Discover 15 Scandinavian Illustrators that will Inspire you
Scandinavia is home to many talented illustrators and artists. In this curated guide, you’ll meet 15 illustrators from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, each with distinct art styles, from playful character design to detailed nature scenes and bold line work.
Every illustrator has giving a spot where they can present and showcase their work and talk about themself and their work.
Background by Linn Warme
I’m Linn Warme, a surface pattern designer, illustrator, and textile artist from Västerås, Sweden. My work is detailed, botanical, and full of rhythm and color inspired by the Swedish nature.
I discovered pattern design while studying Textile Art at HDK in Gothenburg, where I fell in love with both the expressive and technical sides of creating repeats. Since then, I’ve worked in-house for Lindex and Gudrun Sjödén and collaborated with clients like Rebel Walls, LRF, Architectural Review, and Bookmark Förlag.
For me, illustration and pattern design are about craftsmanship and flow, how lines, colors, and shapes come together to create something that feels alive and joyful.
Hi!
I’m a Swedish illustrator, animator, and graphic designer based in Växjö, Sweden. I love traditional animation, whimsical patterns, and humour, and I believe that shines through in my work, where I combine analogue (gouache, pencils, watercolour) and digital techniques. I also enjoy working with storytelling and I want to make the viewer smile, perhaps recognize themselves, and feel drawn to study the details. Most of what I create doesn’t necessarily have a strong narrative, but rather floats somewhere between the slightly odd and the familiar: everyday life, rhymes, and the peculiarities of humanity.
I hold a BFA in Design and Sustainability and an MFA in Child Culture Design. Today, I work as a graphic designer while also taking on freelance illustration projects. I hope you’ll enjoy my work!
Hello, My name is Erica and I am an illustrator, animator and storyteller based in the north of Norway.
I am inspired by dreams and nightmares, folklore and the magical beauty of nature.
I dream of creating art that tells stories that inspire people to see the magic of the world but at the same time challenges our view of ourselves and our impact. I want there to be magical whimsy within the seriousness.
Currently I am working on my very first comic book with the very talented David Boriau, which is very exciting for me, it’s been a dream project for a long time and I hope for more projects like it in the future. Previously I have worked on many varied projects, for a while I worked as a motion designer for adverts, but has also had the pleasure of working as an animator for shows like Mr.Bean and movies like Apestjernen.
I’m Anette Heiberg, a surface designer and illustrator living on a small island in Norway. I create art because it makes me happy. I love that I can spread that joy to others by licensing my art to companies, helping them create beautiful home decor products people all over the world can enjoy.
My style is a mix of Scandinavian minimalism and whimsical playfulness. I’m inspired by bright colors, graphic shapes and the wild nature that surrounds my home. I work digitally when creating my designs, but they always start out as hand drawn ideas in my sketchbook.
I’ve worked with illustration for over 20 years and have illustrated over 80 children’s books, including a few I’ve also written. Lately my focus has been on pattern design and licensing. You can find my patterns on products like beach towels, kitchen textiles, yoga towels and picnic blankets.
When I’m not creating, you’ll find me lost in a book, walking in nature, or playing video games with my son.
Hi! I’m Heidi Abeline, a freelance graphic designer/illustrator from Denmark with a passion for patterns and colors. My motivation is to create joy, coziness, and the feeling of coming home.
I’ve always been interested in design, interior decorating, and using my hands for all kinds of creative projects. A few years ago, I thought it would be fun to create my own designs. It was the best idea I ever had, and I haven’t looked back since! It is now a big part of my graphic work, and I love it. Seeing my designs used in fashion and interior design is something very special.
My name is Ida Rørholm Davidsen and I am an illustrator educated from The Royal Danish Academy of Design in Copenhagen. I work as a freelance illustrator and am part of a design collective with a shop in the heart of Copenhagen.
I work with various kinds of illustration projects; for businesses, magazines, books, posters and my own more artistic projects; including papiermaché, papercuts and paintings.
My debut “Lonely journey” was a comic for children that I wrote and illustrated as my Masters project at the Designschool. The book was published and received the Ping-Prize in the category “Best children- and youth comic publication in 2018.”
It was also nominated for a Claus Deleuran Prize and Blixen Prisen. Since then I have illustrated several books, like for instance “Silke” written by the famous Danish author Bent Haller, and also two book binds with 12 of H.C. Andersens fairytales – which also got published in China.
I primarily draw by hand with pencils and colour either by hand with watercolours or digitally. My style is feminine and full of details, and my motifs often have a poetic expression involving humans and nature. I strive to make my illustrations express deeper layers of emotions and moods, and give thought for reflection.
I’m Jonas Welin, an illustrator, sculptor, and designer from Västerås, Sweden. My illustrations are playful and character-driven, often filled with quirky creatures, humor, and bold colors. I like to explore the space between cute and strange.
