My name is Sara and I’m a 24-year-old student who still hasn’t said her last goodbye to her childish imagination. I always like to add some additional sprinkle of magic on every aspect of my life.

I started drawing when I was about 2 and since then I’ve never strayed too far away from creating. I was always strongly connected with art – sketching random characters, doing some doodles in my school notebooks, doing all sorts of DIY things and I also learned many school subjects by drawing the topics I was learning about.

My first real connection with illustration happened in high school. I studied Preschool Education which meant that I never stayed away from children’s books for too long. And that’s when I realized that I really felt a strong connection with illustration. For one class we even had to write and illustrate our own didactic children’s book and that’s when I started to daydream about publishing my own picture book but because my drawing skills weren’t as good as I wished, I’d decided I needed to practice more to achieve my dreams. Which I – fun fact – achieved last year when I finally had an opportunity to illustrate my first book and also illustrated a didactic dictionary for pre-schoolers.

After high school I continued my studies in Maribor where I studied Fine Art Education and that’s where I developed my drawing skills and learned some basic knowledge about art theory, art history etc. Because our classes didn’t put any focus on illustration, I decided to start learning about it by myself. I went on the internet and collected names and illustrations of illustrators that I liked and that inspired me the most. I started studying their work and trying to get to know myself as an artist in the process. That’s when I decided to pack my paintbrushes and watercolor set and go on a long adventure of finding my own voice and trying to learn as much as I can about this magical and colorful land called the Land of illustration, and I am still on that journey…

The one thing that I learned on this illustration adventure is that you never fully find yourself and then stop and say okay that’s it lets pack and go home. Your art identity and style are something that keeps changing, growing and evolving as you go and never stops, it’s a lifelong process. The second most important thing that I learned is that there is no such thing as wasting sketchbook paper. I believe that everything we do, even failed attempts, holds a very important lesson that will help us grow. Sketchbooks don’t have to be neat, they’re the only place when you can draw and paint your heart out, be 100% you and discover  what you like and what you don’t like, and the best part of this is that no one has to see it. Experimenting with different materials and styles like no one is watching is the best way to learn.

During my illustration journey I created my Instagram account which has helped me to develop a routine of drawing every day. And with all those steps that I’ve mentioned I learned most of the stuff about illustration that I know today and ”discovered my style”. In this process I learned that I cannot escape from my own universe no matter how hard I try. I tried to do “more serious art” but I always end up with soft colors and magical vibes. So instead of running away from myself I decided to completely dive into my world and see what’s up and I realized that I never want to go back, it’s where I truly belong. I found my place in this universe full of friendly characters, magical creatures and beautiful nature. I realized that I really like creating something that will make people daydream for hours, something that will radiate positivity and nostalgia of those carefree childhood days. I always love to add some special details to my illustrations which capture your attention and make you smile. I also love to create short stories about everything I draw and that’s why soon after I started posting my work, I also started sharing them with my illustrations and that was a cherry on top. It’s something that makes my work complete. In my stories I love to connect this magical universe with the real world, I like to include some relatable topics that we all went through in one point in our life. It could be something nice and happy or something sad, but I always love to add a special touch of hope in the end.

Even though I found my happy place my journey still isn’t over. I am still on my adventure of growing and evolving even more. Since I will be graduating this year and stepping into the real adult world, I am planning to move one step closer towards my dreams and working on my online shop and god knows what else my future holds. Let’s go with the flow and see what happens. I always say that if it’s meant to happen it will, one way or another.

You can follow me on my illustration adventure on my Instagram @moonchildillustrations