News
November 1, 2025
"Pumpkins, pumpkins,... and more pumpkins!"
Do you know that pumpkins could be so different? Not only by shape, but also by color and texture.
In this still life of pumpkins, I am exploring the magical world of this fruit. Yes, botanically, pumpkin is a fruit because it contains seeds and it grows from a flower. But in culinary, it is treated as a vegetable.
And why is the world of pumpkins magical? Because these pumpkins are part of the story I am starting to illustrate. It is a well-known fairy tale by the French author Charles Perrault. He wrote Cendrillon in 1697, which later became Cinderella.
Take a closer look at the drawing. Can you spot a crown, a fleur-de-lis, the symbol of French royalty, and a few hearts?
October 13, 2025
"The Story of the Year"
Gradually, the forest leaves became more and more yellow, and leaf after leaf drifted down to earth; and the stormy winds of autumn howled; harvest time was over. The Queen lay on the fallen yellow leaves and looked with lovely mild eyes at the glittering stars above... wrote Hans Christian Andersen in the middle of the nineteenth century in his fairy tale "The Story of the Year."
I made this drawing for the compilation of Andersen's fairy tales published in China. It has a magical and melancholic touch, but isn't that how someone might feel this time of the year?
October 7, 2025
Autumn flowers
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower," said the French philosopher and writer Albert Camus. And I will agree with him. Please take a look at how many autumn flowers of different colors and shapes I found in a park today. They are such amazing and natural materials for decorations and enjoyment!
Now Gerda, one of the main characters of the Snow Queen fairy tale, is surrounded by colorful leaves inside and outside of the story.
September 26, 2025
IKEA's chandelier, transformed!
IKEA is a treasure trove of interesting home decor items. Once, I purchased their Kristaller chandelier for the living room because I liked the overall shape and the crystals in it. The only problem is that this chandelier was really lacking in color. It was just too cold-looking a piece. In order to fix that, I used special paints for the glass surfaces and spent some time balancing on the ladder. You can see the results of the chandelier transformation in the last photo. I was quite happy with the results, and the variety of colors did brighten up the room.
September 23, 2025
Fall is "crow time"
Did you know that fall is considered "crow time"? It's the time when they become more visible and active due to seasonal changes, gathering in large, vocal flocks to feed on abundant fall resources, such as nuts and berries, and to roost together at night. Marching through the leaves with pieces of jewelry on the neck, the crow in this drawing is from my latest book, "The Snow Queen," written by Hans Christian Andersen. He is a part of the story.
September 8, 2025
"The Snow Queen" is being published!
I am happy to announce that Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" is being published by the Moscow-based publishing house "Strekoza." This year, I have been working on creating illustrations for this book, and I am so glad it will be published soon. That means this winter, the readers will be able to see a different version of this famous story with all-new illustrations. You can preorder the book here
September 1, 2025
It's fall now!
For those who love changes, I am happy to announce that fall is here. A beautiful transformation of seasons that is as interesting as the old-fashioned streetlight that has endured through the years, still managing to bring a warm and charming feeling to every generation.
Aug 20, 2025
The book of Andersen's Fairy Tales has been published!
I am excited to announce that the book of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales I have been working on for the last two years has been finally published in China by GREAT STAR MEDIA CO.! This is an amazing compilation of the different stories organized in six volumes and packaged in a colourful box. Each volume has been illustrated by a different artist. I was among the six illustrators who were asked to work on the project.
Aug 14, 2025
From the participant of the international competition of illustrators to a judge!
Only a year ago I decided to participate in one of the world's biggest illustrator competitions in Japan, organized by JIA (Japan Illustrators' Association). And now I am one of the judges of the competition for the year of 2025!
You can read my review and reviews of the other judges of the competition here
Aug 13, 2025
A drawing for the 2026 calendar
According to the Chinese calendar, the next year, 2026, is a year of a horse. Here is my design of the front page of the annual calendar for one of the publishing houses in Russia.
