olha tkachenko

olha tkachenko – Designer

Love creating magic! Children's book illustrator (10+ yrs) creating realistic, classic, and digital illustrations and book design!

Overview

Hey there! I'm Olha Tkachenko, a Toronto illustrator who loves creating magical worlds for children's books!

Born and raised in Ukraine, my art bursts with bright colors, playful patterns, and a touch of Eastern European flair.

Whether it's realistic characters, fantastical creatures, or funny cartoons, I can bring your story to life! I use all sorts of cool tools, from classic paints and pencils to digital magic.

I love working with authors and publishers to make their vision a reality. We can brainstorm ideas together, and I'm happy to make changes until you're thrilled with the illustrations.

I offer a minimum of two rounds of edits for sketches and one for the final artwork, so you can be sure everything looks just perfect!

Most importantly, I have a blast creating fun and colorful illustrations that make kids smile. Let's work together and bring your next children's book to life!

Services
Fiction
Action & Adventure Christian Fiction Classics Cultural & Ethnic Fantasy Magical Realism Picture Books
Non-Fiction
Children’s Non-Fiction
Awards
  • Hiii illustration 2020

Work experience

Self-employed

Oct, 2016 — Present
● Illustrated, designed and prepared for printing more than 25 children’s books in 3 years ● Led the creative process during the concept development phase for each project including, research, brainstorming, character development, freehand sketches, client audits and corrections, design and layout, etc. ● Contributed to the development of style guides, and adhered to style guides in print and digital work ● Produced a variety of illustration styles and assets to be used for print and digitally ● Reviewed and implemented client feedback, ensuring alignment with branding and creative direction ● Followed production pipeline, ensure art is created and integrated into products efficiently

Portfolio

Sirko: The Ukrainian folktale in English and Ukrainian (Ukrainian Folk tales from Little Big Me)

Tkachenko, Olha

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Joey Finds His Jump!: A Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Story for Young Movers (Dance-It-Out! Creative Movement Stories for Young Movers)

a Dance, Once Upon

Illustration
Little Red riding Hood

Olha, Tkachenko

Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design Production Management
More Babas, Please!

Mutala, Marion

Illustration
Made with Reedsy
Clara and the Constellations (Moon Games)

Davis, Allie

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Mommy Where Does Love Come From? (Kingdom Kids Books by Nicole Pierce)

Pierce, Nicole

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Mommy Where Does Heaven Come From?

Pierce, Nicole

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Canada from A to Z: coloring book

Tkachenko, Olha

Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
Made with Reedsy
Soy un Superheroe Autista / I am an Autistic Superhero

Sproul, Andrea M

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Lily meets the Flower Fairies of Maui

Munkley, Katherine Ross

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
The Woman Behind the Waterfall: A celebration of Ukrainian culture

Meriel, Leonora

Illustration
The Turnip: Bilingual book (Ukrainian Folktales)

Tkachenko, Olha

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
The Ear of Wheat (Bilingual picture books with Ukrainian folktales from Olha Tkachenko)

Tkachenko, Olha

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management
Made with Reedsy
Spencer the Squirrel Scurries to Share

Porfiri, Leni

Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
Saving Tonbra's Finger

Nwanze, Ekide

Cover Design Illustration Book Interior Design
God Loves You This Much!

Billing, Judy K

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
I Forgive You

Billing, Judy K

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
Talking To Jesus

Billing, Judy K

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
In The Beginning

Billing, Judy

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design
The Underdog Duckling

Sally Meadows

Illustration
My Buddy, Dido!

Marion Mutala

Illustration
The Cat with the Crooked Tail: A Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Story for Young Movers

a Dance, Once Upon

Illustration
Mira Monkey’s Magic Mirror Adventure: A Dance-It-Out Creative Movement Story for Young Movers (Dance-It-Out! Creative Movement Stories for Young Movers)

a Dance, Once Upon

Illustration
My Dearest Dido: The Holodomor Story

Mutala, Marion

Cover Design
Kolobok: The Small Round Bun

Tkachenko, Olha

Cover Design Illustration Typography Book Interior Design Production Management

olha has 18 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Jenny F.

Jenny F.

May, 2024

Pinned
Olha was really great to work with. She set clear expectations at the beginning, was helpful in engaging with the project and offering insightful feedback, checked in and communicated regularly about her progress and any questions she had, and delivered excellent quality work in a timely manner.
Karen B.

Karen B.

Feb, 2024

Pinned
I loved working with Olha. She was very professional and accommodating. This was my first book, so I leaned on her in ways that a seasoned writer would not. She was patient with me, and we had superb communication. Above all, her artwork is gorgeous. I probably could have gotten a less expensive ...
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Daniel S.

Daniel S.

Dec, 2021

Pinned
Olha has been a blessing! Her work is magnificent. She is very helpful, has a lot of knowledge. She has been providing good information to help us make better decisions, and ways to save money. We are still in the process of working with her and plan to use her on all work going forward! O...
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olha T.
Thank you for the collaboration, Daniel! It was a pleasure to work on your project, and the whole idea of your book is highly respected! Hope to work with you in the future again!
Karen B.

Karen B.

Feb, 2025

This is my second project with Olha. Although the first sketch wasn't quite what I was looking for, it was a great illustration. She will create a new illustration from a different POV, and I am confident it will be great, as she has gained more information from me regarding details. Her response...
Read more
Allie D.

Allie D.

Jun, 2024

I can’t say enough about working with Olha! I’m so very grateful for her work and professionalism. She is a jewel and so talented.

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