About

Viktoriya Naumova
Artist and Illustrator
Master of Fine and Applied Arts
Kyiv, Ukraine
Worked in various areas – character and graphic design, printing, marketing design, UI/UX design
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Interview for the Ukrainian national channel "5 Channel"

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"Histories of the war" - Ukrainian national television

In my early works, there is a clear imprint of academic style acquired during my university years, which was something I wanted to move away from and find my own individuality. Therefore, I began to experiment with the transformation of the line, rethinking the traditional use of materials. Being carried away by urban sketching, I learned to quickly grasp images and forms, and to generalize them. At last, I received the previously unattainable, free and chaotic design I so desired. The result was a series of black-and-white portraits of celebrities, which determined my future style. Having chosen a minimum of art materials for further works, I began adding color to this style, creating a series of color portraits. This series uses a limited, unusual palette that is not typical of traditional classical portraits. It was this series of works that won recognition in a large online community and I became known in the professional artistic environment. I was invited to become a lecturer at an art school where I taught portrait courses. Furthermore, I got an offer as a fashion illustrator at fashion weeks, where I created a series of works for different designers. Using my new style, I designed illustrations for a series of books which were later published. The ability to draw in different styles and a strong academic background allowed me to receive multiple offers to create murals for the national music festival, several banquet halls, and schools.
After leaving Ukraine because of the war, I started everything from scratch. The war left its unforgettable impression on my work. I started creating illustrations about the horror I experienced personally, along with the stories of people I met during evacuation. The “Invincible” series has been released, where the main characters are women in the form of Ukrainian cities, who resist and fight each on their own front. The series received a huge response and became viral. It took part in many publications and was presented at a number of international exhibitions and festivals. The series literally scattered around the world. People were reaching out to tell stories and asking for additions to the series.

Having created more than 30 individual images, I realized the need to draw characters. With their history, experience, and personality; create an environment for them, draw clothing details and unique items that emphasize their individuality and charisma. Write the story of a character in illustrations.