“Shepard Kikis” is an author’s graphic novel about childhood, friendship, memory and connections that remain even when time changes them.

The story unfolds through the diary of an elderly woman, in which she returns to her childhood memories. At the center of the story is Ema, a girl who meets the mysterious rabbit Kiki, who soon becomes her close friend and companion. Through their connection, the themes of childhood imagination, loneliness, attachment, emotional memory, nostalgia and the fear of losing what is dear to us are explored.

The visual world of the book is created using traditional techniques – watercolor and colored pencils. A gentle, hand-drawn aesthetic is intertwined with the form of the diary and the fragmentary nature of memories, so the illustrations become not only a visual layer of the story, but also a part of the memory itself. An author’s font has also been created for the book, complementing its individual visual language.

The project began as my master's thesis in the study program "Illustration and Contexts" at the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts. During the studies, the first part of the graphic novel was created and presented, but "Shepard Kikis" is currently being continued as an independent author's project, with the aim of developing it into a full-fledged, multilingual graphic novel.

2024-2026

Ongoing project: The first part of the graphic novel was completed and presented as my master's thesis project. The story is currently being further developed into a full-length graphic novel for publication in multiple languages.

2 copies (test print)

Personal project

Project author, illustrator and book designer

Graphic novel / Author's book / Visual storytelling / Book illustration / Book design

Kaunas, Lithuania

Childhood / Friendship, Memory / Nostalgia / Imagination / Puberty / Emotional connection

Cover and endpapers: 115 gsm Geltex LS (smooth), white
Inner pages: 120 gsm Munken Pure Rough

Watercolor and colored pencils: Original illustrations are created by hand using watercolor and colored pencils on 100% cotton paper. The illustrations are then scanned with a high-resolution scanner and digitally prepared for the final book layout.

210x290mm

Digital printing (high print quality and visual analogue of offset printing using modern HP Indigo Press technology)

I use my personal font in the book.

Browse the book by turning the pages