'She waved her right hand, and lakes and woods appeared; she waved her left hand, and various birds began to fly about'
Illustration for The Frog Princess, from Myths and Legends of Russia, collected by Aleksandr Afanas'ev and translated by Norbert Guterman; published by The Folio Society: [link] (June, 2009)
Ink and gouache.
This illustration won me the bronze prize in the Books category of the Association of Illustrators' annual award: Images 34 - the Best of British Contemporary Illustration 2010 More details can be found in this journal entry. ___________
Copyright Niroot Puttapipat and The Folio Society, 2009 Please do not reproduce without permission. Thank you.
So incredibly beautiful! I read foreign folklore as a hobby, and Russian fairytales have always been among my very favorites. I'd venture to say "The Frog Princess" is the best-known Russian story (some people know it as "Vasilissa the Wise"). Your work is marvelous on a whole, but this is gorgeous beyond words!
I'm right in the midst of researching Russian aesthetics and folklore for a Fairy Tale graphic novel I'm planning/writing, and I have to say that I've found this series of illustrations absolutely inspiring.