sobota, 30. avgust 2025

Drobtinice iz studia/A Little Crumbs from my Studio


Ko se pogovarjam z ljudmi, me pogosto kdo vpraša, ali je kakšna razlika med tem, ko ustvarjam svoj lasten avtorski projekt in ko ilustriram zgodbo drugega avtorja. Še ne dolgo nazaj bi rekla, da ni razlike. Sedaj pa ne mislim več tako. 
Obstaja razlika med ustvarjanjem lastnega projekta in med ilustriranjem zgodbe drugega avtorja. Ko ustvarjam svoje delo, se mi zdi kot da plavam med neštetimi možnostmi iz ustvarjalne juhe, ki so na voljo. Drugače je, ko ustvarjam iz svojega jedra. Navadno še bolj vključim vrednote in stvari, ki jih cenim in so mi pomembne. Bolj sem neobremenjena pritiska ob misli, ali bom dovolj počastila delo avtorja zgodbe. Ta skrb ni prisotna, ko ustvarjam svojo zgodbo in mi daje več svobode. 
To pa ne pomeni, da mi je muka ilustrirati druge zgodbe. Sploh ne! Čutim pa veliko odgovornost do nekoga, ki mi je zaupal svoje delo v ilustriranje. Ko slišim želje uredništva in pisatelja, moram v vseh željah in omejitvah najti prostor za svojo svobodo, kjer bom lahko združila čim več želja, ohranila svojo integriteto ter hkrati počastila avtorja, ki je zgodbo napisal. Zdi se, kot da drugače okušam zgodbe, ki jih dobim v ilustriranje od teh, ki jih ustvarjam sama. Vse to me bogati. Izjemno sem hvaležna, da lahko ustvarjam.

* * *

When I talk to people, I’m often asked whether there’s a difference between working on my own personal project and illustrating someone else’s story. Not long ago, I would have said no. However, I now see things differently.
There is a difference between creating my own project and illustrating a story written by another author. When I’m working on my own, it feels like I’m swimming in countless possibilities, choosing freely from the creative “soup” available to me. It’s a different experience when I create from my own core. I usually bring in more of my values and the things I care about deeply. I feel less pressure, because there’s no one else’s work at stake—only mine. That absence of concern gives me a sense of freedom.
But that doesn’t mean illustrating other people’s stories is a burden. Not at all! I simply feel a stronger responsibility toward someone who has entrusted me with their work. When I hear the wishes of the editor and the writer, I need to find a space within all those requests and limitations where I can express my own freedom—where I can bring their vision to life, while also staying true to myself, and at the same time honor the author who wrote the story.
It feels like I “taste” the stories I illustrate for others differently from the ones I create myself. And all of it enriches me. I’m deeply grateful for the trust I receive from my dear publishers and writers.

Če želit izvod knjige, so na voljo/Books available here:
Kje si?, Miš / Every Little Kindness, Chronicle Books
Finding Forgiveness, Chronicle Books

sobota, 23. avgust 2025

Pozor!/Fraudulent messages!

 I just wanted to let you know that someone is using my email address to send spam and fraudulent messages (spoofed email). It's not me! 

Pozor, če dobite kakšna čudna sporočila iz mojega email naslova, to nisem jaz. Nekdo pošilja sporočila o dobitkih, dedovanju etc iz mojega emaila  oz deluje tako kot da sem pošiljala jaz. To nisem jaz!

četrtek, 14. avgust 2025

Brothers Acrobats

This is one of the illustrations that I made for the October issue of Ciciban magazine. Two brothers love to play acrobats. The story was written by Barbara Hanuš.

sreda, 9. julij 2025

Ustvarjanje dobrih zgodb me drži pokonci

Sladko-kislo-grenki so zadnji dnevi in precej razburkani. Šokirana sem nad potezami, ki jih izvaja vlada, ki očitno ne želi podpirati delovnih ljudi, ki bi v življenju radi nekaj dosegli. Dajatve se le povečujejo, samozaposleni pa naj se znajdemo kakor vemo in znamo. Požrešna je ta mati država, prava mačeha, ki svoje ljudi tepe s trdo palico. Mislim, da bi višina novega prispevka samozaposlenih v kulturi morala biti bolj življenjska. Prav tako prispevki, ki mi vzamejo veliko letnega dohodka, na koncu pa malo ostane.

Sladki pa so zaradi dela, ki ga ljubim. Čeprav zapolnjuje skoraj cele dneve, tudi vikende in praznike. In velikokrat utrujena padem v posteljo, za hobije, dopust ali bolniško (bolniško lahko samozaposleni v kulturi koristimo samo, če smo bolni oz bolniško odsotni več kot 31. dni!!!) pa niti pod razno nimam časa. 

Prilagam pa sladki del te objave. Ustvarjam slikanico, ki bo letos izšla pri založbi Zala. Zgodbo je napisala ljuba Mateja Sužnik. Čaka me še naslovnica, ki bo pika na i tej dogodivščini. Ljubim te zgodbe, ki so včasih navihane, včasih skrivnostne, napisane z izjemno občutljivostjo in tankočutnostjo, ki jo danes pogrešam. To zgodbo čutim kot brezčasno klasiko, ki bo zvenela tudi prihajajočim generacijam. 

nedelja, 22. junij 2025

When a Dream Grows: Every Little Kindness, Are We There Yet? and Finding Forgiveness

Since I was little, I have felt a creative force within me and a huge love for drawing and painting. Mom asks me, "Do you remember when you were a little girl? You once said, all inspired, 'Something is happening in the woods!' "A dream was alive.

