Olya is an illustrator and printmaker based in London. Born in Saransk, Russia, she moved to London seven years ago after graduating from university. Before she fell in love with illustration, she had a background in architecture and interior design and this year she graduated from the MA in Children’s Book illustration at Cambridge School of Art.

Olya loves drawing from life as well as playing with colour, texture, and shapes. She mostly works by hand with pastels, crayons and paint, adding textures and building shapes. She is also a printmaker, and she really enjoys the process of making images through the medium of screen printing. When she’s not in the cinema, knitting, or hugging her cats, you are sure to find her in the printroom.

Always somewhere between London and Cambridge, Olya constantly tries to find new sources of inspiration in music, cinematography, and vintage illustration.

Exhibitions:

2021 Illustration work ‘Rituals of Fear’ featured at ‘Ziferblat’ Moscow Tverskaya exhibition

2025 London Children’s Book Illustration exhibition in Copeland Gallery

2025 Cambridge School of Art Degree Show Children’s Book Illustration

Recognitions:

2025 Shortlisted for the Bologna Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition

2025 Shortlisted for the Bologna Portfolio Award