“When you read about an illustrator's path you read something similar to "I started to draw since childhood, I always remember myself drawing and never looked back,” says Tatiana Vovchek. "My career looks like a quest where with each experience, I clear my pathway forward.”

After graduating with a degree in IT, Tatiana dabbled in a series of creative professions from photography to translation before she settled as a web designer. Eventually she was promoted to an art director and was managing a team of designers. “It was an amazing corporate experience but I always felt as if I wanted to be a creator rather than a manager,” she reflects.

Lost fairy by Tatiana Vovchek

Tatiana decided to pivot her career trajectory after relocating to Paris to become a web designer for a company called Holidog. A few months later, she became a mother to her beloved daughter Alisa, which sparked her interest in children’s books and children’s book illustration, and this genre has since become Tatiana’s niche.

France City Tourist Maps - Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice by Tatiana Vovchek 

Tatiana decided to pivot her career trajectory after relocating to Paris to become a web designer for a company called Holidog. A few months later, she became a mother to her beloved daughter Alisa, which sparked her interest in children’s books and children’s book illustration, and this genre has since become Tatiana’s niche. 

It wasn’t long until Tatiana settled into and fell in love with her new environment. “After work, I painted with watercolor Parisian views and posted them on Instagram. My illustration with the Eiffel Tower went viral and brought me many followers! That gave me the energy to try to become a commercial illustrator.” 

Illustrations for IT Company by Tatiana Vovchek

With her newfound confidence, Tatiana began to identify new illustration opportunities. “My boss Julien Muller in that Parisian company believed in me and when I offered to create illustrations for our website myself without hiring an external illustrator, he agreed,” she recalls. Seven years later, she still works with the company as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated hundreds of articles for the corporate blog. 

Naturally, animal illustrations also became a part of Tatiana’s niche. One project that’s close to Tatiana’s heart is Loss Unleashed, a book about finding solace after the loss of a beloved animal companion. As a pet owner who had overcome her own difficult loss of her dachshund Bim cat Margo after ten years together, this project was a particularly personal one. “For this book I illustrated many heartwarming scenes with dogs and cats inspired by my own memories.”

28 animal affirmations book for recovery from pet loss by Tatiana Vovchek

Crafting and committing to a niche has been a cornerstone of Tatiana’s success. “If you say you can draw anything then people will order nothing or pay little. Become professional in your niche and you will be known for it.”

Cats Illustrations for Hector Kitchen by Tatiana Vovchek

Tatiana has been using Behance to showcase her work for over the last 12 years. “Behance's website and Adobe portfolio brought me great clients through the years,” she shares. “It’s a perfect place for showcasing your illustrations to a wide audience!”

“As a Featured Freelancer on Behance since November 2023, I noticed a big increase in potential leads. I answer new lead requests almost every day,” says Tatiana. Since then, Tatiana has completed 8 projects through Behance and has received rave reviews from her clients. 

Many of Tatiana’s clients are repeat customers. Her secret to success? Empathy and a willingness to help. “Client success is my success,” Tatiana explains. “If I have a chance to overdeliver — for example, give my recommendations to marketing visuals of the product, prepare print files, make a reel with illustration process for the book promotion, or make professional photos of the product as I have a photography background — I will be glad to help!” 

Selected Illustrations collection - 2023 by Tatiana Vovchek

“Being a freelancer is a challenging and unstable job,” Tatiana admits. “Every freelancer has had that point when you want to give up and find a stable job.” Preparation is key in order to prepare for the inevitable ups and downs of being a freelancer. 

Tatiana’s advice is to start with a solid financial safety net: “I recommend everyone to have the financial safety pillow of at least 6 months of your expenses when you go full-time freelance. This will get rid of the anxiety of not being able to maintain a regular level of comfort.”

Best friends children's illustrations by Tatiana Vovchek

Tatiana also recommends diversifying your income streams. “When I saw that Behance offered selling assets I selected small pattern collections out of my designs on Adobe Stock into a set to see if it works for me as extra income,” says Tatiana, “It is my way to build a passive income stream and to give a second life to illustrations I made for personal study or which were not used by clients.” After showcasing her assets on Behance, a client was so impressed that they reached out to Tatiana for a custom pattern design.

“I am glad to be in demand as an illustrator now. I can work from anywhere and during the hardest times, my illustrations let me brighten up the world,” shares Tatiana. 

See more illustration projects by Tatiana and hire her for freelance illustration projects on Behance.