Vibrant Watercolor Paintings Filled With Mysterious Monochrome Worlds

Illustrator Marija Tiurina creates fantastical worlds packed with original characters. The complex watercolor paintings force the viewer to stare deeply into tangled masses to extract specific elements, which often appear to be creations of a centralized figure’s consciousness. In one illustration a man can be seen exiting a chaotic cool-toned realm while stepping into an equally layered red and purple-hued dimension. Is the viewer peeking into a fictionalized universe, or are we looking into the character’s own mind?

Although Tiurina often sketches a draft of her works before adding watercolor, several of the pieces presented here were freehanded directly onto the paper with paint. This spontaneity is seen in many of her new, larger works which you can browse on Behance. More illustrations can also be seen on her website and Instagram.