I first crossed paths with Katya Tabakh on Instagram and fell in love with her art and her illustration skills. As a follower and participant of the Instagram Book Series Challenge, the pieces from Katya caught my eye immediately. I was completely blown away by her Alice in Wonderland illustrations, one of which was selected for the Children’s Market category of Illustration West 63, an exhibition organized by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles.
Her Alice in Wonderland series of pieces are a fresh and fantastic interpretation of a classic story that is familiar in both story and visuals. It is an honor to host Katya for a From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors interview and have the chance to take a closer look at her wonderful illustration work.
Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils
Katya, welcome and thank you for being our guest today. Can you give us a glimpse into your origin story and background as a creator?
I am a San Francisco-based artist, children’s book illustrator, and author (this title I am still getting used to). I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, and moved to the U.S. in the mid-1990s. I got a degree in theatrical set design, but then learned traditional drawn animation and worked as an animator here and there for a while. However, when traditional animation jobs gradually started moving overseas, I ultimately decided to devote myself fully to the art of bookmaking.
When did art first show up in your life?
I grew up in an artistic family, surrounded by my parents’ brushes and paints – the smells, the textures, and the sound of a pencil on paper. So I didn’t think much about choosing my career path and went straight to art school.
WIND IN THE WILLOWS, Procreate, watercolor textures
Did you have a support structure for your talent and interests when you were young?
Being an artist’s child gives you one benefit: unlike many other parents who think art is just a hobby and their child should get “a real job,” my parents were very supportive and encouraging.
At the same time, they were very busy with their own projects and very successful in their endeavors, so they didn’t bother to give their child any formal art lessons. That’s why, even after graduating from art school, I felt like an impostor for many years. It only went away recently. 🙂
What is your formal training in art?
I graduated from the famous Moscow Art Theater School with an MA in Theatrical Set Design. Can we also consider years of working in traditional drawn animation as formal art training? There were hours and hours of drawing and redrawing characters in different poses. 🙂
Can you share some of your art and cultural influences?
Frankly, there are too many. I am lucky that I was taught art and art history, which “calibrated” my eye for good visual art.
There are artists I keep returning to when I’m looking for answers to my questions. I have three fine art books on my desk right now: Bruegel, Paul Klee, and contemporary Russian illustrator and painter Evgeny Revyakov.
When did narrative illustration blossom and take hold in your creative life?
I got my first book illustration offer out of nowhere – and it was for a Japanese publisher’s YA edition of Chekhov. I ended up making three books with them. It was the most liberating project I had ever done at that point.
Pivoting from animation to book illustration gave me much more freedom, because as an animator, you need to adapt to the very different artistic visions of art directors. I now illustrate children’s books for all ages, from toddlers to young adult readers.
WIND IN THE WILLOWS, Procreate, watercolor textures
What are some of your favorite children’s books and stories?
The classics: Astrid Lindgren’s books, Winnie-the-Pooh, Mary Poppins, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice series (dah!). I can also mention a great Russian children’s book writer, Yuri Koval.
These are my favorites – the books my grandma read to me as a child and that I read to my own kids many years later.
Of all your fabulous work, my personal favorite is your Alice In Wonderland series. Can you walk us through your process on these exceptional pieces?
Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils
Genesis of the idea.
The project itself started as a collection of drawings for a small art gallery. An artist friend asked if I could do a series of Alice in Wonderland works for their Mad Tea Party room.
The first artwork was not what you see now, but I enjoyed the process so much that it pushed me toward one of the greatest classic children’s books of all time. And I was free to draw whatever I wanted. Isn’t it fabulous?
Concept development.
Basically, I create illustrations that I would have liked to see as a child. I feel a little bit like Alice myself. Doesn’t everyone need to be Alice sometimes?
At the same time, this is probably the hardest part of every illustration project for me. Sometimes I can sit for hours and days drawing things that look like doodles. My sketchbooks are filled with these scribbles – not like the beautiful sketches I see on some artists’ Instagram accounts.
The phantasmagorical nature of the text gives an illustrator the widest range of possibilities. I think thousands of illustrations for this book have already been created. So I need to close my eyes and listen only to myself.
I can’t describe the moment when the scribbles turn into something real. I think every artist knows that feeling. It’s like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. And then you only need to draw that butterfly on a piece of paper.
When I started this project, I knew I wanted to give Carroll’s amazing original narrative as much space as possible. I also love doing hand-lettering, so I got the idea to incorporate handwritten quotes into the illustrations. That brought me to the final concept: the text behaves as a texture and as one of the book’s characters.
Design choices.
The design I use is rather classical, although I would love to be a bit more wild sometimes.
Alice in Wonderland. Watercolors, color pencils
Execution (media, color palette, etc.)
I work on Canson Canva Artboards – pretty big ones, 12” x 16”. First, I tone the surface a little with ochre watercolor. I love the warm undertone it gives me.
The artboard’s surface is very sturdy, so I can lift that yellowish undertone with an eraser wherever I need pure white. Then I draw the design with a yellow colored pencil. I love drawing with colored pencils instead of graphite, so the final colors stay purer and more interesting.
After that, I use watercolors and finish with another layer of colored pencils. I can also add some final touches with white acrylic gouache.
By the way, you can see my whole process in this IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyONmPcLzWT/
What’s your favorite subject matter or sweet spot for your illustration work?
I generally love drawing kids. Any kids – big and small. 🙂
Planets: Stories of Ajudaris
What challenges, if any, do you find in illustrating material for the older reader in the middle-grade space? Does your visual approach change with the target audience?
Of course, the visual approach changes with every book because different texts require different art concepts! I think a more mature audience demands more accurate and visually precise illustration. With younger kids, you can be more liberal and add more fantasy to the visual side of the story. The research usually takes more time in the illustration process for middle-grade and YA books.
Are there some past projects that you want to highlight?
Well, I’d like to mention not a project, but one single drawing that I did for the SCBWI Tomie dePaola Award, which brought me that national award in 2017. It was a pivotal point in my career as an illustrator. I am so fortunate that I had the opportunity to meet Tomie dePaola in person and hear his stories, humor, and enthusiasm for his craft.
SCBWI 2017 Tomie dePaola Illustration Award: First Snow, Tree. Watercolor and sepia pen
What is on the horizon for your illustration career?
I am currently quite busy with a project that is actually related to my Alice in Wonderland pilot illustrations, but it’s too early to tell you all the details. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
Can you briefly share how you navigate the business end of your illustration practice?
I do my own projects, which usually don’t bring in much money. For everything else, I’m lucky to be represented by a literary agent.
Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to make ends meet solely from freelance book illustration unless you are really famous. 🙂 So, my husband and I also run a small art business: we do fine-art printing, provide children’s book publishing services, work with some art galleries, etc.
I also teach children’s art and craft classes – and enjoy it very much.
Are you available for commissions? If so, how does a prospective client contact you about a project?
Yes, I always welcome new projects and illustration opportunities. I am represented by Jen Newens at Martin-Newens Literary Management, so for inquiries, please contact her directly at Jen@MartinLit.com.
Please share your website, portfolio, and social media information so we can follow your career.
My website/portfolio is at www.KatArtist.com.
You can find me on Instagram as @katya_tabakh
Thank you for being our guest on From the Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors! This opportunity to learn more about you and your work has been incredible. I hope people can discover your work and enjoy it as much as I do.
The pleasure is mine! Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about my creative endeavors.
Take care and keep creating the fabulous work you create.
Same to you, and all the best wishes to your platform and your audience!
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