Helena Bergendahl illustrator

New Illustration

2011-12-08T02:29:00.000-08:00

Naptek - A national programme on local and traditional knowledge concerning the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.

Live Drawing! (and humming)

2011-10-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I was drawing on stage on a seminar arranged by Handelskammaren. (this i a local organisation promoting companies and entrepreneurs) I just tried to capture the essence of what they said, for a little more than an hour. I love doing this, it is great fun. My only concern is that I most probably made some little hummings from concentration, and since I had a headset maybe it was loud. Maybe. Nobody said anything.

Competition!

2011-10-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

This is from the yearly childrens books catalogue that is for all kids in schools and preschools. I am very happy for the little competition on the back of the cover!
Read more about barnenes bibliotek and bokjuryn here. (in Swedish)

The text in the image says: What's the name of the book? The books have lost their titles. Look in the catalogue to find the answer.

New Illustrations!

2011-10-07T03:34:00.000-07:00

Last week I made ten illustrations for forskning.se. It is a nationwide website that provides information on research and research findings in Sweden. All these illustrations was about recent research about assessment and grades in schools. If you want to see all the illustrations, please look here

To Be Friends

2011-09-01T06:45:00.001-07:00

Right now I have a LOT of work with the next book in the same serie as Fråga Chans. It is called Vara vänner and takes place in Gothenburg in wintertime with lots of snow. This is a bit of a challenge consider the black and white illustrations that it has to be. I try to avoid grey, I think it is better with bitmap. Like an old cartoon.
When I had to think about all this winter things like clothes and mittens I suddenly remembered how women my age looks like when they are powerwalking on freezing Sundays.

Fråga Chans Printed

2011-08-15T05:44:00.001-07:00

Finally, in the middle of all the illustrations for number two (Vara Vänner) came this one the other day. Books are being printed pretty quickly these days, it seems like yesterday I made the final little adjustments. It´s scary, but I had no reason to worry, it looks just fine!

Holiday At Work

2011-07-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

I was a bit inspired by David Hockneys Ipad drawings at Louisiana, just because he likes so much to draw and you can see it so clearly when there are so many drawings. (But he might as well have crayons, if he wants to make it simple, it looks better..) Anyway, I too had to get the "brushes"app and now I have lazy mornings when I stay in bed and draw something I find in the newspaper. Then I go to work, because there are books to be illustrated this summer. At least I have a blog holiday til August...

The Book About Jack

2011-04-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is the book I have been working with since last year. Not really really finished yet. But soon. And there will be more!

Bicycle Things

2011-04-13T04:55:00.000-07:00

Right now I am very much involved in planning for a Bicycle Festival in Gothenburg.
It is my bicycle club that is organizing this. And on Sunday we are going on a little trip to a museum with a bike exhibition. That is why I drew a little bus and I finally got to put the birds somewhere..

The Black Cat

2011-03-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

I thought a black cat in an illustration would make things look cute. But when I draw this i realized that it can not look like this, they are good looking, but SPOOKY...

Sunny, But Cold

2011-03-28T02:48:00.001-07:00

I saw today that Fabian och Karamellhäxan will be out in April. Can't wait to see it printed!

Spring In My Backyard

2011-03-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

It's not me!

Grandpa And The Childrens Book

2011-03-11T06:56:00.001-08:00

This is just a small part of a LOT of pictures for a childrens book that will be out after the summer. I guess grandpa will be covered before April.

Characters

2011-03-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

From last year. This job was given to me by 4X4partners.

Longing For Spring And Comics

2011-02-16T03:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being such a lazy blogger, I guess I am a bit tired from winter. It is easier to be a good illustration blogger when you work with newspapers, jobs get published much quicker. Now I am working on a book, I'll tell you more later.
Lately I have also enjoyed working in a very small size. Maybe I should do comics again? Here is a drawn blog from Alex Noriega with the blog Stuff no one told me.
I like this drawing

Brown Tree Blue Sky

2011-01-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

I am a bit obsessed with this tree I drew a few month ago. My experiences tell me that it's a good thing to do drawings just for fun, they will come handy one day. I tried to make this a spring tree, can't wait for the snow to disappear and to be able to ride a bicycle again!

French Fotballplayer

2011-01-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

I thought he looked French. Or Belgian. Or maybe it is the drawing that is a bit Belgian cartoonish. I wish!

More Old Found Giraffes

2011-01-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Apsolutely NO idea how this came about. None.

