Digital Painting

I'm trying to apply my painting-style to photoshop. Here's a recent example, a stone-age huntress for a school-book in history. I like the ability to endlessly change my mind and try new stuff but that also make it just as time-consuming as traditional painting.

The Odin Family

Here's a "family portrait" of some characters  from Scandinavian mythology. I'm generally quite fond of doing historical stuff but with the mythology dimension added it's even more fun. Mainly because it allows You some freedom in the details. Odin's winged helmet for example, is of course not historical accurate, it belongs more in a Wagner opera, but it looks cool.

From left to right: Siv, Thor, Odin, Frigg, Frej and Freja. Illustration for school book about religion.

Opening at Örebro Läns Museum

Back from Örebro where the pictures from Rådhusets Julkalender is on display until February 23. Pay a visit at Örebro Läns Museum if You're in the neighborhood. I  met my sponsors from Karl-Johanskolan, the fine people from SOUL design who's the brains and hands behind the project and some of my dear fellow illustrators. I also got to meet the public.

Seriously, everybody was of course very nice and appreciative. And It's always rewarding to take part in events that are public as opposed to the solitary existence one leads for the most part. By oneself in the studio, all alone with all the difficult and important decisions of the trade. Ha! We even got to sign autographs!

Reproductions of my contribution (and of course all the other illustrators) is for sale here.

Dinosaurs

Yes, dinosaurs feasting on cinnamon buns. From the next Fille & Gonkan-book which I did the illustrations for.

It's funny - the things I liked to draw when I was 11-12 years old is still the funniest to draw now at 51. Spaceships, astronauts, robots, monsters, knights in armour on horses, castles, pirates, airplanes, cowboys and indians. And of course... DINOSAURS.

Will I ever grow up? I hope not.

Freak Guitar III

The logo I drew for Mattias IA Eklundh appears in some very gratifying places for a guitar-nerd like me. The fretboard inlay is the first time my work has been "published" in mother of pearl on rosewood. Nice!

Cheeck out the wonderful Caparison guitars here. And again, make shure You check out Mattias IA Eklundh's amazing world of music. Start here.

Deep Sea Angler Fish

My first drawing of the year - an angler fish. A scary beast who lives in the deepest oceans. For a book about world records in nature. I wouldn't mind if all the following drawings this coming year is this fun to make. The uglier the fish - the happier the illustrator!

2013

The year is coming to an end and it's time for some reflection. It's been a good year. I've been involved in two book releases that I'm very proud of: Jordens försvunna skatter and Fille & Gonkan hos sjörövarna.  I'll post some excerpts below but there's more examples at my portfolio over here.

Business was quite slow in the summer but a generous grant from The Swedish Author's Fund not only gave me opportunity to spend some time with The Tree and Cloud Challenge I've been posting about, but maybe more importantly, a chance to explore what kind of books I want to make myself in the future. I don't want to kill these ideas by talking to much about them but I'll post some half-finished drawings just to put some pressure on myself. I mean; if I state that I'm working on some book projects here I'll have to finish them too, right?

2013 also saw the release of Mattias IA Eklundh's album The Smorgasboard which I did the cover illustration for.

The 3D-printing workshop at KKV was another great thing and I immediately applied (and was accepted) for membership in the Electronics Workshop. The shop is in fact expanding with some very interesting new equipment and hopefully I'll get the chance to work there this coming year.

From Jordens försvunna skatter (Hidden treasures of the world):

From Fille & Gonkan hos sjörövarna (F & G with the pirates):

From my own book projects:

 From The Smorgasboard album cover:

The Flugelbone

I went and bought me a flugelbone the other day. It's a valve trombone built like a trumpet. Also called marching trombone. I got tired of all the unintentional microtonality that I produced on the regular slide trombone. Now, with the valves, I only have to learn to push the right buttons. Piece of cake! (...not.)

One nice thing about brass instrument though is how drawable they are. None of these three have the right proportions but I still think they're quite ok. And I had a great time drawing them.

Robo-Santa in space

Here's my contribution to Rådhusets Julkalender 2013.  "Viva Claus Vegas". Twenty-four Swedish childrens book illustrators were invited. One new revealed each day until christmas eve - five more to go. Check it out here.

More oil pastel