Claire Astrow 3/29/17 Claire Astrow 3/29/17

Creator Crush: Yuliya Gwilym

One day I was flipping through a draft of Illustoria Issue 3: Outside-In and Yuliya Gwilym's illustrations immediately caught my eye. The bold shapes and extraordinarily unique color palette struck a chord in me, as if my subconscious always wished and longed for Gwilym's unmatched style and then boom -- it was miraculously handed to me on a silver plater.

Yuliya's piece, "Axe Soup," in ILLUSTORIA issue 3: The Outside-In Issue.

I became quickly obsessed with the graphic simplicity and dynamism of her artwork, reminiscent of the Soviet illustrations of Nathalie Parain and Suprematist Kazimir Malevich. Gwilym's accessible, energetic, and endlessly playful work will add an extra dose of happiness to your day. We're so lucky to have the chance to interview Yuliya, as well as showcase her work in Issue 3 and Issue 4 (which comes out this spring)! Make sure to catch more of Yuliya's work at http://cargocollective.com/yufrukt.

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently experimenting with a flip animation book that tells a story about a little elephant. I’m also designing a little game kit for kids with special needs.

Can you talk about your process of creating a project, from start to finish?
I start by talking about an idea I have with my partner or artist friends. I try to turn visuals I have in my head into words which usually helps me get a clearer idea. I then do a lot of rough sketches and after that go straight into finals, that way I have some room for experimentation and mistakes which sometimes bring the most fun results. I like to work with different media so my design process varies from time to time.

Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Kiev, Ukraine. It’s a big but very cozy city, I spent my summers in the countryside hut built by my grandparents, helping grandma harvest tomatoes and pick up lost animals from the forest in my spare time. For the past 10 years I’ve been living by the North sea, in the Hague, the Netherlands. I definitely miss hot summers and sweet tomatoes but I love to live abroad -- exposure to other cultures brings out the best in people.

What were you like as a kid?
Its hard to say these things about yourself, my mum says I made friends with everyone wherever I went and was generally very open (which often included telling our personal family stuff to strangers).

What were your favorite childhood books?
When I was very young I loved the poetry of Samuil Marshak, I knew most of his books by heart and they had beautiful illustrations by graphic artist Vladimir Lebedev who I still admire very much.

Slonenok (The Elephant's Child) by Vladimir Lebedev — *Slonenok* (*The Elephant's Child*) by Vladimir Lebedev

A bit later my favorite books were A Little Princess and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Adventures of Family Mumin-trolls series by Tove Jansson and Karlsson On The Roof by Astrid Lindgren.

Did you have a favorite subject in school? A least favorite subject?
I liked classes of drawing, crafts, mythology, choreography and biology. I really didn't like math…

When did you know you wanted to be an artist and writer?
In primary school I wanted to build hotels for homeless animals (there are a lot of stray cats and dogs in Ukraine) or be a vet. Later in high school I decided I want to be artist and designer.

Who or what inspires you?
My biggest inspiration comes from children, listening to the weird things they say. I love starting strange discussions with kids and seeing where it brings their adventurous minds. I also find animation and movies very inspiring, old things and folklore, stories from when my grandma was a little girl, I’m inspired by Japan and Japanese yokai, traveling and meeting new people.

What is the most challenging part about being an artist/writer/maker?
Constantly promoting your work, communicating the value, time and care you put into your craft to people who aren’t artists/makers themselves. Staying organised and being able to push forward and keep working even when you’re “not feeling inspired or motivated.”

When do you feel your most creative?
Just before I get into bed.

What advice would you share with young aspiring artists?
Try to be patient. When things seem slow, its not because you're not good it just takes lots of time. Make friends with other artists! It's so much easier when you're not alone and I find young artists’ community very supportive.

