@anniko_story

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1. What's your story? Where are you from?

Hey, my name is Anna. I was born in Ukraine in a Southern city by the sea, then moved to Moscow (Russia) several years ago. I worked in several design-related fields for the last 10 years from game design to UI and advertising and always had a strong passion for illustration.

2. Tell us about your aesthetic.

I feel that my art style has been changing during years but distinctive composition and minimal color palette are rather representative of my aesthetic. Whether the plot of my work is real or surreal I tend to use that approach to give my illustrations a particular mood.

3. What is your favourite medium and why?

All right, I am a digital artist :) I like to use pencil and paper on the earliest stages for making quick drawings (which usually only I can decrypt). But Wacom tablet has always been a part of my working experience and I really love the convenience and certain level of control in digital work.

4. What is your artistic process like?

I like to start with quick sketches to define the basic composition. Then I make a more detailed digital sketch. I usually already have some particular color palette and plot in mind but sometimes it’s useful to check a couple of references. I really love working with vector first and adding textures and volume with brushes later.

5. Who and/or what inspires your work?

I find my inspiration in many things like movies, sci-fi books, photographs and works of XX century artists.

6. What role does art play in your life? How does it change the way you view the world?

Frankly speaking, I can’t imagine what my life would be without art. It has been a big part of my world since childhood. I believe that it makes me more observant and allows me to see more beauty around.

7. Where did you study?

I finished the art school in my home city and then got my first rather far-from-art education in foreign economy But during my studies, I realized that it’s definitely not my cup of tea. So I started working as a designer during my 3rd course at university. After getting a degree in economics, I proceeded with art education and finished the British School of Art and Design as a graphic designer.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully, stars smile at me and my illustrator career keeps bringing me exciting collaborations, projects, and exhibitions. Lately, I took an interest in motion graphics, and I really hope it will become a nice part of my works.

9. What about in ten?

It would be nice to have a strong personal brand, to have more time for my family and myself. Share my experience with others through courses and master-classes would be a dream come true.

10. What do you hope to achieve with your art?

To be honest, I achieve something every day, ‘cause for me, art is the journey, not the destination. I love the process and feeling of becoming better as time goes. But world domination would be nice as well □

11. Now, tell us a little more about you as a person: what is your favourite food?

I’m a big sushi and Japanese cuisine fan. More into eating than cooking though. When I cook I prefer making Ukrainian dishes and bake cookies.

12. Favourite book?

I’ve been a huge science fiction fan since my childhood :) Can’t tell right away which one is my favourite, but books by Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Clifford Simak, Strugatsky brothers, Stephen King always pushed my imagination.

13. Favourite genre of music?

It depends on my current mood, but mainly rock, blues and indie.

14. What are your hobbies?

Watching movies and TV series (thank you, Netflix), cycling, learning English, reading good books and of course spending some quality time with my better half.

15. If you weren't an artist, what would you be?

I finished a grammar school with an emphasis on foreign languages, so I guess I would have become a guide-interpreter.