Today we’d like to introduce you to Yuliya Pieletskaya.
Yuliya, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born in Odessa, Ukraine but grew up in upstate NY. I loved art as a child and was always considered the artistic one around school but for some reason, I hated that title. So, when it came to choosing a college major, I decided I needed a practical job, so I double majored in Interior Design and Marketing at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. During my last year of college, I interned at Marvel Entertainment and although my internship was in promotions, I sat right next to the illustration team. Admittedly, I probably spent more time mesmerized by the illustrators drawing digitally on their computers than doing what I was supposed to be. After college, I worked in marketing for a few years before realizing I needed to do something creative, at least as a hobby, so I started painting coffee mugs. I listed a few of them on Etsy and was surprised by how quickly they sold! So, I made more and more until I was able to quit my marketing job and just paint mugs full time. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I started getting into illustration. I set out to build a portfolio that reflected the kind of work I wanted to do: children’s illustration, with the goal of landing an agency. I have since achieved that goal and have worked on three children’s illustration projects to date! They have been very fun and have taught me so much about the illustration process. My art journey continues as I have been exploring different mediums and subjects of work recently. I’m not sure where it will end up!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Most of my art is children’s illustration, although recently I have added more fine art/surface design work to my portfolio. At the moment I feel torn between two worlds because I love children’s illustration but sometimes I want to paint something sophisticated or avant-garde. Sometimes, the two converge and my children’s illustration work has been critiqued as not being childish enough. I do think that children’s illustration is my first love though. I have always doodled cute animals. I love animals in general and I think if I wasn’t an illustrator, I would work to protect animals in some way (actually I still want to work in this area, while being an illustrator!) I love drawing anything cute, fuzzy and squishy. My own childhood was definitely unconventional so for me illustrating childish worlds is a form of escape and a way to maybe have some of what I missed out on. I hope that when people see my work they want to saw “aww! How cute/sweet/precious!” and I hope that it makes them smile.
I mostly work digitally on my iPad pro but sometimes, I start out on paper with pencils and watercolor/gouache. I definitely go for a lot of texture and layers. I’m still finding my style but I feel that with every new piece it becomes more clear. Since I’m self-taught in illustration, I look to more established illustrators for direction and inspiration.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I think there are many ways to define success as an artist and it’s very individualistic. For me, it’s just being able to support myself with my art because then I get to do all of the art I want, full time. As an artist, you definitely have to have persistence and a thick skin. I think some people naturally have amazing artistic abilities and a voice/style that just fits into the category of art that they want to be doing while others may have the artistic ability but can’t quite find their voice or don’t understand how to fit into the category of art that they want to be doing. I definitely struggle with fitting in! You have to persist and try new things, new angles and anything you haven’t thought of before. I have heard and still hear a lot of no’s but sometimes the exactly right person wills say yes and it changes everything!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can find my work on Instagram: @yp_illustration or my website www.ypieletskaya.com. You can support my work by shopping at my Etsy or Society6 shops! greybunnypaperie.etsy.com / https://society6.com/yuliyap
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ypieletskaya.com
- Email: ypieletskaya@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yp_illustration/
- Other: greybunnypaperie.etsy.com
Image Credit:
Yuliya Pieletskaya
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