Jogging

2011-01-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

How to organize your own sports club. This is from one of my regular magazines, Svensk Idrott (Swedish Sport). The text under the picture is: Even if you only want to go running with your friends it can be a good idea to get organized in a club.

Found

2011-01-07T04:53:00.001-08:00

I am organizing my computer finding old things that I have no idea why I made. I guess this one is from when I learned to use the Wacom pen tablet. And it looks A LOT like a tribute to Isol

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T03:36:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a happy 2011! This year starts with the cover of my 2010 calender before I throw it away.

Tree Croquis

2010-11-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

When the trees are all naked I practise a little tree drawing. Once when I was a child of maybe ten I made a little book called: How snow fall on trees. It was like a study. I guess it is not really finished yet.

Realistic Youth Novels

2010-11-25T00:16:00.000-08:00

This was homework for Tuesday, when we had realistic youth novels from the 60s and 70s (I am studying again, childrens litterature at University of Gothenburg) I love this cover! I also like the black and white photos from this period, with high contrast and a large amount of grain in the picture. This book is from 1969.

Black And White

2010-11-23T04:21:00.001-08:00

Now it is really winter here, everything is black and grey and white from snow. So this week (and maybe next) this will show in my blog. Here is the first pic from a book to be published at Nypon förlag. It the second book in the serie about Måns and Emma by Mårten Melin, (this link will show his page about the book)and the title is: Kyssas typ (Kissing, kind of)
This illustrations shows the main characters in a little drama triangle.

Social Media Debate

2010-11-12T04:33:00.000-08:00

Article in Dagens samhälle about how local authorities should handle social media like Facebook or Twitter. Really interresting report (in Swedish) to download via link at the end of the article

Fabian And The Witch Of Sweets

2010-11-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

This is a new cover for a book, but it will not be published until March next year. And I still have to do the backside. But here it is, as it was done for the publishers catalogue. The publishinghouse is Rabén&Sjögren and the author is Maud Mangold. I had great fun while reading, I strongly recommend this book for all ages from 7 and up.

Guestblogger This Week

2010-11-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

This week I am a guestblogger att BBN, the childrens books network in Gothenburg. Check it out at Barnboksnätet (in Swedish)
Little monkey is not published.

Swedish Publishingprize! Yohoo!

2010-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the little pictograms I made in 2009?
Om Monday night this book won it's category in the Swedish Publishingprize
The book were published and written by Ordrum and I think Ola Carlson made the most out of this as a graphic designer/editor, and also is the one who hired me.

Georgian Childrens Books Seminar At The Gothenburg Bookfair, 2

2010-10-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

This is a photo from our seminar at the bookfair, found at the blog Barnboksprat
It was short but fun. We really hope we will be able to talk about this again in Tbilisi at the bookfair there next year. Then there will also be a book published as a result from the workshop, The Box, by Sophia Kinsurasvili and Lilian Edvall and Gvantsa Jobova. Published at Bakur Sulakauri in Tbilisi

The Illustrated Delivery Man!

2010-10-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Take a close look at this package with books I got from Studentlitteratur, look at the little man by the arrow. Isn't he cute! I am a part time student since a month ago, I study childrens litterature at the University of Gothenburg. I think it is about time I start to get more theoretical, not only practical..

Water In Restaurants

2010-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is another regular magazine I work for: Råd och Rön, the Swedish consumers magazine. I illustrate the readers page, here is a question about restaurants charging for ordinary tap water.

Spring?

2010-10-13T06:41:00.001-07:00

These japanese cherrytrees are lovely in springtime, but I think they are pretty lovely right now as well. Beautiful autumn this year!

Teenagers

2010-10-01T04:24:00.001-07:00

This is a illustration that was never published, about teenagers. I like it anyway, my own teenager looked at it and could tell me a lot about the different characters that I had no idea about.

Crazy In Love

2010-10-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

This is another book I illustrated for Nypon publishinghouse. Coverdesign and illustrations in the book.
Same author, Mårten Melin as the cloud-book.

You Are A Cloud

2010-10-01T03:47:00.001-07:00

This is a book with poetry about love for teenagers. I made the coverdesign, illustrations and the graphic design inside, for a publishinghouse called Nypon. They publish books made for schools with pupils that have different kinds of difficulties when it comes to reading and understanding. This means they are not available in bookstores.
I know they wanted me to do something wild and crazy with this, I guess this is how wild and crazy I can get...
Reviews here.

Georgian Childrens Books Seminar At The Gothenburg Bookfair

2010-09-21T07:56:00.001-07:00

Clean Up!

