2024 | Longlist | Book Covers
  • Why did you create this work?
    Ernest Hemingway had a unique talent for hiding deep meanings in simple stories. His novel The Garden of Eden is a story within a story. The main character writes a short tale about his childhood memories of a safari in Africa, where hunters kill an elephant for his tusks. This emotional story is the true gem of the book, which inspired me to create a book cover for the novel as a study project.
  • How were your illustrations used?
    Self Promotion/portfolio, personal study project
  • What materials and techniques did you use?
    For the cover, I used a combination of traditional and digital media: watercolor and gouache for the background, and Procreate for the character. I intentionally avoided depicting the main characters, allowing the elephant to take center stage. My aim for the illustration was to appear slightly off-kilter, evoking the feeling that the elephant will soon be gone.
  • Was this project commissioned?
    Un-commissioned
  • Instagram
    @island.neverland
  • Biography
    Mariia is a Ukrainian illustrator, she is passionate about editorial and picturebook illustration, currently she is exploring different illustration techniques and working on portfolio.
  • Where are you currently based?
    Ukraine
Mariia Zakutaievamariiazakutaieva_thegardenofeden_image1
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