Siberian Folk Take
3D Narrative Environment
Siberian Folk Tale is a 3D illustrated narrative project developed as a final thesis for the Sheridan Illustration program. The project reimagines a traditional Siberian children’s story through hand-fabricated miniature sets and characters, creating cinematic stills that blur the line between illustration, film, and physical world-building.
Challenge
Children’s books rely heavily on illustration to hold attention, yet most imagery remains flat and static. The challenge was to create a visual language that felt immersive and cinematic—inviting young readers into the story without placing them in front of a screen.
Instead of illustrating the story in 2D, I translated each scene into a fully built miniature environment. The images were designed to read like film stills, allowing the reader to experience the story as if they were watching a movie—while remaining engaged with a physical book. This approach aimed to make shared reading more immersive for children and more engaging for parents.
Building Proccess
Each scene was built by hand using paper, cardboard, styrofoam, air-dry clay, and recycled materials. Characters, environments, textures, and props were illustrated, sculpted, painted, and assembled to function as cohesive miniature film sets. Lighting and composition were carefully controlled to enhance mood, depth, and storytelling clarity.
Workshop Fabrication Process- from sketch to set
Outcome
The final work exists as a physical book mock-up supported by photographic documentation. The project demonstrates how miniature fabrication and illustration can be combined to create immersive narrative worlds for print. The format also establishes a foundation for future adaptation into motion, positioning the project as a potential visual pitch for animated or stop-motion film development.
Future Direction
The project was intentionally structured to allow for expansion into moving scenes. The illustrated stills could be developed into a short trailer or proof-of-concept film, extending the narrative world beyond print and into motion-based storytelling. All the sets can be taken apart, and the characters are built as stop motion puppets.
Awards and Exhibitions
Exhibition: Society of Illustrators New York Exhibition
Award: Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition Exhibit
Award: Society of Illustrators: Lila and Ben Dryer Scholarship Award
