Nadia Tolstoy is a Stockholm-based cartoonist whose doodles are taking social media by storm! With a knack for blending humor and surrealism, Nadia's illustrations breathe new life into everyday words.
Nadia's series, called "Surrealians," is all about mixing things up to show off a single word. The result? Images that are not just funny but also pretty clever. With her love for puns, Nadia's work will have you seeing words in a whole new way. Get ready to scroll and soak up the fun of Nadia Tolstoy's imagination!
More info: Instagram | surrealians.com | twitter.com
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Nadia is an interior architect by day and a painter, writer, and illustrator of children's books in her free time. She's also a mom of two, living with her family in central Stockholm, Sweden. She believes in keeping curiosity and fun alive in her family, inspired by Leo Burnett's idea that "curiosity about life in all of its aspects is still the secret of great creative people."
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Nadia told us that with her doodles she wants to make people smile. "Personally, I find that an ability to find humor in stressful situations gives me a sense of perspective on my problems. These are difficult times, and many people are suffering for so many different reasons. But if I can make people forget their worries for just a few seconds, that's more than enough for me."
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How long it takes to create one illustration varies from doodle to doodle. "Sometimes, it just takes 10-20 minutes, when it´s a simple one and I have the idea clear in my head, like the JON SNOW one. But sometimes it takes waaaaaaay longer like the KNEE CAP one because I don’t even know what angle to go for and how to make it super clear. I first tried drawing just the knee on top of a cap but it looked all wrong so I had to start over and include the whole leg with the shoe and all. So that one probably took me more than an hour to get right. Also, I sometimes start one and realize it´s going nowhere so I let it rest and revisit it later. So you might say from 15 minutes to 15 days."
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The artist loves exploring how illustrations and words work together to convey ideas. She's especially fond of the English language, which she fell in love with during her time in London. "Of course, I´ve been in love with the English language since I lived in London as a teen and young adult and have been a passionate explorer of words."
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