A Love Letter to the Streets of Prague: Tatiana Saturday Sketch

By Cansu Waldron

The creative behind Tatiana Saturday Sketch is a Prague-based illustrator and lettering artist whose work celebrates the small moments that make everyday life feel special. Drawing inspiration from quiet cafés, handwritten notes, books, architecture, and seasonal treasures, she creates warm, story-driven illustrations that often feel like pages from a visual diary. Her work frequently features her beloved city of Prague, where playful lettering and little details, from shop signs to tram displays, add humor and personality to familiar scenes. With a particular love for paper, she brings her illustrations into sketchbooks, postcards, stickers, and printed goods, embracing the tactile and collectible qualities of the medium.

For Tatiana, illustration is a way to preserve memories and the feelings attached to them without needing to hold on to every physical object. She captures meaningful details in her sketchbook or on her iPad, from her daughter's first fruit pouch to beautiful autumn finds, transforming fleeting moments into lasting images. This practice allows her to appreciate everyday beauty while keeping her life a little simpler. Alongside her personal work, Tatiana creates custom illustrations for clients and balances her creative practice with life as a mother to a young daughter. Whether through a carefully observed object or a humorous handwritten sign, her work finds stories in the ordinary and invites others to notice the small things worth remembering.

We asked Tatiana about her art, creative process, and inspirations.

Your illustrations draw inspiration from everyday moments, from quiet cafés to handwritten notes and small rituals. What is it about these ordinary experiences that makes them worth capturing in your work?

My illustrations of everyday moments are like a visual diary of my memories. I don't draw this diary every day, simply because I don't have enough time - and that's not a bad thing! I'm a happy mom to a 3-year-old girl, and I'm also lucky enough to spend my time doing the work I love, creating custom illustrations for my clients. 

But if a moment feels special and I want to remember it, I try to capture it in my sketchbook or in Procreate on my iPad. It is also a lovely way to go minimalism and avoid keeping too many things. Instead of saving beautiful packaging, for example, I can draw it and then let it go. As an example I illustrated my daughter's very first baby fruit pouch, which was gifted to her by my beloved nephew. And the same goes for all those beautiful autumn treasures. I don't have to worry about them fading, drying out, or getting spoiled over time - because I have already preserved them in my sketchbook. For me, illustration is a way to appreciate the little things, hold on to the feelings attached to them, and find beauty in everyday life.

Lettering is an important part of your practice alongside illustration. How do words and images interact in your work?

In my illustrations, lettering always helps bring more fun and a little something extra to the scene. I draw a lot of architecture, especially in my favorite city in the world - Prague - and I often try to incorporate little funny texts on shop signs, in windows, or on tram destination displays. I like how these small details can add a bit of humor, or tell a little story.

You have a strong appreciation for paper-based work, including sketchbooks, postcards, and stickers. What does working with physical materials offer you that creating exclusively digital illustrations might not?

I think there are 3 main things that working with physical materials offers me: 

1. Embracing and accepting myself as perfectly imperfect. When drawing on paper, there is often no way to undo or fix certain marks. Sometimes I find it difficult not to get upset when I make "mistakes", but I try to accept them and remind myself that they are what make each piece uniquely mine. 

2. Sending my art out into the world. I love turning my illustrations into postcards and stickers and knowing that they can travel to places I might never get to visit myself! 

3. The joy of choosing sketchbooks and art supplies. I'm a big fan of art supply shops and all kinds of paper goods and stationery. I love the feeling of choosing the right paper, finding new materials, and imagining what I might create with them.

What role does nostalgia play in your work, and how do you balance that feeling with a contemporary visual style?

I love drawing little signs of age and wear on things, as I think they add charm and uniqueness to them. I'm also drawn to vintage colour palettes, which probably comes from the colors of Prague, the city I draw most often. I think nostalgia naturally finds its way into my work through these little details, textures, and colours. For me, it is about capturing the charm and feeling of something old while keeping my illustrations fresh and personal.

What does your creative process look like, from the first sketch to the finished illustration? Are there particular tools, materials, or stages that are essential to the way you work?

I usually create my illustrations in three steps: 

1. Line sketch - I start with a rough line sketch. Sometimes I even use these sketches on the back of my postcards! This is the most challenging but also the most exciting part of the process, as I need to figure out the shapes, composition, and little details. 

2. Adding color - this is the most meditative stage for me. I start adding colors to my rough sketch. Most of the initial lines will eventually disappear beneath the colours. 

3. Lights, shadows, and details - this is when the illustration really comes to life. I add shadows, highlights, and smaller details that give objects more shape and depth and bring the whole scene together. 

I mainly work digitally in Procreate on my iPad, which gives me the flexibility to experiment with colors and details. But I also love sketchbooks and paper, so the physical side of illustration is important to me, too.

What else fills your time when you’re not creating art?

When I'm not drawing, I'm usually making silly voices and pretending to be one of my daughter's dolls.

What is a dream project you’d like to make one day? 

I have so many dream projects! One day, I would love to finally finish my illustrated map of Prague. I would also love to try my hand at illustrating a book. And one of my biggest dreams is to create illustrations for my favourite magazine. Hopefully, one day I'll get the chance to work with them!

Have there been any surprising or memorable responses to your work?

Yes! Once, while selling my illustrated postcards at a Christmas market, a lovely gentleman stopped by and admired one of my illustrations. He bought the postcard and then told me that he was actually the owner of the place I had illustrated on it. It was such a lovely and unexpected coincidence!

Are there new materials, formats, or kinds of stories you are excited to explore next?

Yes, I recently bought a couple of oil pastels and I am really excited to try them out soon!

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