Ukrainian fugitive
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, men were banned from leaving Ukraine, while thousands of women left for safer countries. This ban is explained by the fact that men must be prepared for the fact that at any moment they can be drafted into the army and they will have to go to defend their country. But many guys, for various reasons, are looking for ways to illegally leave Ukraine. This series of drawings illustrates the stories of different people about how they tried to get through the state border. Often at the same time, men have to risk their lives, and deaths are also known.
One of the most popular routes for illegal border crossing is the Tisza River, which separates Ukraine and Romania. She is very fast and cold. I used the image of this river in my illustrations.
One of the goals of the work was the development of characters. I took yellow and blue as the main colors, like the colors of the flag, but tried to make them complex and blend well. My goal was to draw people dynamic, due to the distortion of proportions, I wanted to convey their movement.
In the process of work, I looked at a lot of photos in order to immerse myself in the topic and choose references.
In clarifying this topic, I do not take either side - I do not support illegal border crossings, but I do not want to condemn people who do this. War affects everyone differently and not everyone is mentally strong enough to deal with it.
Thank you for watching!
