Two names (and a pseudonym):
Maya Bocheva-Wiki
Introduce yourself in a few words:
I am an author, artist, illustrator and animation director. I work on the border between books, games and animation, and my passion is children's interactive projects - stories that bring to life and engage children in a way that art, play and knowledge come together naturally. I create books, games, films and illustrations with the desire to make the world of children more colorful, more interesting and more educational.
What did you graduate from?
Secondary special art school of applied arts and Animation cinema at NBU
What is your professional experience so far?
I have been professionally involved in the field of illustration and animation for 25 years. For many years I worked as a freelancer and had the opportunity to be part of the teams of various large international projects. For a short period of time, I worked on the interactive fairy tales about Disney Fairies for Disney Channel, as well as on one of the most popular games in the world – Diner Dash.
In Bulgaria, I seemed to have become an expert in drawing educational materials about separate waste collection. Even before the topic gained wide popularity, I was already working on my comic book “Wiki’s Journey”, in which I told children what would happen if everyone threw their waste everywhere. This attracted the attention of the Ministry of Environment and Waters, who invited me to create the first educational book on the topic, distributed throughout the country.
Later, I also worked with Ecobulpak, for whom I created “The Tale of Yellow-Cute and the Glass Robbie” – my first fairy tale with educational games included. The book also features my Wiki (my pseudonym) as a heroine. After the huge response, I dared to start my personal series of fairy tales with educational games "This and That", as part of the titles I continued to implement in partnership with Ecobulpak.
Over the years, I have worked with many Bulgarian publishing houses. The first that gave me the opportunity to realize myself as an illustrator was "Damyan Yakov", where I illustrated one of my favorite children's books - "Muff, Half-Shoe and Mossy Beard". I have also drawn classic fairy tales for Softpress, and I have also worked for Jeanette 45, PAN, Fyut, Ella and others.
I invested a significant period in creating illustrations for Nikola Raykov's projects, including the books "The Kind Ones" and "The Dugulies", as well as the board games "Invisible World" and "Thalasam Stories".
I also have many years of experience in creating comics - back in 2003-2004, my series such as "Wiki's Journey" and "Space Mushrooms" were published in the new edition of "Daga" magazine, and in 2023 I returned to the series with the comic "Rusalii" in the first volume of the renewed "Daga".
Over the years, I have also worked on a number of corporate and multimedia projects. Among them is my long-term collaboration with EVN, for which I created the concept and illustrations for the educational characters "Evi and Encho". With Kanev Music, I have worked on a number of children's audio and music projects, including "The Long-Nose Dwarf", "Doctor Dolittle and the Canary Pipinella", etc.
In addition, I worked for many years with the German company Preispiraten, where I created scripts, concept art, illustrations and animations for their multimedia products.
12 years ago, we founded a publishing house with a partner – “TAT Creative” – of which I am still the manager. In recent years, I have focused my efforts mainly on my major author’s project – the interactive series “This-That”, which was the initial reason for creating the publishing house.
To date, I have over 20 publications, realized in parallel with my other projects. Among them are two digital books – “Who lit the moon?” and “What time is it?”. For both digital books, we created additional language versions, realized under a procedure funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, under project BG-RRP-11.019-0019-0001.
For “Who lit the moon?” I also created my film debut – the short animated film of the same name, realized with the financial support of the National Film Center (NFC).
We are currently working on the latest digital book “Why is Honey So Sweet?”, which we are implementing with funding from NextGenerationEU, under project BG-RRP-11.020-0030-C01.
Tell us more about your work (style, technique, interests, way of working):
I love working both on paper and digitally, but in recent years I have been almost entirely a digital artist. I draw mainly on my iPad Pro, which has become my mobile studio – carrying it everywhere, I can draw in any free moment. As a publishing manager, my time is often fragmented between different tasks, so I have learned to condense every possible minute into pure creativity and work on my projects.
I strive for my style to be colorful, lively and dynamic. I love building worlds that "breathe", creating characters that children intuitively recognize and remember, and using my animation mindset to bring movement and emotion to each illustration. I love detail – that’s why in the “This-That” series there are many games of the look and find type (“search and find”), in which children have to find specific elements among many objects. This game of observation helps with concentration, attention and analytical skills.
Since most of my books are educational, the choice of colors for me is conscious and functional. I use bright, clean and saturated colors because they literally act as “signal lights” for the brain. They activate attention, engage visual memory and stimulate learning processes. For active books – like mine, where children interact, play and look for elements – this type of color is the most suitable.
