Fishermen cats

My mum turned 50 years yesterday. I gave her this illustration, that's her on the bureau... because my mum often gets very sleepy after dinnertime. I've imagined that the lot of them have all been eating a big supper after being out at sea during the morning. So while everyone takes their nap the youngest cat eats another fish, because he never gets tired, just hungry. 

Calendar in beautiful home

Photography by STEFANY ALVES, from her blog The public Diary

I think there is something very magical about seeing your creations in an inspiring home. Stefany Alves recieved my 2012 calendar last winter and now and then it peeks out in her blog. I guess it's like when a fashion designer sees someone walking down the street in their design.

I'm planing on (maybe) selling 2 or 3 illustration prints. Either 30x30 or 42x42 cm, what do you think is more desirable? I also want to have a lot thicker paper than what I used for the horse posters. Is there an interest for this? Do you have any favorite illustration of mine that would be desirable as a print?
I'm super happy if you share your opinion! 

Sunday sunset

Am I the last person to find fashion photographer Yelena Yemchuck? So exciting... finding someone you've sort of past by many times but never really stopping to check who it is.
Today I walked on a slackline again, it's been a while but it's coming back to me. 6 years ago I was known as the slackline ballerina. It's all about finding your balance, so it's kind of like riding a bike.

Did you do anything interesting today?

Hiding from the clouds

Photos from Potenza

I'm so glad that our last class in school is design management. We finally talk about how to protect what we do (patent, trademark, copyright..), how to meet clients, how to charge for out work... etc. There's A LOT of stuff to know so it hasn't really settled in out minds yet. But we're starting to get a feeling of what it's all about. Since I'm continuing on as a freelancer my hand is often in the air, until the point were my teacher doesn't let me ask any more because "You've talked enough!".
But when thinking about the big world out there and all the struggle you have to do for work I feel like this little dog curled up in a ball.
I know I have to make a new official homepage but I want to contact clients at the same time as well. But the homepage should preferably be finished before I contact people... but I need to feel like I'm looking for work because otherwise I go nuts. Gaah.

Thanks for the stories about your life-changes, it's good to know that we're a whole gang going through the same stuff :)

Two dogs in the street

Spring is coming to its end.
Anyone else going through big changes in their lives? Ending studies? Searching for work? Searching for a place to live? So many people around me are going through big changes in their lives (me as well). It's a bit scary. And from time to time it feels really scary.
I just hope that a year from now, we'll all look back on this time and say Oh it was all so silly when we were so worried. Hopefully we won't be saying I'm sick of living under a bridge, and oh yeah I just lost a tooth. 

Cuddling Lemurs

I can't say these little things are my new favorite animal... but they are high up on the favorite list!! So so so charming. Every time the sun was hidden behind a cloud they cuddled up into a big bun of lemurs. And then when the sun came out they quickly went into their yoga positions and started to worship the sun. And since they don't have many natural enemies they where very easy to get contact with. Stretching out their hands to say hello and looking curiously at you. I love when you feel like you're interacting with the animals at the zoo. Otherwise it's quite common that you just walk by cages of animals looking bored and tired. 

Doll with Donkey

Well, I can't hide away this one anymore! Once I saw the donkeys at the stable where my sister kept her horses I knew they had to be in a picture. I wanted to do the shoot with Tess... but she was very reluctant that day... so we ended up shooting me. But I'm too much of a brunette for this picture I think... but oh well, you take what you get!
The donkey was so kind and this one was actually very pregnant. Her other child was in a box two meters away... crying out III-OOOOO to his mum now and then.
Thank you Tess for helping me with the picture! We actually shot this on my birthday, what a great gift.

Caring for donkeys also feels like a back-in-the-day thing... hence the stopped wind up doll. 

Two fox brothers

My friend Fredrik Ödman (if you haven't seen his photography you should!) asked for an original copy of a drawing... but since most of my originals aren't drawn on the best paper I thought it might be best to simply make a new one. Also... when my hand slips while drawing I fix the flaws in photoshop... but I can't be as easy minded when drawing a picture that will be sold with the real ink on the paper.

