Instagram story viewer> @xy_illustration> Posts

Khadia Ulumbekova — thoughtful Illustrator

@xy_illustration

8.2K

followers

1122

following

👩🏻‍🎨 I help brands communicate through illustration
💌 [email protected] open to work
🖍️ Clients: WSJ, Mini Cooper, Chanel and others

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

739

36

a year ago

How did a piece of my personal life end up in a client project?

In 2022, my friend talked me into a yoga retreat.

I didn’t really want to go, but we hadn’t seen each other in ages, so I said yes.

One day in, she had to leave for family reasons. I was stuck at a closed retreat compound — no real food, 6am wake-ups for meditation, yoga three times a day.

Funny part — I stopped showing up to the morning sessions, got a couple of people to hang out with me instead in the evenings, and we even found a joint…

@mendolaartists
@virginialiving

#editorial #editorialillustration #illustration #art taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

275

39

3 months ago

Illustration that tells stories!
(Missed one letter)😀

Swipe to see how this project came together — from brief to print.

5 illustrations for a feature about sparkling wine culture around the world. Italy, Spain, France, and the United States — each with its own light, its own mood, its own way of raising a glass.

This was one of those projects where everything clicked. A clear brief, a great team, and enough creative freedom to really dig into the atmosphere of each country.

If you’re working on something similar or curious about editorial illustration — save this for later.

Client @wine_spectator
AD @mendolaartists

#editorialillustration #illustrationprocess #magazineillustration #behindthescenes #sparklingwine taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

843

31

4 months ago

A few years ago, a large real estate developer came to me with a simple but interesting challenge: create an illustration concept for their website.
The illustrations had to support the text, make it feel warmer and add a little personality — without becoming too abstract or distracting.
The main idea was simple: take something familiar, add something unexpected, and let the contrast create the metaphor. taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

253

26

a month ago

When I was in Serbia, I kept hearing one word: polako.

People would say it to each other when someone was rushing, worrying, or trying to do everything at once. And sometimes they would say it to us, the tourists who were always in a hurry.

Polako literally means “slowly” or “take it easy.” But to me, it feels more like a philosophy than a comment on speed. It’s about not rushing things, not trying to fit everything into one day, and leaving time for a long conversation, a coffee, or simply looking around.

There’s something very Balkan about the idea: life isn’t going anywhere, so you can slow down a little.

So, this weekend: polako. Less rushing, more walks, long breakfasts, and time you don’t need to save. What will be your polako this weekend?

#illustration #art #slowlifestyle #editorial taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

194

19

a month ago

Autumn’s coming and soon many of us will feel that they want to get cozy, gather with friends for dinner, watch movies, etc.

Story of how I figured out how to seat 9 friends and a dog in a small living room so everyone’s comfortable)

In this post I’ve shared with you a bit about the process of making this movie club poster.

If you’ve got questions, please comment, I’ll tell you everything.

#poster #illustration #movieclub #interiordesign #commission taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

218

18

2 months ago

She started seeing dots and nets as a kid, thought they were hallucinations. And just kept painting them her whole life. Thousands of polka-dot canvases, mirrored rooms you can walk into and lose yourself. Past 90 she was still walking from the hospital to her studio almost every day. She left this world at the age of 97 years.

Rest in peace, Yayoi 🔴

#yayoikusama #kusama #illustration #illustrationtribute #kusamaart taken in Tokyo, Japan by @xy_illustration

245

17

2 months ago

Summer’s basically over. Which means it’s “hope this email finds you well”, ASAP and Fyi time again.

There’s a NYT piece by Dani Blum that stuck with me. Turns out for people who are actually burned out, not just tired, a vacation works more like a Band-Aid. You feel great while you’re away, but the moment you think about going back, it all floods in again. What it came down to was, the exhaustion isn’t really about needing rest. It’s that you’ve stopped feeling like your work is yours, and honestly, I recognised myself in it.

I couldn’t let it go. So I gave myself a brief: illustrate this @nytimes story. No commission, no art director, just me and my reflection on this subject.

Did your vacation actually help, or are you already back where you started?

#editorialillustration #nytimes #burnout #illustrationartist #travel taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

296

25

2 months ago

My moon, my sun and total eclipse
For those of you who missed it my cat is performing 🌘

#solareclipse #totalsolareclipse #solareclipse2026 taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

220

16

2 months ago

I’ve been catching myself doom-scrolling a little too often lately. So I decided to start collecting the good news here from time to time: stories worth saving, sharing, and remembering on the more anxious days.

Because even with all the noise, plenty of good and beautiful things are still happening. 🤍

#illustration #editorial #goodnews #illustrator #commercialillustration taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

237

30

2 months ago

Do you also feel too lazy to cook in summer?

I feel too lazy to do pretty much anything, including making myself lunch. So I wrote down a few things that save me when it is too hot to even think about cooking.

What do you eat when it is too hot to cook?

#illustration #theycookanddraw #stilllife #recipes #editorialillustration

Cup of chilled noodles with a boiled egg, some herbs, cucumber, and whatever else I could find in the fridge. No recipe, you just throw things together.

Watermelon and feta are another favourite. Add some fresh mint if you have it and.

Edamame is my laziest lunch: three minutes, some salt, soy sauce, maybe lime if I am feeling fancy. Done.

Honestly, okroshka sounds a bit suspicious too. It is a cold soup made with kefir, sparkling water, vegetables, sausage, and mustard, but it is so good when it is hot outside. taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

427

20

2 months ago

In July, so many friends had birthdays — including my friend whose birthday is close to mine. She invited us to come draw at her studio! She’s an incredible fashion designer @olya.kosterina!

Working with models — dressing them up, drawing them — is totally normal for her.

And me? I just love drawing, and I always try to drag my friends into it too. So I really didn’t need much convincing.

📸 @visual___tales

How do you like this idea? Would you love to try!
#art #illustration #lifedrawing #fashion taken in Barcelona, Spain by @xy_illustration

104

14

3 months ago