A Brush of Wonder: Illustrations by Daniela Olejníková

Slovak illustrator and graphic designer Daniela Olejníková has quietly become a force in contemporary visual storytelling. A master of vibrant textures and layered motifs, Olejníková blurs the boundary between analog print traditions and digital design—creating work that invites you to slow down, explore and imagine.

Olejníková’s artistic journey began at a math-focused high school — yet her path soon led her to the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, where she initially painted. As she tells it, her instructors flagged her work as “too illustrative,” prompting a bold move. “I transferred to Illustration under Professor Dušan Kállay…and immediately felt at home”, Daniela explains. Her first illustrated project was Andersen’s The Nightingale, a recast in modern-day China. Exhibited at Bologna’s Children’s Book Fair, the project paved the way for commissions, especially in children’s publishing.

Elegant yet playful, painterly yet graphic.

What defines Daniela’s style is a deliberate interplay of texture, vibrant palette, and analog-inspired imperfection. Although she works digitally, she draws on the legacies of linocut and screen printing. As she explains, “I’m fascinated by imperfection: rasters, layering, color shifts. Digital tools simulate these, but I push further to create new visuals from analog origins.”

I’m fascinated by imperfection: rasters, layering, color shifts. Digital tools simulate these, but I push further to create new visuals from analog origins.

Olejníková often begins with hand-drawn textures, then digitizes and multiplies them — sometimes imposing self-restrictions, such as using only Pantone colors, to emulate the behavior of real-world print processes. “It’s thrilling since illustrations don’t reach their final form until printed on paper,” she notes.

In support of narrative authenticity. Olejníková treats children — and adults— as intelligent participants and consumers of her works. 

Though best known for her picture book illustrations, Olejníková’s storytelling isn’t limited to youthful audiences. She’s illustrated deeply moving works — like The Escape (with Marek Vadas), about child migrants — and quirky encyclopedias such as Verminarium, which showcase creatures with linocut flair. On working with children’s themes, she says, “I believe in giving space for a child’s imagination. Don’t underestimate the reader, and don’t over-explain.”

Her translations of heavy themes are textured with hope, whether in the palette or the subtleties of her compositions, as she also illustrates for adult audiences. A collaboration with Čierne diery, a Slovak initiative preserving industrial heritage, saw her create three‑color risograph prints and books documenting vanishing architecture. With a portfolio spanning cultural, corporate, and environmental contexts, from the Slovak Presidential Palace puzzle to Czech Philharmonic posters – all showcasing her signature layering and visual narrative – she blends analog sensibility with digital precision, fueled by fresh visual storytelling. Make sure to follow the artist on Instagram for further inspiration.