Tatsiana Burgaud

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Nature

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Children and dog near polluted jungle stream, artwork by Tatsiana Burgaud

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Pankhurst family portraiture for Rebel Girls book

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Little boy standing confidently in a dark forest path

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Based in Bordeaux, France, Tatsiana is originally from Belarus but has also lived in Germany, Turkmenistan and Ireland. Each country has its own storytelling and visual traditions, and all of them inform Tatsiana’s artwork, with the biggest influence coming from her own Slavic origins. She loves the freedom expressed by the Impressionists, including Cezanne, Renoir and Van Gogh, as well as the nonchalant style of contemporary illustrators like Beatrice Alemagna and Victoria Semykina. Tatsiana is fast, adaptable and easy to work with. She’s fluent in English, French and Russian, with a good grasp of German.

Approach

Tatsiana works digitally, and sketches usually begin in Procreate on her iPad where she develops the idea intuitively, adding detail and a warm palette to progress the image while keeping it grounded using natural textures and brush strokes. She also creates with Adobe Illustrator and Fresco.

Style

Working in her own natural style, Tatiana gives her characters a distinctive look and fills her narratives with imagination, fun, humour and a touch of innocence.

Impressions

Interview

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator? I‘ve always loved drawing and despite taking other choices in life, I have always thought of taking an illustration path in life someday. The turning point was when I had my children - it was where I had more free time and started to draw for myself, for my family, friends, and gradually it turned out to be something more in my life - this is how it all began. Did you study illustration in college? I had a few years of art school when I was in my late teens. I also took courses on a few online art platforms like Skillshare. Otherwise I learned a lot by myself just drawing every day and learning new techniques, and I still do. Where did you grow up? I am originally from Belarus, but as my father was a military man so we moved a lot during my childhood - I spent my early childhood in Turkmenistan - I still remember heat, turtles and cotton fields around. Afterwards we moved to East Germany. When the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Army had to leave so we went back to Belarus. Do you have a childhood memory relating to drawing/art that you hold dear? I was around 6 years old and we did some painting on wood for an art class at school - I drew a black horse on a yellow background with red and blue decor - I still see this drawing so clearly so that I can reproduce it with precision. I also remember that I drew on every empty space in my school books because for me it was such a waste to leave all that empty space unused. Where do you live now and what drew you there? Now my family and I live in a small village surrounded by vineyards near Bordeaux, France. It was my travelling adventures that led me there and I decided to settle. Describe your studio for us I work a lot on my iPad, so I can work anywhere from my home place, but mostly I spend time in my little working space - it helps me get concentrated and productive. In summer I work a lot in my garden. Do you have a studio pet? I am a big-big cat lover so I always had cats in my life. When I was a child, I brought all homeless cats at home - my mother didn’t know what to do with me… and with these cats :) Today I have two cats. Describe the view from your window Trees in my garden, a swing, my kids’ bicycles, a little patch of veggie garden cultivated by my husband. Who or What is your biggest inspiration? People who follow their dreams - they inspire me a lot and give me courage which was quite useful at the beginning of my illustration path. I might say they still remain a reference for me. One of them is a British illustrator Elina Ellis - she’s just an outstanding illustrator and a great person. How do you get your ideas? I get my ideas everywhere - it can be an image, a conversation with a friend, a movie, a street scene, a book. Anything can be a source of inspiration, so the best thing is to always have a sketchbook at hand. Do you collect anything? I collect my children’s drawings - I think we have a lot to learn from them - every drawing is a little treasure for me. What are your interests outside of illustration? I love travelling, this is a big passion that comes from my childhood as we moved a lot with my family. I also love photography. What is the first record you bought? This was a Russian rock group Spleen when I was in my teens. They are outstanding musicians who are still popular with older and younger generations. I would say they are timeless. What would be your dream commission? I would love to have a chance one day to draw a book about environment protection - this is a very sensitive subject to me, and I would be delighted to be involved in this kind of project. How much of your work is hand drawn? Actually all the work is done digitally, but often I start an initial sketch in my sketchbook in order to have less control and grasp the idea I have in mind. Making a drawing with live materials involves some mistakes or unperfected lines, and this is the beauty of it. This sketches also have more boldness which I try to keep in the final drawing. If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? I guess I would be a teacher - I love explaining things and working with children, sharing my knowledge. Have you any hidden talents? I am good at geometry. How would someone who knows you well describe you? My friends say that I am very diligent, a dreamer, and an easy-going person. I would also add that I am an introvert, I love solitude. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I would stay in Europe as I love it, so I’d say France is a good choice as it is so diverse, and particularly I would love to live in Corsica for the climate and for the view. How do you keep on trend and up to date in our quickly changing industry? I follow closely important illustration events and competitions, like Bologna Book Fair in Italy or Berry Water Fest Book Illustration in Moscow to name just a few. I go to book shops regularly and see what is being published at the moment, I watch book reviews and I listen to publishers and art directors…. and I also try to be myself. What do you listen to when you’re illustrating? Mostly to educational content concerning design, illustration, publishing, or some tutorials. It inspires me, helps me to be really productive. I also love to work in silence listening the world around me - neighbours chatting, children laughing, birds in the garden and cars passing by in the street. What was the last exhibition you saw and loved? We have a huge submarine base in Bordeaux dating back to the WW II which is a very popular exhibition place today - last year we attended an exposition on Gustav Klimt and Paul Klee - their artworks were projected on the walls and animated - a very impressive show. This year they do it on Renoir, Chagall et Monet, and we are definitely attending it. :) What is your favourite way to fill free time? Any hobbies? I love reading detective novels and watching thriller movies. I also love walking - I could do that forever. And surprisingly in my free time … I draw with my children - we go out somewhere in a park and draw what we want. Which languages can you speak? I am a fan of foreign culture and languages, so I speak Russian, Bielorussian, French, English and a bit of German. What is your favourite quote? They didn’t know that it was impossible, so they did it.

Favourites

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