Mythical Creatures of Rus

During my studies at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, I created quite a few mock-ups of “nonexistent” books.
This one is still one of my favorites.

The series “Mysterious Neighbors” was planned as a collection of encyclopedias about mythical creatures, supernatural beings, and spirits representing the beliefs of different cultures.

“Mythical Creatures of Rus” is a book about various spirits known in the lands once inhabited by Slavic people — Vodyanyk, Mavka, Lisovyk, Kikimora, and many others.
I designed it as a guide to their habitats, their nature, and the proper way to behave if you were ever to encounter them.

For the assignment, I only developed a few spreads, though the concept was meant to become a full encyclopedia.
Even back then, I was deeply fascinated by otherworldly forces, nature spirits, and the thin veil between worlds.

My teachers, however, often told me I was choosing subjects that weren’t “serious” enough.
“Why draw all those fairies?”
If only they had known this would become my career many years later.
Well… here we are 😉
These days, I mostly draw mermaids, fairies, witches, and knights.
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P.S. And yes, the text is in russian. Back in 2011, Kharkiv was about 90% russian-speaking, if not more. So I don’t see any reason to hide the fact that my studies were conducted in that language as well.
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Also you can find more my works here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_.olga_art._/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@olga_starodubtseva
Cara: https://cara.app/olgastarodubtseva
I'd love to see you there 😊