More pastel tones have other functions: they are calming, relaxing and are great for books intended primarily for leisurely reading. For me, both approaches are valuable – they just serve different purposes. In my books, color is not just aesthetics, but a tool that supports the way a child perceives information and engages with the story.
In short, digital tools give me the freedom to create anywhere, and color and movement are my foundation — they make my stories come alive and help children actively participate in them.
Exhibitions/participations/performances/awards:
Over the years, I have participated in numerous national and international exhibitions, with a particularly important place for me being my participation in the Biennial of Bulgarian Illustration – a prestigious forum to which I have been professionally affiliated for many years.
My works have been shown on a number of significant stages. In 2019, the Sava Dobroplodni Regional Library – Sliven organized a solo exhibition dedicated to my work. In 2024, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, I presented the interactive exhibition “Books Come to Life” at the Sofia History Museum, which brought together illustrations, digital books and demonstrations from the “This-That” series. The exhibition was followed by a national tour, during which we held dozens of presentations in different areas of the country – both in large cities and in smaller towns.
Among the key moments in my career is the special solo exhibition organized by Computer Space in the lobby of the Czech Center in Sofia, dedicated to the digital book “Who lit the Moon?” / Who lit the Moon?”.
I have also participated in a number of group exhibitions such as Sofia Comics Expo, the international Balkanska smotra mladih strip autora in Serbia, national exhibitions of the Union of Bulgarian Artists and thematic exhibitions related to children's literature and environmental topics.
In parallel with the exhibition activity, I annually lead numerous master classes, lectures and trainings. At the “Golden Kuker Sofia” festival, I am among the permanent lecturers; I have given presentations in Computer Space programs, to students of book publishing at Sofia University, as well as at dozens of events in libraries, schools and cultural institutions in the country.
Professionally, I often participate as an expert evaluator – annually for graduating animators at the Polygraphic School, as well as in animated film evaluation committees at the National Film Center, as well as other professional juries and panels.
Awards and international distinctions
My work has been distinguished with numerous prestigious awards – both national and international. Among them:
The World Summit Awards (WSA) for the digital book “Who lit the Moon?” / Who lit the Moon?, awarded in the Learning & Education category and selected to represent Bulgaria among projects from over 178 countries.
A new nomination from WSA – this time for the digital book “What Time Is It? A Time Guide”, with which I will once again represent Bulgaria at one of the world’s largest digital innovation competitions.
Over 7 awards from "Computer Space", including first prizes for interactive books, mobile applications and animation ("Who lit the Moon?", "Who lit the Moon?", "Bobo and Robo", etc.).
First prize at Eurocon 2024 - for the book "How to bring the bees back?", which represented Bulgaria at the European level.
"Literary Network for Children" award for best children's book - also for "How to bring the bees back?".
"Where should I throw this?" - nomination for Eurocon and representation of Bulgaria at the European level competition.
National award "Konstantin Konstantinov" for illustration for the book "What time is it?"
Nominations from professional communities for public contribution: "Golden Apple" - for contribution to children's well-being
"Knight of the Book" - for promotion of children's reading
Nomination from the Union of Librarians for charitable work
These awards are important to me because they show that my projects lead to real change - in education, in promotion of reading, in innovation, in working with children and in cultural policies.
Illustrated works:
Series "This and That"
"Who lit the Moon?" - printed and digital book
"What is the name of this book?"
"What time is it? A guide to the weather" - printed and digital book
"Who made a mess of the room? Wow! Everything is confused!”
“What is this letter?” – 44 cards for Suggestopedia
“What day is it today?” – 40 interactive cards
“How do I celebrate my birthday? A fantastic guide to the holidays”
“Who looks after the sheep?”
“Why should I drink my milk?”
“How does a bee pollinate flowers?” – a book with flaps
“Who will find my little bee Mellie?” – a book with flaps
Trilogy “Why did the bees leave?”
“Why is honey so sweet?”
“Where should I throw this?”
“How do we get the bees back?”
Books for which I am only an illustrator and publisher:
“The Green Planet” – a Bulgarian-English primer
“Shisharko”
II. Custom books and projects (illustrations + design)
(All external authors, publishers and productions.)