This one is about two brothers trying to get to their grandmothers birthday in time... but having some difficulties since their horse has broken his leg. It's windy... it's getting dark... and the swans are not very eager to cooperate. I hope they will make it anyway!

Red Squirrel (tiny fox)

Could that be why I love squirrels so much? Because they look like small red foxes?
Nah. I know why I love squirrels. It's because when I see them, almost flying between branches, I feel this powerful feeling of freedom. Being a squirrel seems awesome. You're small, fast, flexible, beautiful and free. I've never caught a red one very close on camera... until YESTERDAY that is! I love the top photo. I hardly had to touch it in photoshop... the colors where already perfect pastel and the fuzziness was just where it should be. And how cute is it that you can actually see her teeny tiny nipples on the second photo where she's all like "what, you looking at me?".
I should bring out the superheavy tele lens more often! I should also start lifting weights with my right arm... since it has gotten to put up with too much weight from the camera during the past week. And now it feels like it's rotting away.

Late last night Lollo knocked on our door again. Thank god! I had already put up notes all over the neighborhood and reported him missing to the police. He just looked at us like what? Have I been gone?

Where is Lollo?

It seems my cat has gone missing. Either he has lost his way or he has run away. I don't know. All I know is that he wasn't waiting by the stairs when I came home in the morning. And you might think that this is not strange at all. But it is strange! Because Lollo is a real sissy and he would never go more than 20 meter from the house. He has just dissapeared. I keep thinking I should call him and ask where he's at. And then I remember he doesn't have a phone. And also that he doesn't know how to answer a phone.

I feel like this bear. Except Lollo is my hat. And my neighbors are the animal that have no clue.

A whole lotta horse

I got a comment asking to see more of the horses. So here's Abe... or it might be Albert on the first photo.
Abe and Albert are their names and they are two very young friesian stallions. There is still a lot of work to do with them in order to get them...well..."tame"... I might say.
When they come out of their boxes it's like watching these pitch black oil shimmering dinosaurs come to life. Impressing and a bit terrifying. Once you're on their back it's not so bad. Size wise. But they are still more tricky to ride than other horses since they're so big and clumsy and stubborn.

And for those of you wondering, I am home again. I should be catching up on my school work but I'm just sitting and going through the photos from the trip. Always hard to get back to normal life when you've been on vacation. Especially when I came home to a very grey and rainy city.

Beautiful Lea and Tess

My sister has a cat named Lea (Maine Coon breed). She talks/purrs in a very specific way, and when she wants something she looks like a crazy owl. Also, if she doesn't get special maine coon food she eats like a hobo. While chewing her food it just falls out of her mouth and gets all over the kitchen.
Tess first cat that she bought in Italy is called Louis (I call him Lollo) and he lives with us in Sweden know. It occurred to us that Lea & Lui sounded like Lei and Lui, which means her and him in italian. 

Wind-up housewife

There are not as many food cooking housewives left in the world. Maybe someone just forgot to wind them up?  

My birthday

About this time last year I posted a post where I wrote
I went to the zoo today. They had tiny bunnies. I went crazy. I got so excited I got a headache. Then my mum got me a lollipop and it stuck to my lips and I panicked so we ran around by the bears panicking. My mom pressed her icecream(that wasn't so icy) to my face. It didn't help. Then she poured lots of water over my face. That helped more. I felt like I was 6 years old.
On saturday I'm turning 23, hard to imagine!


Life is similar today as well. I'm turning 24 today. And I got a cake with my circus fox.

Bottles

I went up to a hill next to the house, shot this picture (with bottles found in the old house that's being restored) and then I rested on my back and filmed the clouds that flew by super fast. I really like a dramatic sky. I also really like filming actually. I've tried to do a lot of it here. But not too much though... otherwise I won't have any space left on my computer for my pictures. My camera swallows just about 1 GB every third minute.

Gah, on the top picture, does the hand look strange? I might change to another picture without the hand. Ooooooooor, should I?