People's artist of Russia, known not only in our country. Tales with his illustrations were published in Japan, Germany, Korea and other countries. Almost three hundred works illustrated the famous artist. Many years of work in the children's book he has received many awards and chief among them - the gold medal of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Works are in the Picture gallery Krasnoarmeysk.
He was born in Ryazan on 10 July 1937. The war years spent in the Ryazan village. In 1946, when he returned from the front, the father, the family moved to Moscow.
From 1948 to 1955 he studied at the Moscow secondary art school (mshsh). In 1961 graduated from the Moscow state art Institute. V. I. Surikov (mgahi) on graphic faculty at the BA dehtereva, J. P. Reiner, M. M. Cheremnykh, the engraving was studied under M. V. Matorin.
At school and Institute drew cartoons, and even their future was represented as working in a "fun" book. Back in College years (with the encouragement of M. M. Cheremnykh), Nikolay Ustinov three times was printed in "Crocodile", and the thesis was "the Bedbug" by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Soon Ustinov understood that the cartoon was not his business, and engaged in a "lyrical book": illustrated books about the countryside, nature, animals. A few years Ustinov drew animals at the zoo, and in 1967 the family bought a rustic hut near Pereslavl-Zalessky. The time spent there was very fruitful and important for the artist. There are born beautiful works to the classics (I. S. Turgenev and L. N. Tolstoy), the stories of M. M. Prishvin and G. Ya. Snegireva, and I. S. Sokolov-Mikitov, poems about nature, to Russian fairy tales. Around was such a beauty that Ustinov almost all drawn from nature.
In 1963, Ustinov began working in the children's magazine "Murzilka". This is another important stage in the work of the master. There was a wonderful atmosphere. Then, "Ziggy" worked great Leningrad: artists V. M. Konashevich, E. I. Charushin, Y. A. Vasnetsov, V. V. Lebedev. The main artist of magazine Y. A. Molokanov periodically traveled to Leningrad and back "with the production" for a magazine... Worked there and wonderful Muscovites: A. M. Ermolaev, A. M. Kanevskiy, Y. D. Korovin, and then the young M. P. Miturich, L. A. Tokmakov, V. N. Elk, E. G. Monin, V. V. Pertsev, V. A. Chizhikov ...
Also during his studies at the Institute Ustinov began drawing for "Detgiz". Professor mgahi B. A. Dehterev he was the chief artist of the publishing house and often gave work to students.
Ustinov worked for many years in "Murzilka" and "Detgiz". And still almost exclusively engaged in children's book. Worked for different publishing houses of our country, Japan, Germany.
In 1996 Nikolai Aleksandrovich received the Gold medal of the Academy of Arts. In 2000 was awarded the title of people's artist of Russia. In 2007 became the winner of the Fourth all-Russian competition of works for children and youth - "Scarlet sails".
