to keep the leaves from drying out completely, so I guess it won't take long before they get crispy and start to crumble. Nevertheless, they have served their purpose.
Hello, September.