Ilja Karsikas (b. 1978), well known in the industry, is a Helsinki-based illustrator and graphic designer who graduated from the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts in 2003. He has been a strong styled and a trusted illustrator since the start of Napa Agency. Ilja is a very skilled illustrator who takes care of his schedule, deadlines and the wishes of the customer. Over the years Ilja has been interested and active in developing his own skills. Ilja has done plenty of editorial illustrations (incl. Suomen Kuvalehti magazine), illustrations for companies (incl. The Finnish Post), and to publishing houses (e.g. Otava, which is one the biggest and oldest publishing houses in Finland). He has designed Ruisrock Festival’s visual identity in 2013–2018. Ilja has done illustrations for many children’s books. His illustrations have been featured in several exhibitions and in illustration and design publications in Finland and abroad.
Specialty: children’s book illustration, illustrations intended for children, book cover illustration, advertising illustration, editorial illustration, visual identities

Path of the Craft: From sketch to illustration process by Ilja Karsikas (pdf)
Instagram: @iljakarsikas