I still remember the feeling of imagining fairies, pixies, little beetles dancing, trees whispering, red mushrooms growing... But I never imagined I would be where I am today. I'm still in awe of how life has led me to become an artist and to tell my own stories in the form of books.

My first book, Every Little Kindness, was created during my Master's program at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. I was inspired by my friend's action when she adopted a dog named Brko, the main character in the book. He was saved from a shelter where he would have been put down. I wanted to honor her act of kindness. She showed as an example of action. And this is how the story starts. The accent color in the book is red. This color represents life (the color of blood), love (the affection for the dog), and anger (due to the dog being lost). Miš Publishing published the book. In 2021, it was released in the US by Chronicle Books. This edition includes a few changes that contributed to the storyline and its message even more.

Are We There Yet?/A smo že tam? is the second wordless book in this series. The inspiration comes from my life. From my fears and sometimes frustration: what if everything planned goes wrong? Then what? How can I cope with the unknown and uncertainty? The main accent is yellow, signifying warmth. I wanted to create a warm atmosphere as a reminder that life, bigger than myself, is always taking care of everything. However, I must show courage and take the necessary steps. The book was launched into the world by Miš Publishing.

Finding Forgiveness is my third book in the series of wordless picture books as a graphic novel. The inspiration came from my dear agent, Allison. She gave me the courage I needed. Forgiveness is a precious quality, but steps toward it can be quite difficult at times. It feels like working within ourselves reflects the change happening outside. When barriers and heavy emotions melt, life changes, and also connections with others. In the book, the main color is blue. In my country, Slovenia, blue represents the color of forget-me-not. And blue is the color of the sky, but also the color of sadness. All those connect beautifully with the storyline. The book was published by Chronicle Books. The rights are held by Stimola Literary Studio.

So, here they are, three books that I never imagined I would bring to life with the help of wonderful people. Each one was created with passion and love, and each one has its own distinctive accent: red, yellow, and blue. I didn't plan to use those primary colors. It happened intuitively. And just like all other colors are made from the primary ones, many stories can be created with the wordless books I'm writing about.

I don't know why I'm looking back. Maybe because I want to believe in a kind world where we could live together as one family. Maybe to realize that all this (success really) happened. I feel so much gratitude. And amazement. And I wonder where this dream leads from here.

petek, 20. junij 2025

Kje si? potuje na Češko!

Krasna novica! Na Miš založbi pravijo, da Brčko potuje na Češko, saj je pravice za knjigo KJE SI? odkupila češka založba Portál. Maham knjigi na pot in upam, da zaživi v domišljiji tamkajšnjih bralcev!

Wonderful news! I was informed by Mis Publishing that the rights to my book KJE SI? were bought from Portál Publishing in the Czech Republic. I hope the book will find many readers who will take the journey through the worldess story.

ponedeljek, 16. junij 2025

Giclée printi v Knjigarni Morfem


Novica za vse ljubitelje ilustracije! Vesela sem, da so od danes naprej moji giclée printi v prodaji tudi v Morfemovi knjigarni
in sicer trije motivi iz knjige Sto slovenskih ljudskih. Če bi imeli svojega, toplo vabljeni v Šiško!

sobota, 14. junij 2025

KJE SI?


Pot knjige 𝙆𝙅𝙀 𝙎𝙄?, Miš založba, manjkata še nemška (izšla bo ponovno, a pri drugi založbi kot prvič) in turška. Lepo je videti ta nekakšen časovni prerez v sliki. Nisem pričakovala, da bo kdaj moje delo zaživelo v obliki natisnjene knjige. To je bil moj eksperiment, ko sem vse vrgla čez ramo in samo ustvarjala. Če bi imeli slovensko verzijo knjige, jo lahko kupite tudi na spletu in sicer TUKAJ.

It's amazing to see the journey of my book. Two editions are yet to come—Turkish and another German edition. It started as an experiment for my Master's, and I never imagined it would become a printed book. My focus was creating a story about values that are important to me, and playing as much as possible with the art technique and style. If you would like to have the English edition, you can buy it HERE.

petek, 13. junij 2025

26. Mali likovni tabor

Utrinek iz 26. Malega likovnega tabora, ki ga je organizirala JSKD Trebnje. Hvala, Joži Sinur in Petra Zorn za še en prijeten dogodek. Čestitke vsem učencem za njihova dela, ustvarjali so na temo: Ustvarimo deželo po lastni domišljiji!
Foto: Andraž Kovačič
.......
Na letošnjem Malem likovnem taboru je sodelovalo 33 mladih druge in tretje triade z 12 osnovnih in podružničnih šol: OŠ Belokranjskega odreda Semič, OŠ dr. Pavla Lunačka Šentrupert, OŠ Maksa Pleteršnika Pišece, OŠ Mirna. OŠ Mokronog, OŠ Raka, OŠ Toneta Pavčka, OŠ Trebnje, OŠ Trebnje - PŠ Dobrnič, OŠ Trebnje - PŠ Dolenja Nemška vas, OŠ Trebnje - PŠ Šentlovrenc in OŠ Veliki Gaber.
Več tukaj.

ponedeljek, 9. junij 2025

Giclée printi v Knjigarni LGL in Konzorciju MK


Ljubitelji ilustracije, če bi imeli kakšen giclée print zase ali pa za darilo, so na voljo za nakup v Knjigarni Lutkovnega gledališča Ljubljana, od četrtka naprej pa bodo v prodaji tudi v Konzorciju MK. Nekateri motivi so knjižni, nekateri pa ne. (Za) vsakega nekaj. :)