Maria Leskinen
Hi, I am Maria Leskinen, an Art and Psychology teacher and Master of Fine Arts. Nowadays I work as a full time illustrator and artist. I get inspired by nature, psychology and various cultures. My style is colorful, precise and I want to create good and stylish works. I am interested in many kind of commissions, such as magazine, book and package illustrations. I live in Brazil an in Finland. I speak Finnish, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
I am specialized in scientific illustration, which I studied in the University of Brasília. I also organize the Illustrators online club remotely for the members of the Finnish Illustration Association. I am great with watercolors, pastels and pencils which I combine with digital techniques. Two of my scientific illustrations was been selected for the collection of the University of Brasília.
Selected clients: Apu Luonto magazine, Taito magazine, Nuorten luonto magazine, Municipality of Pirkkala, Lapin Kansa magazine, LKV Asuntoekonomitoimisto Oy (Finnish Real Estate company), Studio Kundalini Yoga (Madrid).
Magazine illustration / Apu Luonto magazine
This illustrations is made for the Apu Luonto magazine 3/2023 (nature magazine). The column talks about birdwatching in city environment and it is written by Samuli Häkkilä. Illustration is made with aquarelles and the column is readable online.
Magazine illustration / Apu Luonto magazine
Click to see more about the project.
Editorial illustration / Apu Nature magazine
This illustration was made for Apu Nature magazine’s column. It is about a very endangered bird species that disappeared from Finland altogether. Illustration was made with aquarelles.
You can read the column here: https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/suomen-viimeinen-kultasirkku-jai-nakematta
Editorial illustration / Apu Nature magazine
Click to see more about the project.
Editorial illustration / Apu Nature magazine
This illustration was made for Apu Nature magazine’s column. It is about a very endangered bird species that disappeared from Finland altogether. Illustration was made with aquarelles.
You can read the column here: https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/suomen-viimeinen-kultasirkku-jai-nakematta
Editorial illustration / Apu Nature magazine
This illustration was made for Apu Nature magazine’s column. It is about a very endangered bird species that disappeared from Finland altogether. Illustration was made with aquarelles.
You can read the column here: https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/suomen-viimeinen-kultasirkku-jai-nakematta
Editorial illustration / Nuorten Luonto Magazine
This illustration is made with pencils and painted digitally for the Nuorten Luonto (Nature for Youth) magazine 1/2021.
You can read the magazine here: https://issuu.com/nuortenluonto/docs/nuorten_luonto_1_2021_web
Editorial illustration / Nuorten Luonto Magazine
Click to see more about the project.
exhibition work
The work “silver-studded blues” (Plebejus argus) is made for the art project supported by the City of Seinäjoki in 2023. I made a serie of artworks where I combined scientific illustration style and artistic expression. I made artworks about animals and plant that are locally living in Western Finland. This work is made with aquarelles and its size is 21 x 39 cm.
exhibition work
Click to see more about the project.
Art works and art prints
Power of imagination, 42 x 60 cm pencil work , 2021
Waterfall, 21 x 30 cm and 30 x 42 cm art prints, 2022. Prints are on sale in Taidegalleria Lakeus on Kauhava and in Kehystämö Liljala in Seinäjoki.
Art works and art prints
Click to see more about the project.
Art works and art prints
Power of imagination, 42 x 60 cm pencil work , 2021
Waterfall, 21 x 30 cm and 30 x 42 cm art prints, 2022. Prints are on sale in Taidegalleria Lakeus on Kauhava and in Kehystämö Liljala in Seinäjoki.
Illustration for Illustrators Abroad club
Illustration is made with inks, markers and watercolors in 2022. It has been published in the members’ Facebook group Kuvittajat ulkomailla and in The Finnish Illustration Association’s newsletters. The club presents international illustrators and brings together the members who are living abroad.
Illustration for Illustrators Abroad club
Click to see more about the project.
Art card illustrations
Illustrations are made with inks and finalized digitally. You can buy Art Cards from my online shop and from these shops in Finland:
Kaamos vintage, Tampere
Nono, Tallipiha, Tampere
Laitapuoti, Galleria Rajatila, Tampere
Turun kirjakahvila, Turku
Kehystämö Liljala, Seinäjoki
Taidegalleria Lakeus, Kauhava (July–August 2024)
Art card illustrations
Click to see more about the project.
