16 Talented Freelance Swedish Illustrators You Should Know
I’ve compiled a list of 16 freelance illustrators from Sweden whose work I admire. I asked each of them to write a short intro about themselves, so you’ll hear directly from the artists what they’re all about. Whether you’re looking to hire someone or just want some new illustration inspiration, I hope you’ll find a few new Swedish illustrator favorites right here.
Illustration by Linn Warme
Annie Hjälmefjord is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Lädja. She holds a master’s degree in Child Culture Design from HDK-Valand (Academy of Art and Design) in Gothenburg and specializes in illustration, surface pattern design, and animation. Visual storytelling and humor play a central role in her work, which often features characters and various types of plants.
She is inspired by traditional animation, intricate details, and captivating color palettes, and she enjoys combining hand-painted techniques like gouache with digital tools.
Emma Hanquist has been an illustrator for the last 17 years. She has illustrated numerous magazines in Sweden and abroad.
Her primary focus is editorial illustrations, where she loves coming up with creative and fun ideas while maintaining an inclusive perspective.
I’m Linn Warme, an illustrator and surface pattern designer based in Västerås, Sweden. I switch between working digitally and more traditional mediums like gouache, markers, and pens. I love nature and all its inhabitants, and that’s usually where my art goes.
In the past, I worked in-house as a print designer at Gudrun Sjödén and Lindex, and for the past years I have worked as a freelance illustrator and pattern designer. You can find my work on textiles, in editorial work, packaging, and clothing all around the world.
I’m an illustrator and animator based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a focus on large-scale murals and window paintings – including projects for Patagonia, Västtrafik, and the Hyundai Department Store in Seoul.
My work is colorful, character-driven, and playful. I’ve received a D&AD Award for illustration and my editorial work has appeared in Vogue Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.
I also create animations, with past projects for TV4 and GIPHY. My work has been exhibited internationally, including shows in Berlin and Shanghai.
Whether it’s in a magazine, on a digital screen, or across a city wall, I love using creativity to add color, warmth, and a bit of joy to everyday spaces.
My name is Malin Gyllensvaan, I am a textile designer and illustrator with over 20 years of experience based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Painting and drawing are my safe space and I want to spread some joy with my colourful artworks inspired by nature.
I work mostly with bigger companies that produce products like textiles, books, puzzles, and stationery. I almost always paint my original in gouache and then I scan it and digitally prepare it for the client.
I did my education in London and I am very inspired by the British rich heritage of the decorative arts as well as folk art from Sweden and other places from all over the world.
In my spare time, I like to wood carve creatures out of fresh wood.
Clients include IKEA, & Other Stories, Huawei, Running Press, Anthropologie, H&M, Novellix, Hjärnfonden, MIn Stora dag, and Operation Smile to name a few.
Maria Trolle is a Swedish illustrator best known internationally for her adult coloring books, which have gained a worldwide following. She also writes and illustrates children’s picture books and works on commercial illustration projects as well as fine art.
Maria loves working with brush-tip markers and natural-colored paper.
My name is Susse Linton, and I work under the name Susse Collection. Originally from Scotland, I am now based in the south of Sweden.
I specialize in illustrations, surface pattern designs, and animations for the gift and greeting industry. I have also created editorial illustrations for magazines, blogs, and trend publications. In the future, I would love to work in the field of picture books.
I work in both analogue and digital media. My favorite digital tools are Procreate and Adobe Photoshop.
I have licensed and worked with companies around the world some clients include: Calypso Cards, American Greetings, Joann stores, TK MAXX, PICTURA.
My time in Sweden has deeply inspired my work—from the woodland animals and nature in my garden to hunting in a Loppis (Swedish secondhand shops) on a Saturday morning looking out for vintage books, magazines, and fabrics.
I would describe my illustration style as joyful, cute, and fun. My goal with my work is to bring a little fun to your day.
For the past few years, my main focus has been illustrating and writing children’s books, while also working with graphic design and photography. This year, my sixth book will be published, and I’m thrilled that my books are now available in 18 languages.
I love illustrations with rich textures created through mixed media, often with a soft, low-contrast aesthetic. My goal is to create a cozy, inviting space that feels like a world to disappear into.
Nature and animals are recurring themes in my work, as I find myself drawn to creating the world I don’t see while living in a city.
Hi, I’m Jonas Welin, a Swedish illustrator, sculptor, and graphic designer. I love creating playful, character-driven illustrations and sculptures, I’m creating my own little worlds and creatures, all colorful and a bit mad. You can find my work on kids’ fashion, packaging, and as editorial illustrations, among many things. I love taking on new challenges and projects, so if you like my art style, feel free to reach out.
I also run this website, Creativehowl, a blog where I share inspiration, artist features, and resources for creatives.
