Nina Izycka’s inky catalogue of characters holds quiet messages for harmony with the natural world

A natural born storyteller, illustrator Nina Izycka is making organic images in her signature soft, inky style with the motivation to “awaken sensitivity and empathy”. Largely focused on the natural world, the artist’s illustrated plants, characters and creatures are all part of a colourful visual landscape that’s symbolic of her hopes to “convey the ideals of respect and support between people, animals and nature”. They are also a way to capture all the characters, (big or small), that she meets along the way.

When speaking about what influences her style and the warm sense of childlike wonder in her work, she says: “I am inspired by the everyday, social, cultural and emotional world. I am passionate about folk art from different cultures, art brut, the handicrafts movement and medieval art. My big influence though is the Soviet and Polish-Socialist era of poster and children’s book illustration.”

Passionate about all things natural and physical, each of Nina’s works is either hand painted with gouache or watercolour, or shaped by coloured pencils and manual printing techniques. “I experiment a lot in my work,” she says. “I use flat colours and collage elements as well as cut-outs [...] I am often combining traditional and digital techniques.” For the artist, both Risograph and screen print have become integral for translating the handcrafted look and feel of her illustration style into print when making her self-published artist books and zines. Constantly rethinking her creative process anew and trying different techniques for her world building, the artist shares: “The process always gives me a lot of joy and energy. Creating is fun and full of constant discovery for me.”