Art card illustrations
Illustrations are made with inks and finalized digitally. You can buy Art Cards from my online shop and from these shops in Finland:
Kaamos vintage, Tampere
Nono, Tallipiha, Tampere
Laitapuoti, Galleria Rajatila, Tampere
Turun kirjakahvila, Turku
Kehystämö Liljala, Seinäjoki
Taidegalleria Lakeus, Kauhava (July–August 2024)
Papaver and plectranthus barbatus / Personal project
The scientific illustrations have been made by layering watercolors. The pictures have been added digitally. This isllustration is and exaple and the same technique would fit well to product illustrations and to paper products.
Papaver and plectranthus barbatus / Personal project
Click to see more about the project.
Editorial illustration / Nuorten Luonto magazine
Illustration made for an article in Nuorten Luonto magazine 4/2022. The writer is Anni Kanniainen and the topic is about carbon offset.
I made the illustration with pencils and inks.
You can read the magazine from this site: https://issuu.com/nuortenluonto/docs/nuorten_luonto_4_2022_web
Editorial illustration / Nuorten Luonto magazine
Click to see more about the project.
Scientific illustration of coati (Nasua nasua) / University of Brasília
Scientific illustration about coati, which is a small mammal living in Brazil and other countries in South America.
The illustration is made with watercolor in 2023. The size is A3. The work is going to be a part of the group exhibition of scientific illustration courses in the University of Brasília in Summer 2023.
Scientific illustration of coati (Nasua nasua) / University of Brasília
Click to see more about the project.
Scientific illustration and infographic
This work is a final work about the rufous-browed Peppershrike (Cyclarhis gujanensis) bird for scientific illustration course in the University of Brasília. This bird lives in many countries in Central and South America.
Scientific illustration and infographic
Click to see more about the project.
Indecisive / Personal project
This illustration is about the difficulty of decision making. The birds in the illustration are Western Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava).
I used aquarelles and digital tools to make this illustration in 2023.
Indecisive / Personal project
Click to see more about the project.
Magazine illustration / Apu Luonto magazine
This illustrations is made for the Apu Luonto magazine 3/2023 (nature magazine). The column talks about birdwatching in city environment and it is written by Samuli Häkkilä. Illustration is made with aquarelles.
You can read the column here: https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/raaseikko-tai-jatelampi-on-paljon-puistoa-kiinnostavampi
Magazine illustration / Apu Luonto magazine
Click to see more about the project.
Magazine illustration / Apu Luonto magazine
This illustrations is made for the Apu Luonto magazine 3/2023 (nature magazine). The column talks about birdwatching in city environment and it is written by Samuli Häkkilä. Illustration is made with aquarelles.
You can read the column here: https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/raaseikko-tai-jatelampi-on-paljon-puistoa-kiinnostavampi
Scientific illustrations of isognathus caricae moth
The scientific illustrations have been made by layering watercolors for the publication of University of Brasília with the other scientific illustrations of the course of lepidoptera. All the spieces in the publication are living in Brazil. The Project is supported by the Museum of Biology in Brasília. (Museu de Biologia do Instituto de Ciências Biológicas.)
In the project we made an illustration and a text of a one specie. In this scientific illustration there are stages of the moth when it is larva, pupa and adult.
Scientific illustrations of isognathus caricae moth
Click to see more about the project.
Scientific illustrations of isognathus caricae moth
The scientific illustrations have been made by layering watercolors for the publication of University of Brasília with the other scientific illustrations of the course of lepidoptera. All the spieces in the publication are living in Brazil. The Project is supported by the Museum of Biology in Brasília. (Museu de Biologia do Instituto de Ciências Biológicas.)
In the project we made an illustration and a text of a one specie. In this scientific illustration there are stages of the moth when it is larva, pupa and adult.
Art print
These paintings are part of the year 2024 art print serie and I painted them with gouache.
Art print
Click to see more about the project.
Art print
These paintings are part of the year 2024 art print serie and I painted them with gouache.
Art print
These paintings are part of the year 2024 art print serie and I painted them with gouache.