Polina Khristoyeva
Polina Khristoyeva and is a freelance illustrator from Ukraine who pivoted to art and design from a background in frontend development.
Hi Polina! Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are today? What first sparked your interest in design?
Honestly, I love when people ask me how I became an illustrator because I love my journey of creativity :)
I've loved to draw my entire life, but I started to work as Illustrator just a couple years ago. I used to work as a front end developer and thought that the profession of illustrator didn’t sound serious. I always heard stories about poor artists and my surroundings always told me that I was too smart for "being just a designer or illustrator." What nonsense! But, nevertheless, I decided to choose this "serious" job of a developer instead of developing my skills in drawing.
It was too boring for me to work as a developer, to be honest. I started to realize that something went wrong and it wasn’t my way. That’s when I decided to change my life and I quit - and I couldn’t even imagine what to do next. I started to learn a lot of different things, such as how to make 3D characters in Zbrush, how to animate 2D objects (and by the way, my frontend background helped me A LOT with understanding scripts and expressions in After Effects) and then I decided to stop with how to create illustrations in Procreate and Adobe Illustrator. I started to draw and posted my illustrations on my Instagram account just for fun but later some people asked me to draw for themselves on commission. I continued to post illustrations on Instagram and Dribbble and started to receive offers for work opportunities on small projects. Later I started to work with an animation agency and drew illustrations for future animation. I really loved this job, but I continued to receive offers for some small but interesting projects so that's why I decided to try to work as a freelancer. Freelance has its own pros and cons but I really love this type of employment. I’m really happy and I’m proud of myself that I wasn't afraid to change my life and to change my job. I love my job now! I think it’s really cool to do what you like the most and have the ability to earn money doing it. So, I can say that I’m lucky.
And of course, my job and the drawing process really helps me to feel alive during this awful war in Ukraine. I don't know how I would have handled all of this without my job.
How would you describe your design style and how has it changed over time?
Some people describe my style with the adjective "whimsical". I love it! I try to combine bold colors with some of my crazy ideas. The main goal - to concentrate on doing what you like and not worry about what other people think. Frankly speaking sometimes it’s really hard, especially with the last point, but I do my best : )
Where do you go to find inspiration?
I find creative inspiration everywhere. It could be the nice colors of a salad on my dinner plate, colors of old walls in a new town while traveling, scenes from real life, or my lovely Shih-Tzu dog, Misha. Sometimes, I can read an interesting book and new fresh ideas come to my mind. When I create illustrations just for myself, sometimes it's a way to "clear my head.” I could be too imaginative.
What’s been your favorite project to work on so far?
I can’t say what project is my favorite. My own rule is not to work on a project if I don’t like it and I try to do my best for every project! So, I would say that every project is a favorite.
How do you approach creative collaboration?
Actually, I started creative collaborations this spring. All creative people from Ukraine tried to help our country through art - we did a lot of posters against the war in Ukraine and all funds from selling were sent to charity organizations.
Do you have any favorite design resources?
My favourite design resources are Dribbble, Behance, Pinterest and Instagram accounts of creative people.
What advice would you give to new designers who are just starting out?
My advice for newcomers in the design sphere:
1) Don’t be afraid of all your failures. It's normal. It's just an experience :)
2) Don’t be afraid of showing your work on social media. Just post it, again and again. It helps you to see your progress. It’s only for you.
3) Don’t hesitate to ask opinions on your art from people who are really skilled in that area.
4) Don’t be afraid of critics. It's normal. Someone could admire your art, someone could hate it. Tastes differ.
5) Don’t get stuck on some of your work for a long time. It’s better to come back to it later and start doing another piece in the meantime than waste a lot of time suffering.
6) Never give up! You're cool. Remember that!
What are you working on now and what’s up next for you?
I’m currently working on a really cool project for Designtripe. It’s a great app that helps you download existing images or customize them on your own.
Thank you for sharing with us Polina! To view more of Polina’s work, check out her Dribbble shots and follow her on Instagram.
Polina was nominated by Dribbble. All art courtesy of Polina Khristoyeva.