Some relationships are easy to describe. Others are felt more than they’re ever fully explained.
The bond between a father and his daughter falls squarely into the second category.
It’s the quiet reassurance of a hand to hold. The awkward attempts at braiding hair. The way dads try to be strong and gentle at the same time, often without realizing how deeply those small moments shape the people their daughters become.
While parenting is meaningful no matter the child’s gender, many fathers describe their relationship with their daughters as uniquely tender. Research supports that feeling: studies have shown that girls with actively involved fathers often grow up with higher self-confidence and tend to perform better academically and professionally.
One artist has found a way to express that bond in a way words never quite can.
An Artist Who Drew the Love She Longed For
A 37-year-old Ukrainian illustrator known online as Soosh or @vskafandre on instagram has gained widespread attention for a series of deeply emotional paintings depicting the everyday intimacy between fathers and their daughters. The illustrations, shared on her Instagram account, are simple in style but heavy with meaning.
They show fathers carrying sleepy daughters to bed, holding tiny hands, offering comfort after a bad dream, or simply being present, no grand gestures required.
Soosh’s inspiration is deeply personal.
Her own father was largely absent during her childhood, a reality that left a lasting emotional imprint. Rather than turning away from that pain, she chose to explore it through her art.
“I always wanted to have a tender and loving relationship with my own father, but he didn’t know how to show his love, so most of the time he was distant and cold,” Soosh told The Huffington Post. “I drew what I lacked and very much wanted, to feel loved and protected by my big papa.”
Art as Both Healing and Hope
While the illustrations reflect something Soosh didn’t experience herself, they are also deeply forward-looking.
She is now a mother to a 9-year-old son and says her work is part of teaching him what it means to be a caring, emotionally present man.
“Part of the education for my kiddo, who I want to grow up to be a good man, is to understand what it’s like to be one,” she told Upworthy.
That philosophy comes through clearly in her art. The fathers in her paintings aren’t portrayed as flawless heroes. They’re tired, sometimes unsure, but always engaged. They show up. And that, Soosh suggests, is what matters most.
The Many Ways Dads Show Love
What makes the series resonate so strongly is how universal the moments feel.
Some illustrations focus on protection, a father standing between his daughter and the world. Others capture playfulness, patience, or simple companionship. There’s no single “right” way to be a good dad in Soosh’s work, only a consistent presence.
Parents who’ve come across her illustrations often say the same thing: they feel seen.
The images don’t just celebrate fatherhood; they quietly affirm how much those everyday actions mean, even when they seem small at the time.
Why These Images Strike Such a Chord
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Soosh’s work goes a step further, it taps into memories, longings, and hopes many people didn’t realize they were carrying.
For some viewers, the illustrations reflect what they had growing up. For others, they represent what they wish they’d experienced, or what they’re trying to give their own children now.
That mix of nostalgia, healing, and aspiration is what makes the series so powerful.
Soosh’s drawings don’t just tell a story about fathers and daughters. They remind us that love doesn’t have to be loud to be life-changing, and that showing up, again and again, can mean everything.
Take a look at Soosh’s gallery here.
Featured Image from: Midjourney