Viking Magazine - September 2017 - 38

Q&A
Visual Storyteller
Scandinavian illustrator Simon Stålenhag's digital art combines
reality with science fi ction. BY RACHEL GUYAH
rowing up in the Nordic countryside, concept artist Simon
Stålenhag did what many young boys do: use the power of
imagination to enliven his surroundings with robots, dinosaurs and
other fantastical beings. As an adult, he uses his imagination to design
digital artwork for sci-fi fi lms, computer games, books and even the
Swedish Museum of Natural History. Stålenhag's work is created with
a digital tablet and pen - though the vivid colors, texture and detail
echo his background in watercolor and free-hand drawing.
In 2014 the Stockholm-based artist published his fi rst book, " Tales
from the Loop, " which depicts a reimagined version of Scandinavia in
the '80s and '90s. The book's hyper-realistic drawings portray rural,
everyday life alongside robots, machinery and other sci-fi phenomena.
A fi ctional short story accompanies each drawing. Viking recently
caught up with the acclaimed artist and writer whose third book is
scheduled to launch this fall.
turn them into a job. When
my friend started to ask for
specifi c art assets for his game, I
discovered I had somewhat
of a talent in understanding
game art.
Q Which Scandinavian artists
have inspired you and your
work?
A Swedish wildlife painters
like Lars Jonsson and Gunnar
Brusewitz. Their phenomenal
work showed me the possibilities
of expression that painting and
drawing are capable of.
Q What inspired you to
pursue art as a career?
A It started around a decade
ago when I was helping a friend
with a game project he had
been doing in his spare time. He
asked me if I wanted to do music
and art for it. Writing music and
painting were my big passions,
but I had no idea how I could
38 VIKING SEPTEMBER 2017
Q How did the dystopian
world you created in your
books come to life?
A I started doing slightly surreal
landscape paintings in gouache
[opaque watercolors] in my
late teens, but the world in my
books started to seriously take
shape around six or seven years
ago when I started to add more
science fi ction elements into
sonsofnorway.com
the Swedish landscapes. I also
started to write down ideas and
memories, and slowly I realized
I was building a consistent
world with my digital paintings
and my writing. It was a way
to tell the stories from my
childhood, but also an outlet
for my fascination with Swedish
landscape, science fi ction and
dinosaurs - all happening in
the same universe.
Q What are some of the
advantages and challenges of
using a digital tablet and pen
to create your illustrations?
A The most obvious advantage
is the ability to undo, and not
having to wait for paint to dry.
Finding colors and mixing colors
is also much easier. The biggest
challenge is avoiding a dead,
digital look. I work really hard
in doing as much as possible the
same way I would have done it
with a real paintbrush and
real paint.
G
Q Tell us a little about your
childhood. Did you always
enjoy drawing or painting?
A I grew up in Färingsö, outside
of Stockholm. It's a rural island
in Lake Mälaren made up
farmland and patches of forests.
I was into birds and animals,
and spent a lot of time outside
or with my nose in a fi eld guide
for Swedish birds or wildlife.
The illustrations in these books
got me interested in painting and
drawing in a more serious way
than before. I really wanted
to capture the environment
around me.
Name: Simon Stålenhag
Occupation:
Illustrator and writer
Books:
" Tales from the Loop "
(2014)
" Things from the Flood "
(2016)
" The Electric State "
(forthcoming)
PHOTO BY APPENDIX FOTOGRAFI
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - September 2017

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