illustration

8 posts

Art vs Artist 2024

#artvsartist center is a photo of Tatyana, surrounded by 8 of her fav and best paintings she created in 2024: Cloud Forest, A Raven In A Palm Tree, I'll Know It When I See It, Empowered, Aurora Skeleton With Crows, Rainbow Door, Thirst Trap, Dandepops.
#artvsartist 2024

Oh no, it’s my annual #artvsartist compilation, version #artvsartist2024.

To participate in the hashtag, an artist chooses 8 of their favorite artworks that they created during the year, plus 1 photo from that year of themselves, and posts the complication image on Instagram and Twitter. The reason for this is to recap the art from the year and to see if the art resembles the artist.

This year, I created 20 paintings and these are my best 8, some of the best-selling. I love creating fun concepts and jokes with the medium of watercolor & ink.

I think my art resembles my personal style. For example, my holiday decorations:

I finally got my own Christmas tree for the first time this year. An artificial, 4-foot black Christmas tree and ornaments that I spent half a day picking out. Then later that night at 3 AM, I cancelled the order.

But the next morning, I changed my mind again and was determined to have awesome holidays so I placed the same order again. The tree that I imagined is now on my kitchen counter.

For some reason, I wanted to make a wreath. I knew I’d have leftover ornaments from the tree. I already had a wreath frame for some reason because of course I did, and so I ordered extra holographic tinsel garland. I put together the wreath with black glitter artificial Poinsettia flowers, leaves, & berries, and with shiny reddish-pink, night-blue, and lime-green ornaments.

Making my own choices, designing these decorations, and being surrounded by things I created successfully is fun. It made me realize I should’ve created them sooner. But I didn’t know that I wanted to.

When I did realize it, it was because I was determined to have awesome holidays. Also, it reminded me of how one of my dream jobs as an Artist was to design a store window display. I even have experience: while I worked as a florist in a flower shop, I got to stock up the front of the store, create floral designs and set them up around the shop, and made custom floral arrangements for special occasions. My other experience in designing storefront displays is also from designing my own booth space while showing my artwork at art fairs and popup shows. My art has been part of store displays as a featured artist. And my framed paintings are currently on display in public galleries in Illinois and New Mexico. I’m based in Los Angeles, and if you have your own brick-and-mortar store and you like my style based on my artwork and these holiday decorations, and interested in my designs, contact me. But it will be fun. Or else.

A recap of the past #artvsartist compilations from the past 4 years:

#artvsartist center is a sunlit photo of Tatyana, surrounded by 8 of her fav paintings she created in 2023: Shedding Light, Fireflies, Can'tdle, Mount Leafpile, Write, Playtime, Flourish, Angy
#artvsartist2023
#artvsartist center is a photo of Tatyana, surrounded by 8 of her fav and best paintings she created in 2022: Watching Heart Beasts, Morning Roost, Piece #39, Piece #36, Mobile Home, Piece #38, Weather Don't Play It Reigns, Lighthearted
#artvsartist 2022
#artvsartist center is a photo of Tatyana, surrounded by 8 of her fav and best paintings she created in 2021: Remains, Macaraini, Aurosa, Candy lollipops sketch, Suit, Skeletons chilling sketch, Checkerboard clouds and colorful glowing rain sketch, Piece #26
#artvsartist 2021
#artvsartist center is a photo of Tatyana making a margarita with Espolón tequila, surrounded by 8 of her fav and best paintings she created in 2021: Neon palm tree sketch, Piece #23, Piece #22, Piece #21, Skull Lamps, Organic Fireworks, Tulipa, Through Rosé- Colored Glasses
#artvsartist2020

Thank you for all the love and for collecting my paintings, prints, and t-shirts! Happy New Year!

Satisfying Art Videos

If you’ve ever wondered how I paint with watercolor, you can see my art painting videos on YouTube. In these soothing ASMR painting videos, I share my timelapses of a painting being created, how to use watercolor in actual speed, and various watercolor techniques as part of my paintings on this website.

This playlist will be updated every Tuesday morning with a new video. Subscribe here so you don’t miss them.

Paint with me in watercolor & ink new weekly painting videos

I also share the art materials I use in the description of every video so you can pick up the brush and paint with me. Or if you’ve just always wondered how I create my paintings, you can sit back and watch and enjoy. If you enjoy the videos, please click the thumbs up button to let me know that you enjoy them.

Watch now

Thirst Trap Painting Process

Painting is easy, you just sorta:

How to paint a humming bird

And you’re done!

“Thirst Trap” • 5×7″ • watercolor & ink • Original is available for purchase

Do you know why most hummingbird feeders have red syrup? It’s because that’s cranberry vodka. Do not fill your hummingbird feeder with cranvodka. Hummingbird-feeding should only be handled by professionals. You know who you are.

New Painting: Mystree

Watercolor & ink painting of a colorful, misty tree.
Mystree
5×7″ • watercolor & ink

At the end of the street grew a tree. Right in the middle of the road, giving a whole new meaning to a dead end.

