Sketching new characters

Last couple of weeks I've been drawing pages after pages of children for a project that I'll let you know about later. Designing characters, adding them on double spreads of a book and then reworking it all. I like to work fast and not think too much. So my hand has to work quickly to keep up with the brain. I love smudging my hand in grey graphite of an H pencil when it sweeps across the paper.
It's November again, dark and grey and wet. So the only way to keep me active instead of crawling inside a wool blanket with 10 kilos of chocolate and 50 books is to keep my brain busy and shake my legs. Alternating drawing and dancing with regular chocolate breaks is the best way to survive this darkness. On top of that, plenty of sleep and vitamin D while waiting for the first snow.

Birds, I simply love them!

Here are all of my new card designs, finally! I have three new 'Still Life with Birds' -cards and six different designs for Christmas and wintertime, published by Putinki Oy. 

So, what is happening next? I'm busy working on two lovely projects that I will tell you more about in good time. For now, it's a secret.

Cards coming soon...

My "Still Life with Birds" -series get three new cards published by Putinki Oy. They should be in print soon, I'm looking forward to it. My birds are also appearing in christmas cards, which I'll be revealing later in this blog!
Another busy and fun workshop for children last weekend at Vuotalo festival. The theme was...you'd never guess.....BIRDS!

Cover illustration for Helsinki-info

I was commissioned to illustrate the cover of Helsinki-info, an information bulletin published by the City of Helsinki, printed six times a year. I have to say I was a bit intimidated by the print run of 365 000...
Here are the original artwork (A2) and the final cover. I was very happy with this brief, great work with reproduction and layout by Heikki Sallinen (Logopolis Graphic Design). 

Book delivery!

This book was published in June and I got my copies yesterday. Reissutunti (published by Otava) is a songbook with music CD included. This is the fourth book in the series by music educators Satu Sopanen and Markku Kaikkonen, but the first one that I have illustrated. It was fun, enjoyable and busy project. Hopefully more commissions like this are on the way!

The Night of the Arts in Helsinki

Here are some photos from the event we arranged at Gudrun Sjödén Store on the Night of the Arts in August. Every year, for one special evening, the city fills up with arts, music, performances, exhibition and activities in shops and galleries, parks and streets.
This year we arranged a spontaneous happening at one of my favourite designer Gudrun Sjödén's store, where I work from time to time with some wonderful, talented people. The night included Fado songs, live models in the window and improvised watercolour painting.

Detail from the randomly painted patterns

Me and Lumimarja, the live models

Siiri and Elsa enjoyed painting...

...and wanted a new white sheet to paint on!

Artwork by Siiri and Elsa

Journal cover

I took part in the Global Talent Search competition organized by Lilla Rogers Studio http://lillarogers.com. There was 1500 contestants from 30 countries, and 50 made it to the semi-final. I wasn't one of the lucky ones, but there was some amazing work entering the competition!
Here's my entry, a journal cover on the theme of children's playground. I had a wonderful time painting it, summer days were hot, strawberries sweet and flowers blossoming everywhere!

Back at the studio!

First proper working day at the studio after a long summer holiday. My son started preschool today, very exciting! I have a great big pile of things to do, and wonderful projects for this autumn.

I got a chance to do a bit of painting at the summer home, where I set up a studio in the corner of a small room.

  

In between work, a bit of soap bubble fun!

Midsummer's eve soon!

Tomorrow I will leave the city for Midsummer weekend and finally throw away my winter coat in a lake and spend a couple of days together with my family in a little heaven called Johannislund in Kiikala. The old glass factory's village is by far the best place to be in the summer. A little bit later I'll be packing my paints and papers there too to complete the Christmas card illustrations I'm working on at the moment. Here's another lovely photo of my untidy desk at a very hot studio, where the snow is luckily only on paper!

Still Life with Birds Part II

I did three more gouache paintings for Putinki Oy, enjoying every minute of painting them. This one is the brightest one, with a lot of fiddly details.
I know that so many illustrators use computer especially when designing patterns. Well, I stick to my ruler and pencil to get the patterns in line and correct shape and size...I feel it is more lively this way, hand-painted with little mistakes and imperfections.
More birds coming up for Christmas and winter season. Summer is always the best season to work on winter subjects with nice, cool thoughts about snow and ice. I'm looking forward to summer, my favourite season of the year!