Adventurous digital illustrations - CreativeMindClass Blog

My story

My name is Ekaterina Boguslavskaya. I grew up in Russia.

I studied in Moscow, but I lived in the countryside.

There was no hot water, the house was heated by a furnace, and the neighbors raised goats and cows. Wonderful times! Besides nature and bicycles, I was obsessed with cartoons. All my peers grew up and stopped liking cartoons. I was contrary! I realized it could become my preferred thing to do. It was how I got into film school in Moscow, Russia.

My personal style

I would like my artwork to always evoke some very soulful feelings. It's like sitting in front of the fire after your day or hiking in the mountains.

My method

I enjoy the drawing process. It has something in common with meditation. When I'm working I can see it getting dark, and I'll become hungry, but that's not really what matters while I'm engaged in my work.

Today, I work in both the illustration industry as well as animation... and there are board games too. I truly love my job.

I've always been drawing a lot. But it started to look better when I graduated. Because I began to decide what and how I draw.

My suggestions to doubtful visual artists

Find something you love and enjoy it. Make an effort to stop listening to people if you don't really enjoy what they are doing. All will be well! There will be those who appreciate what you've done.

My technique

I draw everything I can using my iPad, Procreate. Sometimes , I complete something with Photoshop.

The iPad really changed my lifestyle. Now I work at home, in cafes, and in libraries. When I pick a location to work, I move around, I am not confined to sitting in front of my computer. The iPad is an amazing tool that blends traditional drawing and computer-generated drawing.

The iPad comes with amazing brush brushes. For example, I got watercolor brushes through "The Watercolor MaxPack - Brushes for Procreate". Every time I use them, I am ecstatic. I use these brushes. They're very close to the real thing as they can get.

A few thoughts on the way I conduct my job.

I try to make a rough outline of the objects. Since I find hard lines rough and cold.

Sometimes I turn my shadows cold blueish using the multiplier setting. Sometimes I employ overlay. However, I'm not sure much about it.

Procreate offers some excellent blur settings, try the settings! There are several types of them and they're excellent. However, I prefer drawing as I draw using traditional tools on paper or canvas.

I'm always looking for more, studying my subjects while trying to move closer to the image I like by making personal work.

The Teriberka series. Teriberka series

I visited there following my travels (to Teriberka). Russian North, the Arctic. A town where people used to build ships and catch a lot of fish. It's now a bit of a ghost town.

It is a beautiful image. Please google it! It's stunning.

I always like the North.

I like the animals, the people and the million of shades of the moss. The tiny berries have a lot of vitamin C, which is more than the tropical fruit. It's very impressive.

Northern cliffs look like the skin of huge elephants! This is the feeling which I have tried to portray in these photos.

About the Tiny Things series

The idea came to my thoughts as I was tired of work, the pandemic as well as the urban environment.

I purchased a macro lens and went into the forest. It was amazing how beautiful lay beneath my feet! Everything was beautiful. It gave me a lot of creative energy. This is how the project came about.

Whatever happens it is possible to find a miracle just beneath your feet!

How I organize my work time

The hardest thing is to manage time and rest as well as say no to proposals that aren't suitable. Or to take on lots of tasks, in order to stay afloat without getting tired of doing what you love. This is all I'm still trying to master.

Concerning the blocks to creativity

The most difficult element is the actual process - sometimes it doesn't work out. The result isn't what I want. You can go through 8 hours and then get annoyed. Then, a few days afterwards, you can redo it in an hour and it looks great. What's that? Magic.

My little advice on how to overcome creativity blocks

When there is some kind of task - do not take a moment to draw (if it's possible). Let your brain think as you go along engaged in other activities. That's how I think you can find the best solution.

What do I think of my work

If I had to rate my own work - I would never give myself the grade of "excellent". It's very exhausting and I am a slave to myself. However, on the other side I am pushed forward.

Drawing is like an adventure!

Tickets are available to a country, you already know something about it on Google and something else will be surprising you right on the spot. At first, it looks like a cool adventure to me.

There are more of Ekaterina's works on, and keep an eye out for the next installment of this show on Instagram , Artstation or Behance.