2010-09-03T04:01:00.001-07:00

Get rid of old chauvinist jokes, undemocratic behaviour, antiquated structures and other dusty things! Debate in Dagens samhälle from a young green member of the local parliament.

Recycling

2010-08-24T01:47:00.000-07:00

Recycling old illustrations, this one from this May, debate about recycling in Dagens samhälle.

Way out West

2010-08-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

The worst thing about vacation is that it is really complicated to start working again. How do you do it? Am I an illustrator? What do I do? And how? Lucky me things has begun pretty slow with a few days last week at the Gothenburg festival Way out west. I really liked Shout out loud, both the backdrop and the band. The night picture is from the Håkan Hellström concert, it was great, emotional, and everyone knew all the lyrics, like a giant singalong thing.

Summer!

2010-06-30T02:43:00.001-07:00

I will be back on the 2nd of August, I wish you all a lovely summer!

The Twilight Zone

2010-06-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

This pattern is hopefully going to make an illusion of dusk in a picture with many layers. Hopefully.

Procrastinating

2010-06-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

Several new clients at the moment, and as always I feel a bit insecure as I don't know them and what they like. I used to look a lot at other illustrators when I wanted to get some inspiration but now as I am old and wise I find it better to look at my old stuff. If i find something I like, I know how to do it.
This is an old cover for a book about fairtrade that was never used. I like the read drawing. The grey is only textarea, it is not supposed to be a part of the drawing

More Businesscards

2010-06-06T05:31:00.001-07:00

Maybe a hundred small illustrations for Jonatan who printed mine. It was great fun!

Blue Friday

2010-06-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Secrets In The Sun

2010-06-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

This is an illustration for a book, but that is as much as I can tell right now. To be continued!

Screeenprinting!

2010-06-02T04:06:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we (me and Jonatan Sahlin) printed my new businesscards at his studio. It was my first screenprinting experience, very nice and fun! I think there will be more of this in the future.

ID For Patients?

2010-06-01T04:06:00.000-07:00

This is last weeks debate illustation, the writer suggests an ID with no name on it, for the safety of the patients

Georgian Visit To Stockholm

2010-05-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

These days I am in Stockholm with the part two of our Georgian-Swedish childrens books project. Yesterday we visited Stockholm Illustration, this is illustrator Thomas Fröling showing his work to enthusiastic Georgians. Then we went to Biskops-Arnö for hopefully good and inspired work during the weekend.

Meat!

2010-04-26T02:06:00.000-07:00

Today I got to see this, from the book about work environment in the food industry. It was fun, drawing meat! The book is published by Prevent, (now I am quoting their website) Scandinavia’s leading provider of knowledge and training in the field of health and safety.

Yearly Meeting Today!

2010-04-13T03:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am off to Stockholm for the Annual Meeting of the Swedish Illustrators. This illustration is from Dagens samhälle on an article about healthcare in schools, and how healthcare must be more than just giving shots.

No Comments

2010-04-13T03:18:00.000-07:00

August And Adolf

2010-04-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to a fleemarket to give away some old books. Guess if I came home with some new ones as well? This is August Strindbergs autobiography "The Servants Son" (or whatever it is called in the English edition. The cover illustration is made by legendary newspaper illustrator Adolf Hallman (not much information on internet I am afraid) I think Strindberg looks both young and really alternative.

A Dolphin For Little Ju

2010-04-08T07:05:00.001-07:00

This is a gift for a small friend of mine. She is REALLY into dolphins!

Zoology By Me

2010-03-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Article About Portfolios, Digital Or Not?

2010-03-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

Read my article in the magazine Tecknaren here (as pdf)

One Little Animal Went For A Swim

2010-03-14T07:46:00.001-07:00

Inspection

2010-02-26T02:38:00.001-08:00

Ilustration from a book about working environment in the food industry. I have lately been a bit tired of black drawings and made the illustrations for this book in colours instead.

More From India

2010-02-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

This is me and Moushumi Bhowmik, she is a singer and a writer and we have a childrens books project together. We got some new ideas for the old bookproject during my stay in Kolkata, so let's hope there will be some printing sooner or later...

Do Not Touch!

2010-02-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

This is an article about the difficulties of helping parents that not always wants help. This can be parents with a mental handicap or mentally retarded persons. Very difficult, the problem, of course, and also difficult to illustrate.

Take a look at this Norvergian non-urban graffiti project. So nice!
In English here.

Shantiniketan And The Boi Mela, Kolkata

2010-02-10T05:26:00.001-08:00

Now I am home again after ten days of incredibly exciting trip to India.

