I draw worlds

I am Varya, an artist and 2D illustrator. In my work, I aim not only to translate ideas into visual form and communicate them to the audience, but also to immerse viewers in the worlds I create. I am passionate about developing characters’ inner worlds, building atmosphere, and crafting stories that resonate emotionally.

I create 2D illustrations, develop characters, and craft visual narratives. My skill set also includes typography and book layout.I am open to collaborations with creative agencies, publishers, brands, and businesses seeking to enrich their ideas through expressive visual language and conceptual depth!

A Children’s Story That Draws You Into Its World

A series of large-format illustrations created in response to a brief for «13 Stories», a children’s magazine. The project takes the form of a wimmelbuch— a richly detailed picture book filled with interconnected scenes and hidden stories.

Objective

The challenge was to develop an engaging narrative across four spreads, creating a world readers would want to explore. The story follows a girl who mysteriously finds herself in a world inhabited by monsters and mythical creatures. Unable to remember her name, she is identified by the distinctive strawberry buckle on her belt. The creatures call her Ichigo, meaning «strawberry» in Japanese.

Creative Approach

To fully immerse readers in the fictional world, I chose the wimmelbook format, allowing me to explore the universe, its inhabitants, and their relationships in detail. Each secondary character has a story of their own, woven throughout the illustrations and waiting to be discovered. Beneath the visual complexity lies a simple narrative about friendship, kindness, and shared adventures.

Full project

Minimalist Prints in an Original Visual Style

A series of T-shirt illustrations featuring mythical creatures, created for HSE ILLUSTRATES.

Objective

The brief required a series of bold, eye-catching compositions for T-shirt printing, developed under strict constraints: a limited palette of three colours and no use of textures.

Creative Approach

The colour palette combines contrasting shades of red and green to maximise visual impact and legibility in print. Each illustration is contained within a square frame, creating a clear and self-contained composition. Every character is distinguished by the defining physical features of its mythical species, establishing a unique visual identity across the series.

Full project

Historical Heritage Through a Child’s Eyes

An illustrated long-form editorial about «Aptekarsky Ogorod», Russia’s oldest botanical garden, presented as a place visitors want to return to throughout their lives.

Objective

The goal was to create an illustrated long-form piece about a historic Moscow landmark. I approached the narrative from a personal and emotional perspective, portraying the garden as a place that remains with you and welcomes you back at any age and at any stage of life — a place where everyone can find something meaningful to them.