New Artist: Julia Cherada
26 June 2025
Please can you tell us where you are from and where do you currently live and work? Has this affected your work?
I was born and raised in Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine. Later, I moved through several cities and eventually settled in Dnipro, where I lived and developed my art and illustration practice for a couple of years. Not so long ago, I decided to move to Spain. Now I live in a small town not far from Valencia, close to the sea and mountains. Every change of environment has deeply impacted me personally and creatively. Nature has always inspired me, and since moving to Spain, new landscapes have started appearing in my work—palms, cactuses, local birds, and plants. Every time I move to a new place, I absorb something fresh and unique from the nature that surrounds me. It always finds its way into my art.
Because I've moved so often, it's become very important for me to have my own workspace—a small, personal corner where I can feel grounded and focused. Wherever I live, this space becomes my anchor, helping me stay connected to my creative flow.
What inspired you to be an illustrator?
Art has always been a quiet passion in my life since childhood. But everything shifted after one vivid dream. In it, my subconscious spoke clearly: "You are an artist. You should draw children's books." The message was so powerful that I woke up with absolute clarity.
Soon after, I left behind my career in economics and management to follow a creative path—first as a designer, then as an illustrator. That dream felt like a gift from the universe, and it gave me purpose: to tell stories through art.
How long have you been working as an illustrator?
I've been an illustrator for more than five years, following a background in graphic design. Since shifting my focus to illustration in 2019, I've built on my design foundation to develop a strong sense of storytelling, visual composition, and book design.
How would you describe your illustration style?
My is expressive, textured, and emotionally rich. I blend digital and traditional techniques to create illustrations with warmth and depth. Each piece aims to bring a story to life through movement, color, and feeling, and always carries a part of my inner world.
Who/What have been your key influences as an illustrator?
I draw inspiration from many artists—Carson Ellis, Rebecca Green, Rebecca Dautremer, and Jean Jullien. I also find influence in literature, theater, cinema, and everyday life. I'm particularly inspired by the passion people have for their craft, and by the quiet poetry found in ordinary things and in nature.
But the two artists who have had the greatest impact on me are Júlia Sardà and Elina Ellis. When I was just starting to consider illustration as a career, I attended one of Júlia Sardà's workshops—and I'm still grateful for that experience. Being in the same space with someone who had already achieved so much (at least in my eyes) in a field I didn't even know how to enter at the time meant a lot. Her illustrated books have influenced me deeply ever since.
The second artist who shaped me professionally is Elina Ellis. Her work, her career journey, her approach to illustration, and the opportunity to learn from her played a big role in my growth as an illustrator.
Honestly, I'm not sure I would have followed this path so persistently if I hadn't crossed paths with these two incredible artists.
What type of projects, clients, or illustration markets would you like to work in?
I'm especially drawn to children's books—both picture books and middle-grade—because they offer space for emotional storytelling and rich, imaginative visuals. I also enjoy editorial illustration and packaging design, especially when the project is driven by a strong visual concept.
I'd love to collaborate with publishers in children's literature and with brands that value story, beauty, heart, and joy throughout the creative process.
I love spending time in nature, observing animals, and noticing the little details of the world around me. A big source of inspiration for me are my pets—my dog Ruby and my cat Julian. From time to time, I enjoy writing stories about their funny and touching adventures.
Beyond illustration, I also like creating art on canvas, experimenting with materials, and sewing—anything from clothes to cute fabric toys and brooches. These hands-on projects bring me a different kind of joy and help me stay creatively curious.
What would be your dream project?
More broadly, I hope to keep creating stories that matter—stories that touch hearts, spark conversations, and make the world feel a little more tender and beautiful. I'm especially drawn to projects that help protect animals and nature, and would love to use my art as a way to support those causes.
One of my dream projects is to publish my picture books. I have so many stories I'd love to share with the world, and I'm working hard to make that dream a reality.
