From sketch to 3D life!

There is something magical about seeing a character step off the paper. This grumpy but lovable cat was a custom commission I made some time ago.

I really enjoyed working on those wild whiskers and that specific "what are you looking at?" expression. Even though this fellow has already found his forever home, he remains one of my favorite examples of how a simple drawing can turn into a tactile wool friend.

What do you think? Does he look like his sketch?

Hello, Tumblr!

Welcome to my creative world!

I’m Mary Derkach (aka Puntikva), a professional artist with a dual passion: I paint characters with oil and bring them to life with wool.

Here’s a glimpse of what I create:

• Original Oil Paintings: My heart belongs to painting expressive eyes. I believe that’s where the soul of the character lives. Whether it’s a cat in a traditional Ukrainian Vyshyvanka (like this portrait I'm holding) or a sophisticated gentleman, I love giving them a personality.

• Needle Felted Wonders: I also create miniature creatures from wool. They are like 3D tactile versions of my painted world. Instead of realism I focus on making them look like cartoon characters, a bit silly and goofy, just like real pets can be sometimes!

I love sharing my process, sketches, palette setups, and the "magic" behind the scenes.

✨ Find my original art and custom works here: https://puntikvastore.etsy.com

The quiet magic of the studio

There’s a special kind of silence that happens after the last brushstroke. It’s the time when a character stops being just paint on canvas and starts having a presence of its own.

I love this transitional stage. The room smells like linseed oil, the light shifts across the texture, and there’s a new soul in the room watching you back. It’s not just about finishing a piece; it’s about that first conversation with the finished character before it finds its forever home.

Take a breath and dive into this moment with me.