Tell us a little bit about your background?
Doing freelance illustrations for about 3 years all over the world. Full time. Traveling a lot with my notebook and tablet. Worked with Bounty, Clear Vita ABE, Cosmopolitain, Danone, Heinz, Henkel, Kinder, McDonald's, Orion, Panasonic, Pepsi, TAT Ketchup, Wrigley. Some agencies I'm working with are BBDO, DDB, Drive Dentsu, JWT, LeoBurnett, Lowe Adventa, Saatchi & Saatchi and so on. I also work with private clients.
And I’m fond of yoga. I’m Sri Sri Yoga trainer.
Who are your main inspirations? What are your influences?
I love Van Gogh all the time. My friend Gordei also inspires me a lot. Oksana Grivina.
When I was a student my father showed me Dmitry Mitrokhin sketches. They were crazy whimsical, not like you can see in reality, no straight lines and perspective was not right also. I was shocked how we can do beautiful things without making them look realistic like photos. That’s where my journey began.
How do you keep motivated and interested?
2 years I was just like in a competition with myself completing my plan: I wanted first to work with well known brand, then with foreign clients, then foreign and well know... After I’ve done my point I feel frustrated and didn’t got inspiration for some time. But now I just planning some things I want to improve or try in my next illustration and this keeps me motivated. Watching a lot of references. Trying to copy light, texture, composition or something else. This is like a quest every day. Also yoga gives me calm mind, keeps me relaxed while I’m in rush with a tight deadlines. It makes me happy and when you are happy you can do something good.
Do you have any new projects coming up that you can tell us about?
Now I’m working with Drive Dentsu advertising agency drawing illustrations for Mobile World Congress 2013 for Etisalat. It’s pretty much detailed and there will be 6 or 7 big illustrations on the walls of presentation hall. Can’t wait to finish it and show it. Deadline is very tight here.
Also I’m drawing illustrations for MasterCard design for one Russian bank. You can check my Dribbble for sketches and fresh process pieces or my instagram.
What do you know about your country’s design/designers?
I’m always mentioning my friend Andrey Gordeev as he gave me really a lot. He explained a process of how to work with clients freelance when I was working in office. And he inspired me to leave office. After 2 years I inspired him to do yoga and become vegetarian. We had really good exchange. Probably Andey is the most well known and recognized illustrator from Russia. People from other countries must be heard of his works. If you want to see some other russian cool guys you can check revision.ru
Any words you would like to pass it to new comer designers?
To stay focused you can try doing yoga as me. You can train your mind to stay in one state in meditations. If you feel angry a lot it is good for you to try vegetarian food for some time you will see your anger disappears. As for some technical professional things I think it is good to copy other beautiful works, ideas and everything you like. Be like a sponge. Take all you like and then spread it, share. Don’t be greedy and don’t feel disappointed when something goes wrong. You better use that energy to think what’s wrong and to correct it. Be like a spectator of what you do. Try to give it away not to think “this is mine”, “this is what I’ve done”, “Oh, how must be cool I am”. This will help you to grow.
What is your most favorite commercial design of your own?
Hard to choose. I don’t like them all too much. At this time it could be two illustrations of the Calendar for Mail.ru
And there is something I can’t explain in my very old first project which had been featured at Behance Network first time when foreign people started to ask me to draw for them.
Any final comments:
Thanks a lot for invite. I’ve been fond of your magazine while I was working as a graphic designer at the office. And I was really surprised to be featured here after 3 years. Wish you and all people who read this to feel big love, compassion and connection to each other.
P.S. Just found this cute interview. It is 5-6 years old and never been published in my blog. Interesting to see how I've changed in these years. Some things stays the same even. Was really Great time! And now even Greater :P
Fil Dunsky: 