The first images in this blogpost is from The Calcutta Bookfair, a huge bokfair called the Boi Mela in Bengali. There has been a 100 000 visitors a day during this week, and the fair is hold outdoors. The day I was there it wasn't too crowded, a really interresting experience, reminding me of rockfestivals I have been too when it comes to size. I was in Kolkata, and also in Santiniketan a place three hours trainride from Kolkata where there is a university and an artschool where I made a little presentation and a workshop.

I also talked at the Jadavpur University in Kolkata about my work but also about the Astrid Lindgren illustrators, and some modern graphic novel artists in Sweden, as I knew that the students there had a special interrest in graphic novels.

Pickles

2010-01-14T02:46:00.000-08:00

New Things

2010-01-12T13:30:00.001-08:00

I bought some new paper, or a French sketch pad actually, and suddenly drawing just for fun became interresting again.

Sverre The Dog

2010-01-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is Sverre. He was participating in the last meeting with the board in December. What a year, 2009 has been for me, ful of events and travels and movings and commotions of all kinds. This might be why my blogposts been so rare lately, I ran out of energy in the end of 2009. I am much too old and wise to promise anything, but there might be interresting things coming up soon so watch out!

The Workshop And The Black Sea

2009-11-25T02:06:00.000-08:00

There is a town by the Black Sea in Georgia called Batumi. Batumi is a holidayresort but also a small city. This is were we held our workshop, with six Swedish and six Georgian illustrators and authors. Batumi was rainy but nice. We worked really intense so I didn't think about taking photographs. If you want to read more about the participants there is a booklet
here for download. Beware, it is pretty heavy.

Digital Embroidery

2009-11-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

This weeks debate

Seminar And Workshop in Georgia

2009-11-17T13:02:00.001-08:00

Sorry for being such a bad blogger lately. I have been to Georgia for a couple of weeks arranging a seminar and a workshop about childrens books. These pictures are from Tbilisi, and the dolls museum where the seminar was held. The program is still available for download here
if you are interrested. It was a success with about a hundred participants and lots of diskussions and meetings. We also had an exhibition with Swedish and Georgian childrens literature. Pictures from the workshop in Batumi next week.

Ingrid Vang Nyman And More

2009-10-15T02:26:00.000-07:00

I have found a beatiful and inspiring blog about illustrations in childrens' books, The Apple and The Egg. I found this as I were looking for a brazilian book by Bernardo Carvalho, A Grande Invasao. Lot's of pictures!

My pictures are from 60th schoolbook Let's read illustrated by danish/swedish illustrator Ingrid Vang Nyman, more known as the first illustrator of Pippi Långstrump. I am very fond of the illustrations of animals and things, maybe more so than the ones of the kids. Maybe because the kids are so known and seen in the Pippi-books..
I saw an exhibition a few years ago with her original drawings, they were really really small. She used to sharpen matchsticks and then dip them into ink. After a few lines she had to make another one. She lay in bed, drawing and when the bed was full of inky matchsticks then she covered them up with another sheet. So, who needs an office?

Fast Trains

2009-10-13T03:26:00.001-07:00

Old Junk From University

2009-09-30T02:14:00.001-07:00

Right now my life is a mess since I moving, and I have been living in my old apartement for 18 years. This is some old stuff i found, and I have no idea what to do with it but publish it here. I wonder if the crocodile was some precognition thing for my African travels

Last Weeks Debate

2009-09-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

I like the roof best. And the moon.

Results!

2009-09-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

Workshop In Orange

2009-09-14T02:22:00.001-07:00

My office is a mess these days, since I am preparing for workshops in schools tomorrow and Wednesday. 87 pupils (not at the same time!) get one orange paper each to paint african animals on, the same technic as I used for My Couragous Grandmother and also some material to cut and paste with. I hope there will be left overs for me to play with. I think the fingerprints must be perfect for zebras!

If I Were A Collector

2009-09-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

I would love to collect books about science from the sixties. Look at these, they used to belong to my father. I love them! A quick look at the internet showed that it is not very expensive or rare to find books in the same series, from the same year.

Ballet

2009-09-01T03:35:00.001-07:00

Brand New Book!

2009-08-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

Look what I got in the mail today! This is a book published by Tranan. Three new books concerning Lorca and his work is published just in time for the bookfair in Göteborg in september. There will be seminars at Pusterviksteatern and a guest appearance from a Spanish theater as well as the play About Love played by Teater Halland, who actually is the reason for me appearing in this book, as I did the poster for the play. It's not a usual thing with illustrations in a book with plays, but I think it worked out really nice. Anders Wikström is the graphic designer.

