Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog

Good morning! This short animated film by Théodore Ushev is like an animated shot of adrenaline. (More films by Théodore Ushev)

Nothing like a little Russian constructivism to get you pumped up for your day. Enjoy!

Also check out Ushev’s blog.

Russian artist Victor Dubrovsky creates these adorable and elegant needle felted animals.

(via Vera Brosgol)

The long-out-of-print book of drawings by Russian surrealist Boris Artzybasheff, As I See, has finally made it back it to print thanks to Titan Books, and it’s one of the coolest books that’s made it into my collection this year. As I See is a real visual treat of surrealism–a look at human progress and technology that lies somewhere between where Jim Henson and Salvador Dali meet, or perhaps an unlikely collaboration between Dr. Seuss and H.R. Giger. It’s the perfect blend of cartoon silliness and unsettling social commentary.

See more of Artzybasheff’s work online at The American Art Archives.

And while we’re on the subject of Russian illustrators, here’s Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. For more of her work, check out her profiles on Behance, LiveJournal, and Flickr.

Thanks to PK from Bibliodyssey for the tip!

Some wonderful stuff from Russian illustrator Oksana Grivina…

Bold and stark: check out Russian illustrator Victor Melamed’s work. Astounding stuff. (Be sure to click on the ++++’s for more images for each particular post.)

Can anyone tell me more about this Russian Winnie the Pooh cartoon? The storybook-like artwork is stunning, and completely different than either the Disney version or the original Ernest Shepard illustrations.

Speaking of Mr. Shepard, how could I mention his name and not post this as well:

I see a lot of strong stuff on Livejournal from Russians, and Gordei is one whose work catches my eye every time. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything about him/her because I can’t read Russian, but have a look.

I can’t read Russian, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you more about this artist, but here’s his/her website and blog. The image above is a screen capture of the website’s Flash interface. The Soviet Union didn’t go for art-for-art’s-sake colour field abstraction or action painting or all that other stuff we in the West got after World War 2, and while that sucked for artists who wanted to explore these things, the upside was that rigorous traditional training was available and encouraged. I’m suspecting the reason I see so many great illustrations coming from Russians through my Livejournal communities is due to this legacy.

The Murder of Lord Waterbook (Part One | Part Two) is a beautifully-drawn Sherlock Holmes send-up by Russian animator Alexander Bubnov. The visual style and subtle humour are both understated and perfect. Even the animation itself, which looks to be done in AfterEffects is surprisingly nuanced.

You can check out the original script and some sketches on the creator’s LiveJournal. While the film is in Russian, the version on YouTube has English subtitles.

(seen via Vera Brosgol’s journal)