Art vs Artist 2023

#artvsartist center is a sunlit photo of Tatyana, surrounded by 8 of her fav paintings she created in 2023: Shedding Light, Fireflies, Can'tdle, Mount Leafpile, Write, Playtime, Flourish, Angy

It’s that time of the year again: #artvsartist. To participate, an artist chooses 8 of their favorite artworks that they created during the year, plus 1 photo from the year of themselves, and posts the complication image on Instagram and Twitter. I’m also posting it here on my blog because I believe in blog. My 2023 recap:

  • This year, I focused on painting a lot of smaller art, sized ~ 5×5 in and 5×7 in
  • I did a lot of brainstorming to prepare to paint larger art and these smaller pieces helped me nail down my ideas and techniques
  • This year, I especially appreciated the beautiful, little things in life, like watching the sunset from my yacht*

*It’s a metaphorical yacht. If I ever have a real yacht, you’d be the first I would invite.

Tree’s All That

A watercolor & ink painting of a Christmas tree decorated with red, yellow, and blue bauble ornaments that imply the tree has two eyes, a mouth with a sad expression, and a blood-like tear streaming down from one of the eyes • The mood of the illustrations is dark and whimsical ∙ Art created by Tatyana ∙ razorberries.com

Merry Christmas Tree
5″x7″ watercolor & ink

I created this painting in 2016. I wanted to paint a Christmas tree with a sad expression and how it might feel in contrast to such a joyful season, as a joke.

One evening on December 1st of that year in Chicago, I decided I wanted to spend time sketching at a cafe in the Lakeview neighborhood. Ordered a plate of fries and a glass of water for dinner.

A spiral-bound sketchbook of variations of the sketch of the Christmas tree on a table at a diner. There's a glass of water and a basket of fries on the side.

Thumbnail sketches of various ideas

Sketching at restaurants and cafes is super fun for me, especially when I’m sketching my ideas instead of sketching the cafe environment exactly as it is, or sketching the food in front of me. I sketched 3 thumbnail drawings in pencil first. If you haven’t heard of the term, I didn’t actually sketch real-life thumbnails, like the type on your fingers. It’s called a thumbnail sketch because the sketch is small and messy, like thumbnails.

Pencil sketch of a Christmas that was used to create the final watercolor & ink painting later. In this sketch, the tree is also with decorations arranged in a way that are subtly resembling eyes and a mouth of the tree making a sad facial expression.

The pencil sketch that was used to create the final painting

Or maybe it’s just the thumbnails on my fingers that are messy because they cracked in the past when I fell down the stairs at my house, not unlike Rachael Leigh Cook’s character Laney in “She’s All That.” But I really committed to the bit and continued to pick at my cuticles, mostly in high school during Algebra class. Since then, I’ve been fixing them by filing them and painting on vitamins and strengtheners. They’re finally getting better and look almost normal. This took several years. If you need advice on what nail strengthener I used, I’ve got you but you should probably go to the doctor.

After I completed the three sketch variations on my tree idea, I chose one idea and sketched the final pencil sketch underneath the thumbnail sketches. That’s the one transferred onto watercolor paper using a light box underneath the sketch and the watercolor paper.

To make your tree feel better, always place a mirror on the opposite side so that the tree can see how beautiful and loved your tree is.

Happy Holidays!

♥ Tatyana

Lighting A Can’tdle

A colorful surrealistic watercolor & ink painting by the artist Tatyana of an apple core skull candle.
Can’tdle • 5″x7″ watercolor & ink on 6″x8″ paper

My last year’s resolution was to take more selfies and I failed miserably. To take a selfie, you need a certain flick-of-the-wrist to turn your hand with your phone at your face and take a photo, and also to remember to do that, and I don’t have that. But at least I have a cramp in my hand and a headache.

I might as well learn to play the guitar – this would take just as much effort, but make the world a better place. Instead of learning a whole new instrument, I’d like to use the flick-of-the-wrist I already have and write. I’ve decided that my 2024 resolution is to share more of my stories.

If you’re reading this by email, you’ve been getting my newsletters for a while and now you’re about to join me and 63 other subscribers on my new adventures every Tuesday: in painting, hiking, and grocery shopping. Or you’re about to unsubscribe. Choose your own adventure, no hard feelings.

The rollercoaster of life is taking us through a series of holidays again and there’s a lot of apples. I’ve been loving Honeycrisp apples, in particular, and painted “Can’tdle.” It’s a juxtaposition of candles and apples, and apple candles.

Just don’t go too far into the core because the apple seeds can be poisonous. Can’tdle is how an apple can be angry for having its fruit eaten but not the seeds from which it can be reproduced. Something to chew on…

This painting was brought to you by a series of carefully-placed boops.

♥ Tatyana

The Tale of Tattletail

I’m excited to be a part of the SPECIES Showcase by Animal, coming soon to New Delhi, India. Artists were asked to create artwork of an animal. The only rule is that it had to be in the shape of the Animal logo. So, I created “Tattletail” inspired by parakeets.

Tattletail_500x300

The title of my Animal artwork is Tattletail, emphasizing the long tails of parakeets. When I was a kid, I got an aqua-colored parakeet named Kesha for my birthday. He was a sweet little bird, who learned how to talk and even tried to compose his own phrases. Eventually, he passed away. I missed him a lot. Years later, I did what any well-adjusted teenager would have done: I got a new aqua-colored parakeet and named him Kesha. But this one had a completely different personality and didn’t talk. That’s when reality hit me like a ton of bird droppings: No matter how similar the characteristics, each animal is unique and tells its story in its own way.

Additionally, here’s a tiny video I made that shows the drawing process and close-ups:

(Song: “I Like Birds” – The Eels)