Teacher

2009-08-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

From Dagens Samhälle this week, focus on the teachers.

Illustrations For A Yearly Report

2009-08-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

Just before the holidays I finished these illustrations for a yearly report. It's for Fritidsforum, on organisation for teachers providing activities for young people when they are not at school.

I'm back!

2009-08-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

I'm always happy when August comes... The same feeling of school starting again, new books, new pens, new colours

A Rerun

2009-06-18T02:14:00.000-07:00

This is a rerun from last summer but I wanted to publish it again, like a spell to make summermagic happen again. You can never be sure.
This is a illustrated alphabet by Paul Thurlby

Sad Things

2009-06-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

A really sad article on how disabled women, often mentally handicapped are frequent victims of domestic violence. And how the authorities must know about this, to be able to help.

Two Dromedars At A Nightclub

2009-06-04T02:43:00.000-07:00

And I still have time to work. Isn't that amazing.

Birds And Clouds

2009-06-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I did just for fun yesterday. I love when that happens. It almost never does!

Squirrels, Bees and Birds

2009-06-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

This illustration is made for a report on how children in schools can learn things about nature and traditional knowledge on how to live from nature. These things are taught at Naptek, at the Swedish Biodiversity Centre in Uppsala. What I learned from this assignment; squirrels are NOT so easy to draw. They are not even cute if you look at them carefully

Books By It's Cover

2009-05-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

Look what I bought today. Makes me wanna go on a car holiday in Austria...

Proof!

2009-05-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

This is proof. Sketches are better than finished drawings!
But I have no idea why everything is blue, it must be the afternoon light in my office.

The Last Icon

2009-05-26T06:34:00.001-07:00

I think and believe and hope that this is the last one of many icons I have been doing for a book. I made the first one in March, and it as been a few since then.

Spring Scribbelings

2009-05-19T12:23:00.001-07:00

No comments needed, I guess..

El Primitivo Auto Sentimental, Finally

2009-05-18T02:51:00.000-07:00

For the Lorcabook, will be published in September..

Disabled By Fear

2009-05-14T03:21:00.000-07:00

Dagens samhälle, from todays issue. The article is about how to help elderly people who are afraid to fall or get injured again while recovering from accidents.

Fleamarket Photography

2009-05-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, me and my daughter went to Reningsborg, a pretty large fleamarket outside of town. I did some drawings of different kinds of lightbulbs for Råd&Rön a few days ago, maybe that is why these caught my eye. Very nice boxes!

A Happier Cat

2009-04-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

I am a lot happier than this cat today, because I am going to Stockholm and the Kolla! partynight, The association of swedish illustrators yearly price and event..

El Primitivo Auto Sentimental

2009-04-20T04:46:00.001-07:00

On going work with illustrating Lorca-plays for a book. It is hard, what more is there to say when the text is so great?

Scribbling Week

2009-04-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it is Thursday, but I figure scribbling week can go on next week too. Lot´s of scribbling these days, as a consequence of a lot of meetings. I am also learning how to handle a digital pen. It's hard, but everyone I trust says it's great, so I guess I just have to practice.

Happy Easter

2009-04-09T03:12:00.001-07:00

I am lazy today so I let my son illustrate the Easter greeting. Have a nice holiday everyone!

Cooperative Companies

2009-04-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

Dagens samhälle illustration a few weeks ago. It felt a bit nice not to use black as a drawing colour, as I usually do. Dramatic changes!

More Lorca

2009-04-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I visited Stockholm for a few days, the yearly meeting with the Association of Swedish Illustrators and meeting with Tranan (the Crane) a really nice publishing house specialized in translated fiction from Africa, Asia, Latin America and other language areas often neglected on the Swedish book market. My illustrations will appear in a book with four short plays, and will be out in time for the bookfair in Göteborg in September

Blueberry Soup

2009-03-30T03:16:00.001-07:00

For this picture I am quoting the US Blueberry Council: In Sweden, chilled blueberry soup is a popular summer treat that's equally welcome as an appetizer or dessert. The illustration is from the magazine Råd och Rön, Sweden's leading consumers magazine, where I am now a regular illustrator for the readers pages.

More Small Ones

2009-03-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Very Small Illustrations

2009-03-24T02:19:00.001-07:00

This is what I do at the moment, very small pictograms for a book. I get totally lost in small changes after a while, it is hard to stop.

Lobbyists

2009-03-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

From Dagens samhälle, a few weeks ago
(text in english; -Come and sit with me!)