If you have ever seen a classic European carousel ride, you know that one of the most unchanged animals that has survived for years is a horse. In my carousel, along with a graceful horse and a baby chick rider dressed warm for the winter ride, I've added a few other animals for the variety. Notice also the clouds in the shape of horses in the background.
July 11, 2025
I am one of the judges of the Japan Illustrator's Association contest!
A year ago I decided to participate in the biggest visual art competition in Japan, organized by JIA (Japan Illustrator's Association). It was an amazing experience, and I managed to win the "Platinum" Award and also the "Illustrator of the Year" award. And now, I was asked to become one of the jurors and participate in the evaluation of contestants' artworks for the 2025! Illustrators of the world, hold on! Your fate is in the hands of a professional :)
April 15, 2025
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf came to life!
I am happy to announce that the characters from the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, the book that was published recently, are brought to life by Natalya Konovalova, a talented craftswoman from Zadonsk city. These little masterpieces of doll crafting are handmade and hand-painted. There is a lot of skill and effort placed in those dolls. If you are curious, you can see more examples of Natalya's work here
February 20, 2025
Illustrator of the year!
I am glad to announce that I was chosen "Illustrator of the Year" by the Japanese Illustrator Association.
Thank you to everybody who was involved in this interesting competition!
February 14, 2025
Happy Valentine's Day!
Dear friends, on this special day I wish everybody love and peace of mind.
January 29, 2025
Chinese New Year is here !!!
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is China’s most important festival.
I created this drawing for Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Nightingale", published in China by Great Star Madia Co.
December 30, 2024
Happy New Year!!!
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a stargazer? Now you have a great opportunity to delve into the mysteries of the universe. And a team of two astronomers will help you.
This is my latest drawing for the calendar of the publishing company Detstvo-Press in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
You can see my previous designs of the calendars here
I wish Happy New Year to everybody!!! Enjoy the magic of art and holidays.
August 1, 2024
Winner of the JIA 2024 Platinum Award
I am so excited to find out that I became one of the three main winners of the JIA (Japanese Illustrator's Association) 2024 award, receiving Platinum. There were 294 applicants from around the world who presented a total of 773 artworks. What I submitted were my five illustrations from the new version of Little Red Riding Hood's fairy tale. Japan loved it!
Click here to see all the artworks I presented for the competition
August 13, 2024
A new member of the JIA!
I am a member of the JIA now! Japanese Illustrators Association. Thank you to Takahiro, Ryoko, and everyone else involved in the process!
Here is my gallery on the association's website
September 4, 2024
My postcards are in the Great Vancouver Zoo of Canada!
Through the oceans, seas, mountains, and volcanoes, my postcards have finally reached Canada and visited the Great Vancouver Zoo. People, animals, and even dinosaurs had a chance to see something different.
October 22, 2024
The Little Red Riding Hood is being published!
Great news! Charles Perrault's story with all new illustrations is just about to be published by Strecoza Publishing House in Russia.
You can pre-order the book here , but it will be available likely this December
July 17, 2024
Blue Color competition
This competition is about color, but it is also about discovering new talents and interesting ideas.
Ironically, the true blue color is rare in nature. Ancient artists had to extract that color from certain rocks not available at the surface.
What is the blue color for you?
For this competition, I chose an illustration I made for the "Snow Queen", one of the magical fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. And guess what? It is among the finalists now.
July 20, 2024
Diploma
My second award for this year. I hope there will be more!
July 29, 2024
The Big Book of Andersen's Fairy Tales
Let me introduce you to the book I have been working on for quite some time. It is one of the volumes of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales that is going to be published soon in China! Each story is accompanied by one-of-a-kind watercolor compositions I made specifically for this book!
March 18, 2024
"The Beast That Tamed Man" exhibition
March 1 is traditionally celebrated as Cat Day in Russia. In honor of this interesting holiday, the exhibition “The Beast That Tamed Man” opened in Library No. 2 on Chernaya Rechka as part of the WildArt project. It is dedicated to the cat family's meowing, purring, and sometimes even growling representatives.
One of my tiger watercolors has been exhibited there, also meowing and purring from the wall. He brought me another diploma!
