Spread the love

Some emotions are so ordinary that we rarely stop to acknowledge them. Romanian illustrator Livia Falcaru brings those quiet, everyday feelings into the spotlight through her colorful and thoughtful illustrations. She draws inspiration from her personal experiences as a woman navigating modern life, capturing moments of vulnerability, connection, doubt, and self-reflection. While her work often appears bright and playful at first glance, a closer look reveals honest observations about emotions many people recognize but don’t always put into words.

For Falcaru, art is closely tied to personal growth. Her creative process constantly evolves alongside her life experiences, allowing her work to shift and expand over time. Combining both traditional and digital techniques, she also explores other mediums including ceramics, objects, and murals. Her distinctive visual voice has led to collaborations with major international brands and publications such as Vans, Meta, Vogue, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and many others.

More info: Instagram | liviafalcaru.com | Facebook

#1

Falcaru has been working as a freelance illustrator for the past 10 years. In an interview with Bored Panda, she shared that she has never had a 9-to-5 job and never plans to. “This was my only occupation since high school, when I decided illustration is the craft I want to pursue as a career. This is where it all began for me, in a town called Galați,” the artist explained.

She has been painting and drawing since she was a little kid. “Probably like every child, I liked scribbling all sorts of things and exploring. When we are young, the concept of ‘not good enough’ is not yet developed in us, so everything we create is born from a place of wonder and openness,” Falcaru said.

#2

#3

The artist also shared that her mom used to draw with her a lot when she was young. Although she was talented, she never pursued a career in the field. Those moments of drawing together played an important role in Falcaru’s decision to further explore this path.

“When I was 17, my parents bought me a graphic tablet, and I started experimenting with digital art. I was instantly absorbed by it and decided that I want to improve. I quickly realised this could be a career path for me and made a promise to stick with it no matter what. No plan B! This is how it all began for me, and here we are 13 years later.”

#4

#5

Falcaru’s artistic practice moves freely between traditional and digital techniques and often expands into other mediums such as ceramics, murals, and objects. When asked which material she currently feels most connected to, the artist said that digital drawing still holds a special place in her creative process.

“I think for me it’s still digital drawing that I love most. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I like the freedom it gives me. I’m a bit indecisive at times. I erase and redraw a lot! Then I change the colours several times until I feel it best represents what I had in mind. Working in Procreate, for example, was one of the best decisions I made for improving my workflow. Before turning to digital art, I was only drawing and painting traditionally. I have to admit, nothing beats the feeling of painting on a canvas with oils, for example, it has its character and emotion.”

#6

#7

She explained that her early years were focused on learning classical drawing and painting skills before eventually deciding to break away from those rules and explore her own approach.

“My formative years were mostly me learning to paint and draw correctly, and then I decided to completely break away from those rules and canons. This period in my life was very useful in the long run.”

Falcaru wanted to bring that knowledge and experience to the digital medium. “Often, people ask me if my illustrations are made by hand or digitally; they can’t pinpoint for sure. And this is exactly what I wanted to achieve in my process. To bridge the gap between traditional and digital.”

#8

#9

To better understand her creative process, we asked Falcaru what a typical day in her life as an artist looks like.

“A good day starts with green tea for me. I try to have little rituals, but sometimes life gets a bit chaotic so I don’t get to always stick with them. I base myself a lot on intuition and listen to what my body and mind needs on that day,” she said and mentioned that she likes to create both at home or in the studio, depending on the mood.

“Home is for when I want to be more cozy, maybe draw wrapped in a blanket with my cat. The studio is usually where more serious stuff happens — I pack orders, prepare stocks, or want to paint on larger canvases, for example.”

#10

#11

We also asked Falcaru what she hopes people might feel or discover when looking at her work. The artist explained that she rarely begins with a fixed message in mind. Instead, ideas tend to appear unexpectedly, often drawn from her own personal experiences and emotional landscape.

While some pieces may reflect deeper feelings, others simply capture small moments or objects from everyday life that she finds visually pleasing. Falcaru sees her illustrations as a way of sharing her perspective with others and hopes that those who encounter her work can connect with it in their own way.

Ultimately, she hopes her work resonates with those who connect with her perspective. In a world that often feels tense and overwhelming, she wishes her illustrations could offer viewers a small pause — “a spark of enjoyment” in their day.