I’m Elin Matilda Andersson, a Swedish-Australian illustrator based on Dharawal Country, south of Sydney, in the midst of the beautiful Australian bush.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with clients like Akademibokhandeln, Sweden’s leading bookstore chain, and the iconic Sydney Opera House, as well as many non-profit and community-focused organisations. My favourite projects are always the ones where I get to collaborate with passionate people doing good things. I typically work across a wide range of creative briefs — from festivals, ad campaigns, and packaging, to books, animation,s and murals — one of the reasons why I love my job so much!
My process is very much centred around play, shapes, and textures. I always start with pencil sketches or paper collage, leaving room for experimentation, intuition, and the unexpected. My style is a blend of humour and heart, design thinking, craft, and artistic expression. I love storytelling, community building, diversity, the natural world and the transformative power of creativity. I take great pleasure in drawing people expressing their unique selves in weird and wonderful ways.
I’m represented by Wei Productions in Scandinavia and The Jacky Winter Group elsewhere.
Lately, I’m especially inspired by:
1. Watching my 5-year-old daughter take on the world (fabulously)
2. Playing with new tools like my airbrush, and doing a pottery studio residency
3. Friendship, animals, and a great drop of Pinot Noir
Feel free to drop me a line at hello@elinmatilda.com to chat about commissions, collabs, or anything else!
Karin Söderquist is an illustrator and artist based in Stockholm, Sweden. She studied illustration in London, at Camberwell College of Arts, and graduated in 2011 with a degree in Illustration.
She enjoys creating digital artwork and also, when the opportunity arises, to paint murals. She creates most of her illustrations on an iPad and she loves using lots of bright colours to create fun, vibrant images. Her first kids’ books will be released later this year.
Hi! I’m a Swedish illustrator, graphic designer, and children’s picture book author. I specialize in editorial illustration and picture books, and my work is mainly digital with collage elements and gouache details. I often play with colors and mostly use a vivid pastel color palette. I find inspiration in everyday moments with my kids and in the wonders of nature.
I love to bring characters to life or visually conceptualize an idea for an editorial piece, and it often amazes me how powerful imagery can be in relation to the written word. My passion for picture books and storytelling is one of the things that defines me, both as a creative soul, as a parent, and as a professional illustrator.
I am a versatile illustrator with a passion for drawing portraits and creating commercial and educational materials. I draw a lot of my commissioned work digitally with my Wacom and Kyle Webster brushes, but I am trying to steer back towards more analog techniques. I miss the feel of the physical materials and the extra dimension that comes with “happy little accidents”.
Over the years, I have had the honor of drawing for a variety of large and small clients around the country, and I love how my profession allows me to constantly learn new things in so many different areas.
My name is Moa Hoff. I have been working as a freelance illustrator since I graduated from the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in 2005. I live and work in Stockholm, Sweden. My clients include magazines, publishing houses, museums, theaters, and advertising agencies.
I work mostly with newspapers and books, but I have also done a lot of pictures for exhibitions and also patterns, stamps, mascots, packaging, campaign pictures, several theater posters, a music video, and a TV vignette. I have done a lot of work for organizations such as BRIS, Save the Children, and Doctors Without Borders.
There have been many portraits over the years, mainly historical, and that is one of the things I also find most enjoyable to work with. In recent years, I have done a portrait of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature for Svenska Dagbladet, which is the most stressful job of the year. In addition to portraits, I like when the job is varied, like when I got to do a pattern for Fjällräven and a vignette for a children’s program on SVT. I also love children’s books and hope to do many more picture books in the future.
I love working by hand, drawing with real pencils on real paper, and cutting and pasting. I think it’s important to get a feel for the material, but these days I also work digitally.
In my free time, I sing in a choir, have a book club, go to art exhibitions, concerts, theatre, and cinema a lot. I like being out in nature. I grow crops, do various kinds of handicrafts, and I love masquerades. I have three children, a husband, and a cat.
Linn Fritz is an illustrator, designer, and animator based in London. Her work is characterized by a fluid style and precise imagery filled with colourful characters and fun worlds that capture the attention of editorial and commercial clients alike, including Fjällräven, Apple, The New York Times, MTV, Facebook, and Nike.
Alongside her commercial projects, Linn is the co-founder of Panimation, “a multi-platform community of equality-driven women, trans and non-binary friends aiming to connect and support each other within the animation industry.”
The community started as a Facebook group, which later expanded into other platforms and in-person meetups organized around the globe.
Today, Panimation has over 6000 members worldwide and has shaped itself into a lively, inspiring, and awesome decentralized platform to exchange knowledge and support.
Ebba Alling is a Swedish artist born in 1993. Her practice includes illustration, animation, and graphic design. She is a graduate of BA Graphic Design and Illustration at Konstfack.
She is currently splitting her time residing in Adelaide/ Stockholm.