Damian Yakov Publishing House
"Muff, Half-Shoe and Mossy Beard"
"Tales of 1001 Nights" - vol. 1
"Tales of 1001 Nights" - vol. 2
"Charles Perrot - Tales from Old Times"
"Baba Yaga"
"Selected Toasts"
"Songs of My Life"
Softpress Publishing House - classic fairy tales
"Cinderella"
"Snow White"
"Sleeping Beauty"
"The Seven Little Goats"
"Little Red Riding Hood"
"The Bremen Town Musicians"
Jeanette 45 Publishing House
"Kitchen Elephant"
"The Little Dragon in me"
"Petyuha"
Other publishers
"Crunchy Crazy for Sweethearts" – vol. 1, vol. 2 – ed. "Ela"
A Tale of "Barborino" – ed. "Fyut"
"Shisharko" – ed. PAN
"Bobby at the Fruit Festival" – ed. "Eunikata"
"There's Just Nothing to Happen" – ed. "The Upper Land"
"Matty's Recipes" - commissioned by Matty Hall (NDK)
Kanev Music
(illustrations + design for Albums with small books)
"The Long-Nose Dwarf" - audio book
"Doctor Dolittle and the Canary Pipinella"
"29 Playful Songs"
"21 Animated Songs" - cover
Konstantin Kuchev
(Albums with small books)
"Kose Bose"
"Funny Children's Tales for Listening - 2"
My Artistic Faces
(Cover and illustrations).
"Funny Children's Tales for Listening - 2" - 10 illustrations
III. Comics
"Wiki's Journey" for Daga magazine – 2003-2004
"Space Mushrooms" for Daga magazine – 2004
"Mermaids" – Daga magazine (2023)
Participation in the "Comic Bookstore" project – adapted versions for the blind of "Wiki's Journey" and "Mermaids"
IV. Teaching aids, environmental projects and publications for institutions
MESW, Ecobulpak, Ecopak
"A Tale of Yellow-Sladurana and Glass Slaves" - a game book (Ecobulpak)
"Magic - Stories about Waste" - MESW
"A Teaching Aid for Separate Collection" - Ecopak
Educational and Corporate
"Ivi and Encho" - illustrations for EVN
"Alone on the Road" - three teaching aids - Riva Publishing House
Lingo School - illustrations
Speedy - information boards
Multiprint - a series of student notebooks - illustrations
"Yan Bibiyan" - puzzles for the Elin Pelin Museum - illustrations
"A Little Booklet about Original Software." – Sponsored by MIcrosoft
International
“The Tooth Fairy” – interactive fairy tale (Canada)
V. “Thalasumche” series – Nikola Raykov
“The Goodies”
“A Tale of Two Worlds” – book + board game
“Thalasum Stories” – board game
“The Invisible World” – board game
“The Dugguli and the Magic Leaf”
“The Dugguli and the Invasion of the Mumbaks”
Who is your favorite illustrator?
I am inspired by the illustrations of Alexander Bobrinsky – his “Petersburg Fairy Tale. Hermits” is one of those books that brings its own world and mood. I also really like the work of Frédéric Pillot and Massimiliano Frezzato, as well as countless other talented artists around the world – it’s hard for me to list just a few!
Among Bulgarian artists, I am truly impressed by the illustrations of Sabin Boykinov, Petar Stanimirov, Penko and Sotir Gelevi, Elena Zhablyanova, Mariana Krasteva, Kristina Ivanova, Ralitsa Manuilova, Milena Radeva and many others. We have incredible artists and I couldn’t name just one – each of them inspires me in a different, unique way.
What is your favorite illustrated book?
It’s hard to choose just one, but “Petersburgskaya skazka. Ermites” by Aleksandr Bobrinsky is a book that struck me from the very first moment. I saw it at the international book fair at the National Palace of Culture and literally dreamed about it after that. Later, my childhood friend Kristina Ivanova gave it to me as a gift, commissioned from Russia, and since then I have been looking at it again and again – a true jewel of illustration.
Which book do you dream of illustrating?
It may sound trite, but apart from my personal projects I have always dreamed of illustrating Alice in Wonderland. It is one of my favorite books – full of fantasy, strangeness and images that seem to be created to be drawn. It would be a real pleasure for me to create my own visual world for this story.
Website: https://tatcreative.com/
Facebook/Instagram/other:
https://www.facebook.com/maya.bocheva
https://www.facebook.com/tatcreative/
https://www.facebook.com/wickymayabocheva
https://www.instagram.com/tat_creative/
https://www.instagram.com/mayabocheva/
https://www.behance.net/wicky
Website: https://tatcreative.com/
Facebook/Instagram/друго:
https://www.facebook.com/maya.bocheva
https://www.facebook.com/tatcreative/
https://www.facebook.com/wickymayabocheva
https://www.instagram.com/tat_creative/
https://www.instagram.com/mayabocheva/
https://www.behance.net/wicky
And here are some of Maya's works...
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