A freelance illustrator we are pleased to have back as our cover artist, Asya Yordanova, explores horror, fantasy, and folklore within her work, creating pieces that entice the viewer to keep searching the details to unveil the story within.
BRADLEY POWERS: Texture is an element that can easily be over- or underdone, but it absolutely shines in your work, especially this month’s cover art “Letters to Nowhere.” What techniques do you use to keep the textured elements of your pieces so well-balanced?
ASYA YORDANOVA: I use a variety of custom brushes, a large part of which I made myself. To create them, I use scans of watercolor splashes, paper and lace images that I either scan or download from free to use stock websites, such as pixabay.
BP: In your last interview with Apex Magazine (issue 135) you mentioned being inspired by Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. Stories such as these convey a moral. How has growing up on fables inspired your work? Are there any instances where you’ve woven a moral into your work?
AY: Growing up on fairy tales has definitely expanded my imagination. I cannot think of any painting I've done where I've woven a moral. Mostly, fables have inspired me to illustrate how I envision various archetypes, such as the old crone, the maiden, etc, and to twist and turn them into some contradictory mixture of classical characters.
BP: A lot of the pieces you’ve posted recently are very horror-oriented. What are some things you love about the genre and what are you enjoying about creating horror artwork lately?
AY: I enjoy the more subdued, "quiet" type of horror–no slashers or gore for me, please! Creepy, weird, and unexplainable is my favorite type of horror. What I've found enjoyable in my work are the attempts and explorations to recreate the creepy, eerie atmosphere of various books, movies, and TV series that have impressed me throughout the years.
BP: I’m fascinated with your recent portraits. They have similarities to nineteenth century portrait paintings, but have a horror twist. These individuals are clearly struggling against something, but what it is, the viewer can only imagine. Do these pieces have a particular story behind them? What advice would you give to an artist hoping to improve their visual storytelling abilities?
AY: The story behind these portraits is my own struggle with self-censorship. I came to the realization that I was censoring my work, so to say. Often I caught myself having an idea, and then thinking “no, that's too weird, or too gross, or too dark.” And then I'd go and do a more mellow version, or even scrap it altogether. This self-sabotage was really frustrating, and the horror artwork I've done lately marks my attempts to break away from that bad habit.
In my opinion what's most important for good visual storytelling is an ability to capture emotion and a keen eye for detail. The best pieces I've seen have carefully chosen details that tell a story. Looking at such artwork feels almost like piecing together a puzzle, it keeps the viewer engaged and interested to explore the illustration, to find even more clues about the backstory of a character or a scene. My advice for artists is to not overlook the significance of details in an image. The devil is in them, after all.
BP: Thanks so much, Asya, for sharing the uncensored “weird” of these magnificent portraits, as well as the rest of your amazing work and the thoughts behind them. If you like to see more of Asya’s work check out Instagram, DeviantArt, and Apex Magazine’s last interview with Asya.