Joanne Chan 2/3/16 Joanne Chan 2/3/16

The ILLUSTORIA Story

Hello and welcome to Illustoria, a place for visual storytelling and DIY culture. Two years ago when I was a children’s book editor at Lucasfilm working among some of the most amazing storytellers in film, television, comics and books, I had a vision for a new type of magazine for kids—one that would celebrate stories, art and creativity. A magazine that, like any good book for children, could be equally enjoyed by grownups.

Handmade book by Marcas, age 6 — *Handmade book by Marcas, age 6*

Welcome to ILLUSTORIA, a place for visual storytelling and DIY culture. We commission and celebrate the works of established and up-and-coming artists, writers and makers. Our commitment is to providing a high-quality print magazine that inspires and delights creative kids & their grownups through original stories, art, interviews and activities. This is the origins of our story:

Two years ago when I was a children’s book editor at Lucasfilm, I had a vision for a new type of magazine for kids—one that would showcase stories and art while giving readers insight into the creative process. A magazine that, like any good book or entertainment for children, could be equally enjoyed by grownups.

Why a children’s magazine at such a precarious time for print? For one, for the love of print. But also because I really wanted to see this vision out in the world. As a mother of two working in the field of children's book publishing, I felt fortunate everyday to be collaborating with amazingly talented illustrators, comic artists and storytellers. At Lucasfilm I was surrounded by passionate people who shared a love of storytelling in all forms--through writing, illustration, animation, film, television, performance and music. It was around all this creative energy that I felt compelled to express something unique and true to myself. I was ready to create something meaningful that I could not only bring home to my kids, but share with them.

I wanted an experience where kids and grownups could enjoy comics and stories together, be exposed to contemporary artists and makers working their crafts out in the world, discover the next best song to put on repeat, find a fun new recipe to cook up for dinner, feed their imaginations and get inspired to make, journal, draw, craft and express something unique and true to themselves.

I was also witnessing the incredible renaissance taking place in the realm of children's books. Like wildflowers spreading on the High Line, new ideas and styles and voices were thriving. For all the agonizing over the decline of print publishing, there came a surge of high-quality picture books, graphic novels, chapter book series and early readers. Artists and writers declared a new playing field with the picture book manifesto. New indie presses and established houses dared to go against the tried and true and readers began to find books without pictures, graphic retellings of classics, oversized books that don't fit spine-out on bookshelves, books that enchanted big people as much as they did little people, books without happy endings and books that said something brand new and made us wonder.

Also all around me I saw a proliferation of quality print magazines that put content, design, and artistry above ads and mass production. These were magazines that I couldn't get enough of, that I wanted to pore over, collect, share and keep on my coffee table forever. They were founded by fellow staunch lovers of print who captured an audience eager to slow down and take in well-curated, beautiful, intelligent stories and pictures.

I was sure that a well-designed, thoughtful, contemporary children's magazine--one that celebrated visual storytelling and artists as much as it did a DIY ethos--was not only missing but would be welcomed by a new generation of parents and young readers. Where was the publication, like all those wonderful children's books, that I'd want to read and feel inspired by as much as my own two kids would? I couldn't wait to shepherd the idea to life.

Now, here we are in 2016 and that vision, the magazine, is taking shape. I have an awesome group of folks realizing and creating ILLUSTORIA along with me, whose smart ideas and playful perspectives have made it something bigger and better than I could have imagined. With backgrounds in design, comics, illustration, writing and publishing, they share a belief in the power of stories, art and creative expression. We are hard at work on our first issue, all about beginnings. In it we learn from Cece Bell about the making of her graphic novel El Deafo, discover how Andrew Bird prototyped a make-shift violin at age 4, glimpse into Aaron Becker's process illustrating Journey. On top of that we have original contributions from dozens of new and familiar artists and writers in the form of illustrated stories, comics, DIY activities and more.

I hope you follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you get the latest ILLUSTORIA news in your inbox. If you like what you see, please consider a subscription or a gift subscription for a loved one to our magazine. I would be thrilled to have your company as we see this vision through and embark on this new adventure.

Happy Reading!

Joanne