Taya Arhipova is a graphic designer and illustrator from Ukraine. She has 3 years experience in commercial design, and has worked both independently and in a team with other designers. Taya is skilled in the different design styles: flat vector graphics, outline style, detailed art, abstraction, cartoonish illustrations, black & white illustrations, etc. She creates all types of graphic products: unique vector illustrations, sets of icons, storyboards for video and brand visuals for websites, blogs, apps, social media and for printing. Taya also has experience in UX/UI design and in simple animation.
1. What inspires you?
Nature, travel, art and literature
2. What is your favorite type/style of art?
Favorite type/style of illustrations - cartoon style (both detailed and abstract)
3. If you could spend a day with a famous artist, who would you choose?
I would like to spend a day with Masha Foya. She is a Ukrainian illustrator of books and magazines. I really like the style of her illustrations, her ideas. Besides, I was lucky enough to talk to her once. She is a very sincere and bright person.
4. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about art?
Feel it. You don’t need to copy someone; you need to feel the idea, understand the concept, then the work will certainly be valuable. Each work must be passed through by yourself.
5. How do you decide on composition?
For a good composition, I study the technical specifications in detail, I take into account all the nuances - the presence of a character, terrain, background, secondary elements, color scheme, etc. It all depends on the idea, but like in any composition, mine will definitely have something important and something secondary.
6. What made you like art?
This love arose in childhood. My favorite pastime was drawing. My parents encouraged this in every possible way. They even hired art teachers (professional artists) to take me to painting exhibitions and teach me how to characterize paintings correctly.
7. What challenges have you had as an illustrator?
The most important challenge for me is to create an illustration that will evoke emotions, and not just be beautiful. This requires a successful combination of palette, composition, and style.
8. What inspired you to try children's literature?
I love children very much and I like to evoke pleasant emotions in them. I want the illustrations they see to help their imagination.
9. How do you handle feedback from authors or publishers who want changes made to your artwork?
I'm a flexible person in this regard. Dialogue is important here. It is important for the author to convey the idea and concept, but for me, it is important to do it beautifully and emotionally. Therefore, I am only glad if the author makes some corrections. This way he helps me move in the right direction.
10. What tips can you offer to aspiring book illustrators?
Dig deeper into the book for which you are creating illustrations. You need to feel the atmosphere of the book, its characters, the idea. You must also adhere to the chosen style and use various patterns so that the set of illustrations looks professional and stylish. If you have the opportunity to work in tandem with the author, that’s just wonderful; such a tandem will help create a truly fantastic product. You must be on the same wavelength, then you will not experience a shortage of ideas.
11. How do you celebrate when you finish a project?
If it was a large project, after completion I definitely spend the day in nature or with friends talking about the successful completion and sharing emotions.
12. Do you always have a sketchbook with you?
My sketchbook or iPad is almost always with me. :)
Thanks for chatting with us about your artwork and inspiration, Taya! Please check out Taya's lovely portfolio on the following sites and keep shining!
Portfolio Websites:
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