Illustration "Cossack Brotherhood" for print on a mug

Task: Create a group portrait of six Cossack brothers in an authentic style for high-quality application on a ceramic mug.

Key requirements and optimization:
Composition: Exactly 6 characters (brothers), depicted in close-up (from the waist up). A tight, cohesive arrangement of figures to maintain detail on the limited surface area of the mug.

Stylistics: Historical accuracy without caricature. Traditional hairstyles (forelocks), mustaches, realistic clothing (zhupans, embroidered shirts), and elements of Cossack attributes.
Background: As minimalistic as possible, without unnecessary details or landscapes. The final decision is to integrate the blue-yellow Ukrainian flag directly as the background fill, eliminating visual noise in the foreground.

Result:
A print-ready layout with high contrast, clear outlines, and no unnecessary elements, ensuring excellent quality of image transfer onto the curved surface of the mug.