I don’t know how other books are usually created, but for us, everything came together instantly.
From the very beginning, I imagined the story in watercolor. My very first book also had watercolor illustrations, and I’ve always loved this style — its softness, its transparency, the way it makes images feel alive. I even tried to learn watercolor painting myself once, just for fun. That’s why I knew right away that this new project also had to be in watercolor.
From the very beginning, it wasn’t just about the characters — I wanted the whole atmosphere of the book to feel warm, soulful, and filled with light. And somehow, bears felt like the perfect choice. After all, almost every child has (or once had) a teddy bear. I did too — in fact, my brother and I had two identical ones: his wore a little blue hat and outfit, and mine was dressed in red. That memory stayed with me, and it made bears the most natural and heartfelt choice for this story.
When I first shared my vision with Anastasiia, the illustrator of the book, we had a long conversation. I described the idea in detail: that it would be a cookbook for children and parents, that the main characters would be a bear family — mom, dad, a boy and a girl — and that the mood should be cozy, bright, and full of kindness. She listened carefully and somehow managed to capture exactly what I had in mind, for which I am very grateful to her.
The very first characters she created were Daddy Bear and the little bear boy (back then, he didn’t even have a name yet). Soon after came another drawing — the whole family gathered around the table. Both of these early illustrations stayed exactly as they were and later became part of the activity pages in the book — the “Find 10 differences” activity.
We didn’t have months of searching or endless trials. Somehow, Anastasiia took all the ideas and emotions I tried to describe and brought them to life on paper. Our bears appeared fully formed — warm, gentle, and exactly how I imagined them.
ICONIER Digital Agency