We have a saying in Sweden that the shoe-maker’s children aren’t wearing any shoes. So I do a ton of freelance work but I never seem to find time to put together a portfolio, and half of my stuff is under NDA contracts awaiting to be released to the world… But now you have a link to my Portfolio PDF with a little bit of this and that. Enjoy!
Today I painted and now I have a couple of children’s book illustrations for my Klopetta and Mometta manuscript. Not sure I’ll use them all, but creating this book is a lot of trial and error and finding the right mood, something that I love to do.
I’m also doing a bit of graphic design work at the moment, I look forward showing you guys later.
Well, that’s all for now, these are busy days.
XOXO
Hey friends,
Last week I surprised myself and submitted a novel to a Swedish publisher for a competition. I’ve been writing a lot the last six years and the need to add words to my images, and also writing books sans images is growing on me.
I’ve written all throughout my life. I got my first diary when I was five or six and since then I’ve written with only a few years missing.
I seldom read the story of my own life, but once in a while I stumble over my box with diaries and flicker through them. The more I read the more I’m pretty convinced we’re not supposed to remember everything to a tee, some parts of my life is just missing until I read about it and have to wonder: did this happen? Oh maybe it did. A vague memory will pop up and then I’ll shrug and put the book down.
I hear that people with bad memory in general are happier than those who remember everything. I wouldn’t mind having a really good memory, but perhaps my light spirits is due to forgetting a lot (and I don’t mind).
This week I’m filling in the words to this Children’s book I’m working on. I want it to have a slightly surreal and poetic feel, yet with a strong story so I’m not confusing the kids too much 🙂
My go to writing program is Scrivener but I also discovered the power of google drive documents for sharing my texts and receiving feedback.
I’m heading out to buy lunch (and candy) and then I’ll keep working. Hopefully by the end of this week I’ll have another manuscript finished (albeit different genre).
I also realize it’s Inktober and some might expect me to participate. Having ink as my go-to-tool all year round I don’t really appreciate this month as much as other’s might do haha but if I have time I’ll submit something. For now I need to focus though.
Cold season is upon us, I’ll work hard every day I get.
Wishing you a lovely day
Oh and I’m still open for freelance and commission requests:
hello@anneli.world
– just write me ok? I’ll make time for you
xoxo
I’ve been networking and working on my own projects in between reaching out for new freelance so if I’ve sent you an email and there’s anything in particular you wish to see that you can’t seem to find, just email me okay? I have so much work on my computer and I’ve been neglecting my website for a long time due to a certain broken work life during my kids toddler years. I tried but… yeah. Heh. At least I got the work done, I “only” failed the show-it-off-part.
Of course I’m addressing that very problem right now but digging around in old Betty (my iMac) is taking quite some time, also some of the stuff is under NDA, but as soon as I can I’ll update 🙂
I sometimes forget how quickly things change. Social media platforms change, people’s work places change, and kids grow up and become young adults and a new audience. I think it’s about time I do a presentation of who I am and what I’m doing.
My studio speaks a bit for itself. It’s creative and eclectic. I get the feeling a very sensual great grandmother lives there (but I’m only 37). The house I live in is nearly 100 years old though and half of the top floor is living space for me and my husband and our two daughters who turn 4 and 6 this summer, the other half is my studio. The natural light pouring is amazing.
I can’t work if it’s too messy, but as you can see it’s not a very Scandinavian crispy clean design going on. My favorite manga books are stacked under my desk and I’m learning how to crochet and knit and of course you gotta keep track of mails and paperwork so there’s that pile I’ll never get rid of as well.
The keen eye will notice two iMacs and yes, I use two. I’ve finished writing one adult book and will go back and edit it, I also work on two young adult graphic novels and a children’s book and then doing a revamp of my old comic Ghostly Melody. Oh, and I do gallery shows, freelance work and commissions. I have to be organized or I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.
Coffee. Always. Never matching socks. Always. Bare legs, almost never. Sweden is seldom warm, except this year when summer arrived about two months early. Hey global warming, you’re giving me anxiety. Am I right? Or is it just me?
Anyway.
I’ve covered my walls with sketches I put up on sale, works in progress and experiments. I’ve always tried new mediums and new ways of telling my stories. People seem to recognize my work even though I switch from ink to gouache or acrylics and that’s nice. I’d hate to confuse anyone but I’d also hate not to feel free to go wherever I want artistically. Isn’t that also a big part of why being an artist is so awesome?
Also, with age comes glasses. It seems I have a thing for collecting interesting looking glasses and wearing them even though I’m not necessarily seeking attention. I love people but I also love being able to go wallflower and rest a bit from being attentive and amusing, you know what I mean?
