‘Bears - In Honor of Spring’ is an annual exhibition dedicated to bears, an animal which in many countries is a symbol of spring. Illustrator, Vladimir Stankovic was invited to participate in the 4th "Bears - In Honor of Spring" exhibition that was held in Belgrade, Serbia. He used tempera, watercolors, colored pencils and digital for this.

How did you come up with the design?
Vintage encyclopedia art is something I find endlessly inspiring and charming, so, as many of my personal projects, I decided to create something with a similar atmosphere and layout. Besides depicting the numerous species of bears, I also included various illustrations of other spring symbols - bees, flowers, butterflies, etc, created with colored pencils and watercolors. I like presenting the species in a particular order and manner which allows the viewer to fully appreciate its features, anatomy and personality.
-Vladimir Stankovic

My style could be described as meticulous, whimsical and a bit bizarre. As far as the inspiration is concerned, along side numerous vintage natural history artists, I also admire artists like Bosch, Rembrandt, Klimt, Dali, and so many others. In a nutshell, I am very much inspired by nature and science on one hand, and by the unknown and mysterious on the other.
-Vladimir Stankovic

Just stay true to yourselves and to do what they love as much as possible, the results of any hard work are sure to come!
-Vladimir Stankovic

About Vladimir Stankovic

Vladimir Stankovic is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Denmark. He is mostly interested in book illustration and character design, and likes to create combining both traditional and digital media. See more of his work on Behance or his website.