Liuba Vladimirova moved to Beijing ten years ago with the intention to build her career here. She obviously made the right choice. Today, she is a full-time artist/illustrator, best known as Liuba Draws. All her works have been greatly influenced by the city itself and include postcards, prints, magnets, coloring books, cards and even jewelry. The newest addition to the big collection of her Beijing-inspired work is “Liuba Draws Beijing,” an unconventional illustrated guidebook full of paintings, personal stories and anecdotes, all of which tell a visual story of Liuba’s experiences and life here.
Five years ago Liuba’s editor approached her with the idea of creating a comprehensive collection of her artwork – and that’s how the book came to exist.
“I told her I was interested, but I wanted to create a book that I would want to read myself. That brought a long period of thinking and editing content, which finally culminated in the book that is now,” says Liuba about where she got the idea for the book from.
The book consists of six chapters: Hutong, Traffic, Food, Holidays, Park Adventures, and Attractions, and, according to Liuba, it should make an interesting read and informative guide for all age groups:
“I think this book is great for people that just moved to Beijing or have lived here for a while. Also for visitors, anyone over 10 years old. I also included Chinese characters with pinyin and translations, so some new words could be picked up by learners of Chinese.”
If you fall into one of these categories, be sure to check out Liuba’s new book. In a few short weeks, “Liuba Draws Beijing” will be available in bookstores all over the city, as well as online through major book selling platforms, but for now, if you want a copy you need to pre-order it through her WeChat store and have it delivered it to you after Nov 20. (To access the WeChat store, add Liuba’s official account: Liuba Draws)
Liuba has been the face and hands behind The Beijing Calendar with her eye-catching illustrations, and has done lots of other art pieces that have one thing in common – Beijing as their backbone.
So what inspires Liuba in Beijing?
“Short answer: everything. In most of my paintings the focus is on people – how people live in Beijing and use the space around them. I also love to see the changes. Beijing is such a fast-paced city, where major changes happen all the time, and I try to document this in my own way through my paintings.”
Images: Liuba Vladimirova
KEEP READING: 5 Household Lifesavers Shared by Real Beijing Expat Parents
