Want your ideas to leap off the page? I provide custom illustration for books, zines, and merchandise.
I’m Viktoriia Kopina ✿ Narrative Illustrator & Merch Designer
What we can do together?
• Editorial & Visual Worldbuilding Turning complex stories and educational content into illustration.
• Illustrated Books & Zines Character design, rich visual environments, and translating complex educational or scientific concepts into engaging illustrated content.
• Merch & Wearable Design Character-driven prints, apparel graphics, and collectibles that people actually want to wear and keep.
Tools & Mediums
Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe InDesign, Blender, Lens Studio
Wandering in the Ice
Interactive illustrated book / Scientific storytelling
*In collaboration with Polina Starygina—motion designer and illustrator; under the scientific supervision of Angelina Gnedenko—a staff member of the Laboratory of Biogeography at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The goal was to translate complex ecological tracking data into an emotionally engaging, scientifically accurate narrative that resonates with readers.
The solution was a dual visual system centered on a young polar bear’s first-person journey. We divided the book into two types of pages: expressive narrative spreads that drive the story, and structured infographics that deliver scientific facts. To mirror the bear’s inner transformation, the color palette shifts dramatically as his naive worldview shatters—moving from bright, warm pastel tones to dark and saturated shades.
My role involved serving as co-author, storyboard artist, and illustrator for the publication. Additionally, I assisted with animation for the multimedia elements. To give the Arctic landscapes a unique physical texture, I experimentally developed custom analog textures—creating hand-printed paint marks and mixed-media impressions, which I subsequently scanned and digitally processed into brushwork.I also sewed plush characters—a bear and a seal—out of felt and developed concepts for an extended merchandise line, including custom patch graphics and educational puzzles.
Cappuccino & Co
Illustration & Character design / Brand campaign
The goal was to create a playful, engaging editorial illustration series for the «Cappuccino and Company» coffee shop that brings warmth and humor to the brand’s visual identity.The solution was a series of surreal, character-driven illustrations depicting whimsical fictional holidays. By blending expressive cartoonish exaggeration with cozy coffee-culture metaphors, the series translates relatable morning moods into eye-catching, shareable brand assets.
To bring the campaign into a physical space, I adapted the illustrations and characters for use in a coffee shop: I designed takeaway coffee cups and paper bags, and also created collectible sticker sets and limited-edition prints.
Why Does Society Still Fear Skin Conditions?
Explainer & Visual investigation (Work in Progress)
The goal was to dissect the social stigma surrounding dermatological issues through an immersive, empathetic lens. The solution is a narrative structured at the intersection of three layers: personal story, community voices (real interviews exploring lived experiences), and an evidence base (medical and sociological context). Carbol-fuchsin solution—representing the long-term habit of masking a problem instead of treating it—and collage—reflecting the physical and emotional barriers people with skin concerns face. As the sole creator and motion designer, I am managing the entire end-to-end pipeline: content research, scriptwriting, conducting interviews, storyboarding, visual style development, and upcoming animation.
Selected Projects & Experiments
Personal zines / Mixed-media & Motion graphics
Alongside commercial client projects, I constantly explore traditional graphics, zine culture, and stop-motion animation. This section collects personal, mixed-media experiments where I test narrative boundaries, work with complex psychological themes, and mess with tactile materials—from ink and film photography to hand-crafted textures.
Out of the Corner of the Eye*
Mixed-Media Zine
A black-and-white visual archive documenting a day trip to Malakhovka (a quiet settlement near Moscow). In this zine, analog photographs appear alongside ink and pencil drawings. Together, they explore local life, secluded streets, and the layers of history hidden behind the settlement’s fences.
*Created in collaboration with designers Valeria Girko and Anna Dubinina.
Balcony
Black & White Zine
A personal visual tribute to a small corner outside the room, dedicated to balconies. I focused on high contrast, counterform composition, and fine graphic detail to capture spaces filled with tobacco smoke, stored memories, late-night conversations, and quiet sunrises.
This is (not) me
Mixed-media animation
This original series of animated works explores the sensory experience of depersonalization by combining stop-motion, hand-crafted 2D textures, and frame-by-frame digital animation; the cycle consists of three short films in total.
Let’s create something tangible together!
