I am a military man by nature. After graduating from children's art school, my desire was to become an officer in the army and not an artist. But when I was in the army, I was convinced that the real army is very different from the military romance that I was in love with in propaganda films. And then I, the sergeant, the part-commander of the chemical defense, picked up a pencil and a notebook again and began to sketch. I tried to use every free minute to paint. And finally, the time came when I had a need to show what I draw to a specialist. This specialist turned out to be a corporal from the propaganda department, who was drafted into the army from Kharkiv after a year of study at the Academy of Design and Fine Arts. He became a key figure in my future destiny. “Throw doubts and stupid thoughts about the army out of your head,” he said, “go to Kharkiv, go to the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts! You will succeed!" After completing my military service, I did so. After a year of preparatory courses and work as a janitor, I entered the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Fine Arts at the Graphics department.
I had a period while studying at the Academy, when I was very interested in the classics of world cinema. For such a serious period that I even wanted to transfer to the camera department of the Institute of Cinematography. Tarkovsky, Parajanov, Felini, Greenaway, Kalatozov, Yusov, Urusevsky, Dovzhenko, Buñuel and other prominent directors and cameramen became a source of knowledge and inspiration. Their work helped me in the future to form a special approach - cinematic, in drawing Book Illustrations.
I can highlight two of the most important qualities that a good designer should have. This is honesty and creativity. At the same time, honesty should come first. Honesty implies a subjective belief in the rightness of the matter, sincerity in front of oneself, the company and the client. William Shakespeare he wrote that "no legacy is so rich as honesty".

Prince John Book Illustration by Mykola Lomakin It is made with paints on the toned paper, the final touch – on the graphic tablet. The designer combined figural imagery which illustrates the part of the text with frise compositions on the top and at the bottom, which details are psychologically connected with a figural image and make the illustration more expressive. Ornaments accentuate the horizontal rhythm of the illustration and bring to life the medieval atmosphere. The original text and fragments of other illustrations are below.

Mykola Lomakin

Heroiv Pratsi St. 17 apt. 117

Mykola Lomakin is IAD member since 2020, with 2023 IAD rating.