Autumn

Days are passing and it is dawning on me that I am probably the worst blogger alive. Days go between posts, and I intended for my blogs to be regular, and to squeeze in some writing. Anyway, here's my latest work; the little fox on a big adventure, floating downstreams. Graphite, watercolor, copic pens and digital.

The little tailor.

The little coffee thief.

Nothing can come between him and his morning coffee.

Heart and lungs.

My latest editorial work is out! I got the privilege to work with the magazine Forskning för hälsa (research for health) published by the Swedish Heart and Lung foundation (Hjärt och lungfonden). While making research for the illustrations, I came to realise how important their work is, and the impact it makes.

You can read the issue 2, 2014 here (and look closer at the pictures!) In Swedish only though, sorry!

Morfar (grandpa)

I had this dream the other night that I found my grandpa's eyeglasses and walked around wearing them. I don't know what it means really, but these times I am thinking a lot about him. Somehow I think you can miss someone you never met. 

Grandpa Erik could have lived today, it is not impossible, he could have been 90. People turn 90. However, people that rescue several children from the top floor of a burning school on the cost of their own health does not. 

He got treated for burns of the third degree at the hospital and his lungs was quite damaged, his heart strained. In an interview in a swedish newspaper, he spoke about how he wished to get better soon so he again could practice on his oboe for a concert. He got recognised in both sweden and internationally for his brave deed, and and received a reward from the Carneige foundation. 
When my mom speaks about him, she talks about a man that was extremely kind, helpful and a great musician. There is not much I can do to get him back, but I am changing my last name to his in a near future, to make sure his name lives a little longer, his great deeds not forgotten.

House in the forest and he who lives there.

Happy easter/Glad påsk!

Gardening.

From the left: Something I plan to plant soon. A gardening self portrait I drew. A magazine about gardening (english gardening to be excact) and a chili pepper plant. Obsessed - I? ;)

Lemur love.

I am blessed with friends that apparently know about my secret life wish of snuggle with lemurs. I will never ever forget the feeling of the lemurs tiny, cold and a little sticky hands, when they impatiently grabbed my arm, hands and fingers to get raisins and grapes. Lemurs are vegetarians and so unbelievable friendly, it was such a touching experience. They will stay in my heart forever. These guys lives at the Helsingborg Tropikarium, a place where the personnel seems really knowledgeable about the animals and work towards maintaining certain species in the world. They also put down a great part of their time educating the visitors about it. The lemurs only natural habitat is in Madagascar and its surrounding islands, and they are threatened by the desolation of the rain forest.

Photographs by Jonas Erickson

Latest favourite pen.

I recently found a new Pentel model that I really enjoy messing around with. It's the Pentel colorbrush, like watercolor, but in a pen. The flexibility of the brush nib is a lot of fun and can be used for coloring in bigger surfaces or for fine details. Maybe I am late with this discovery and everyone is already knowing about these, but for me it's a small revolution!

Worker cat illustration

Save the pike campaign.

Illustration of wet grounds for the Swedish Institute of the Marine Environment.

Pheasant doodle.

Just hangin' out and about. With some fleas.

The wind brought some kind of scent

A post about something else: gardening

Ok, can we just talk about something else really quickly? How much fun it is with houseplants, urban gardening and growing your own herbs/vegetables? I just started growing my food on the balcony a couple of years ago, and my interest seems to have become almost obsessive during springtime. It still fascinates me that something you can plant from seed can grow and then let you become a little more self sufficient.
This year I have plans to grow: tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, basil, thyme, peppermint, cress, mangold, wax beans, green beans, wild strawberries and chilipepper, and possible more that I might have forgotten right now on my microscopic but sunny balcony.

Balcony last year.

learning about type.

drawin' them moles for a project.

(moles sleeping, drinking coffee, digging.. and so on)

tiny black fox.

geese, lost in forest-illustration

(sorry 'bout the big signature in the middle)

workin', drawin'.. and drawin' some more. Happy 2014!

photo by Jonas Erickson