I like expressing myself though, through my art but also sometimes how I look. I used to have blue hair but these days it’s a mousy brown natural color blended with so much natural white hairs. I quite like it because I’m practicing my “I’m OK natural too” and said without shaming people who doll up a lot. I just don’t have the time so this wasn’t an option I liked but rather the way I needed to go because I was too busy to make time keeping my old style or creating a new. I call my current style “Meh!”.
Although… I secretly dream of peachy hair. Perhaps when I get more white hairs because I can’t bleach my hair. It’s already brittle because I have trichotillomania, it’s like a cousin to OCD which means when I’m stressed (and as a freelancing mother of two there’s always some level of stress in me) I twirl my hair until it snaps off. It’s compulsive behavior and quite hard to break but I’m actually trich free since some time ago.
I talk openly about this because I want to break the stigma around trich and the likes, the things we don’t talk about that’s so common and we’d know that if we only dared to talk about it. We need to open up, as a society, so people feel it’s okay to tell their boss or partner or family and the reaction will be judge free as when we tell someone we suffer from a migraine or have a fever. So that instead of suffering in silence people can get help.
It’s just emotions people. The most natural things we have. The most important tools that help us navigate through life and feeling it. And sometimes it comes with a hairball by my feet when my sick kids kept me up two night in a row and I have a deadline. But yeah.
Right now I’m mostly focusing on pulling in the next gear work wise. I want to try new things and work differently. It’s exciting times. Time to get some sleep though, it’s midnight and I’ve been working for a couple of hours after putting the kids to bed, but before I can lay down I need to hang my laundry. Glam life. Now you know me a bit better.
XOXO
These past months I’ve been writing on my illustrated books and also started up podcasting, but I can not stay away from sketching in my sketchbook.
Here are a few images from my sketchbook.
Have you found something that you stashed away inside only to dig it up again? Because burying it wasn’t a good idea in the first place? Or maybe it just keeps bobbing up no matter what you do so you might as well carry it as a black pearl on your necklace.
W is for Werewolf
#Aprilfae is the hashtag for April created by Liselotte Eriksson and Naomi Nowak, with a word for each day of the month with a fairy-theme. This day was “Moon” and if you wish to see more of my fairy drawings you can see them on my Instagram
The room is dark and I am no longer what I used to be. I’m brighter, more dangerous, more clear even though I’m less visible.
Since loosing the cord to my camera I finally managed to sort that out so from here on I’ll snap decent photos of my work in progress. But this is the last “phone-photo” batch haha
Anyway, I’ve been working with City of Girls and Creatures inspired by my original drawing City of Girls (below)
I still have a lot go go on this large beast of a painting (acrylic on canvas) but it’s a lot of fun!
Reapplying a lot of lineart at the moment, old photo of my progress for a better sense of the scale of the art. And yes. That is what I dress like hah
Hello friends!
I’ve been falling a bit behind with updating my website. This early Spring I started up my podcast The Slowbrow Show.
The Slowbrow Show explore the lowbrow artist world focusing mainly on female artists, artist parents, and various life changes clashing with the fresh coolness of artlife.
I also hand out useful techniques for various styles and helpful advice from inspiring artists and curators. A podcast for artists who find themselves looking for inspiration and who are not usually represented on the art scene.
You find it (for free) on iTunes
and (for free) on Anchor
I’ve recorded two interviews so far, my first interview feature the amazing pop realist painter Linnea Strid, and my second interview is with the wonderful Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot and GR2 gallery.
Welcome! I hope you will like it!
I’m excited to tell you I’ll be participating in this years post it group show “Post it show 13”, at the amazing LA gallery Giant Robot curated by Eric Nakamura, Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson.
If you’re in Los Angeles you can enjoy my work along with some of my fave artists (Linnea Strid, Gary Baseman and Aya Kakeda to name a few).
Below is the information from the gallery’s official facebook page.
“The Post It Show at Giant Robot is back!!! It’s the premier event featuring Art on Post It Notes by everyone’s favorite artists.
We open at 12:00-2:45 PM to preview the works. So if you want to just see, this is the time. At 3pm, there will be a line (last year it was about 100 people long), so do understand how this works!
Giant Robot, Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson are proud to present Post-It Show 13 at GR2.
Post-It Show 13
December 2 – December 10, 2017
Sales Begins Saturday, December 2nd, at 3:00 PM
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90025
#postitshow13 #giantrobot
Follow #positshow13 on Instagram to get a preview!
A year ago I started on this mixed media on canvas piece. Today I’m picking it up again because truth be told I really love it. My inner humble Swede cringe when I say it but it’s true, this city of memories and ghosts from the past deserve to be finished.
Fingers crossed it won’t take too long. Sending November warmth.
SUMMONING POUTY SPELLS SINCE 2007 // ANNELI