Alongside my illustration work, I run Creativehowl, a platform sharing resources and tools for illustrators, designers, and artists. It’s a project rooted in creativity, curiosity, and community.
I was born in Denmark, but at this point, I’ve lived longer outside of Denmark than in it. Vancouver, BC, is home now, and I hope it will be for a very long time. I love this place so much. I feel like I stumbled into illustration and lettering; it was never really part of the plan, but looking back, I can see that it’s been woven into my life for many many years. I’m a little bit impulsive and tend to ‘do now, think later’, which also very much applied to my decision of pursuing the creative work I do now. The worst that could happen would be it not working out, which would suck, sure, but it outweighed the scenario of not trying.
I draw letters, but really I love words. They often come before the letters. I can’t write, or at least, I can’t write very well, so I find a lot of inspiration in poetry. I owe John O’Donohue, Pádraig Ó Tuama, Mary Oliver, and David Whyte a whole lot of thanks, they’ve been the inspiration and foundation of a lot of my pieces.
I deeply love what I do. I hope, and pray, I get to do this for a really really long time.
My name is Katrin and I’m an artist and illustrator from Norway, based in Bergen. I have a master’s degree in Visual communication and have been working as a freelance artist since 2010. I specialize in pencil drawing and nature related illustrations. I’ve made artwork for CD and vinyl covers, book covers and participated in several international group exhibitions. Nowadays I’m working on a personal project: a facts and art book about a sweet little creature from the woods.
I’m Esra Roise, a Norwegian artist based in Oslo. I have been drawing since I was little, hold a BA in Visual Communication from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, and have worked professionally as an illustrator for the past 15 years with both Norwegian and international clients.
My roots are in fashion illustration, but I take inspiration from music, pop culture, everyday moments, and nature.
I work predominantly with pencil, ink and mixed media and specialize in portraits, botanical motifs and architectural drawings where I do very detailed drawings mixed with abstract ink and paint elements.
Selected clients include Vogue, Gucci, Dior, Gyldendal, Bvlgari, Elle, and Aschehoug.
Hej! I’m Ulrika Jarl, an illustrator and surface pattern designer from Gothenburg.
For the last 25 years I’ve been living in Brighton, UK, where I am best known for my line drawings of the city. Some of these drawings can be seen as large murals on the walls of the local Royal Sussex hospital.
I absolutely love drawing floral prints and patterns and am obsessed with detail.
I specialise in patterns for wallpaper, but some of my patterns have ended up on fabric, bags, phone cases and many other homeware products.
I appreciate a new challenge and have had a varied career ranging from creating bone china lighting for luxury hotels, working in art education and more recently as a prop maker for high-end lifestyle brands and events. My first love will always be drawing, and that is where I am looking for new challenges and projects.
I’m Vivian, a Norwegian surface pattern designer based in Luxembourg. I have a love for bold, colourful designs, often featuring playful animals in a tropical or fantasy setting. I start my work by drawing on my iPad and then finish the design in vector format. I love the process of turning a set of illustrations into a flowing repeat pattern. My inspiration comes from a mix of Scandinavian simplicity and more vibrant international influences. My work has been licensed on textiles, wallpaper and stationery, and I hope it brings a little joy to those who use it.
My name is Andrea and I’m an award-winning illustrator, comic artist and graphic designer based in Oslo, Norway. My work ranges from editorial illustrations to brandwork, book design and comics about witches. I studied illustration and graphic design at the Norwegian school of Arts and have been working as a freelancer since then.
I often try to incorporate humour into my illustrations, and find inspiration in awkward situations and random people on the street. The totally normal meets weird is my favourite thing.
My work often has lively linework and I like sitting hours on end adding small details to my illustrations. Something that combines well with my weakness for symbolism. I want my illustrations to tell a story and have a sense of life and vibrancy.
I’m always open to commissions, freelance work and collaborations
Hi! I’m Sandra Bilkås, and I’m an illustrator based in Oslo, Norway.
I specialize in decorative patterns made in vector, and my work ranges from visual identity projects, packaging, murals, and textiles. It’s colorful and lush, a bit abstract but always with an idea and often with hidden small details and stories.
Hello! I am a freelance illustrator and surface pattern designer from Gothenburg, Sweden. I have painted, doodled and drawn since early childhood and hope that I get to do it for the rest of my life. I never leave the house without a sketchbook and try to, in the middle of raising two small kids, steal a moment here and there to jot down ideas that come to me from every direction. I am constantly reading, studying and trying out new things in my art practice and I hope that the joy I feel when I am creating shines through in my work. The human hand and the human spirit are extremely important to me in my work, so while my process is a mix between digital and handmade techniques (to be more fast, flexible and adaptable when it comes to client requirements), I always try to embrace and enhance those little imperfections and happy accidents that come from making things by hand. As a result, my work is lively, textured and charming.
I am available for work – don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a perfect project to collaborate on!
