Hello friends!

I’m back on the newsletter bean after a looong hiatus. I wanted to share with you a bunch things going on in my creative endeavors! Technically we are nearing springtime but here in Helsinki we are still covered in mounds of snow. Though in my studio the mounds of snow that you might see are actually just piles and piles of paperwork and drawings. But here I am talking to you (or more like at you?) through my endless to-do lists!

I should probably start off by acknowledging the fact that I have not made a newsletter since my relocation to Finland. Though I don’t have a good reason for taking so long, I can tell you that it has been a slower adjustment living in my new old homeplace than I had expected. Getting into the Finnish system was arduous and time-consuming, and that mixed in with pandemic complications, I’ve been scraping along trying to get the most essential parts of my practice going. I feel like making the Step by Step Guide to an Easy International Move funny was relatively easy… but if I were to make a funny comic about adjusting into a new country, it would just have been a lot of dramatic crying and banging heads against walls.

Despite all that stuff which is totally in the rear view mirror now, I’ve been making lots of work and mostly just neglecting my least favorite things - ANY SOCIAL MEDIA.

A FEW ADVENTURES ON THE HORIZON

…I AM OFF TO BOLOGNA!

The last couple of months have been a bit of grind with a lot of behind the scenes work but it’s all paying off. In case you missed my posts on Instagram or Twitter, I’m thrilled to say that I am one of the winners of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2022 Illustrators Exhibition! It has been a dream of mine to submit and go to this event since it is always filled with so much inspiring and cutting-edge artwork. I never would have dreamed of actually making it into the show! I’m also way too excited to be traveling to the event in person to Italy (!!!) at the end of this month. I’ve never been to Italy before so it is going to be an extra special trip. Anyways, keep your peepers peeled on social media for some updates about my visit to Bologna at the end of the month!

LAPLAND IS ALSO CALLING ME FOR A VISIT…

Not only am I traveling to Italy, but I will also be going to the Arctic Circle! I am lucky enough to have a dear courageous pal who is now three months in to her six month work & stay in Levi, and it is impossible to pass up on the opportunity to go spend some time with her while she is there. Though it might be a bit difficult to draw from life, since the weather gets pretty chilly up there, I’ll do my best to bring back an impression of my stay. Though I grew up here in Finland, I have never actually gone all the way up to Lapland, and this will be an amazing wintery wonderland time to go.

March is turning out to be packed with adventure!

ABOUT THE 2022 ILLUSTRATORS EXHIBITION

Anyways, the best part of traveling to Italy is the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It has been a longtime dream of mine to actually attend the events and I just can’t wait to see what it will have in store. I’m honored to be presenting my work among so many talented artists, and these are the five original works that will be on display:

I don’t know why but having the opportunity to show originals as well has been extra special and emotional for me. It is not often that my original paintings leave my studio, but when they do - it feels great! These two friends will also be starting their exhibition journey in Bologna, Italy and then they will be going on an international tour to Japan, then South Korea and China. I’m almost jealous of these little guys for soon being better traveled than I am!

EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN MY SKETCHBOOK

The pieces soon to be on display at the BCBF were all ideation for a picture book last year. I’ve been focused on trying to write books that I enjoy and it has been more about exploring the feeling of the art matching the feeling of the writing. And I say that because I think it’s easy to get caught up in trying to be “a good writer.”

So, I started exploring the style of my two favorite characters in their environment. It took a lot of tries - the paintings above are all 2nd, 3rd or even 4th versions and I would show you the “failed attempts” except I ruthlessly use those in new projects so they are all cut up and taped back together. I can instead show you some of the very early stages of these characters, which all came with their own versions of stories.

I can’t tell you how many versions of these stories I have written. I can say that these friends have gone through it all and I am amazed that they still feel like spending time together. I am mystified by anyone who is able to write in any graceful manner… I get lost in my drafts, and edits, and eventually question it all. I guess after six months I’ve found a collection of stories that at least makes me smile. Here are a few of my favorite drawings from the stories:

That’s all I have about these oddball buddies! Soon they will be famous after their tour and take on a whole life without me.

OTHER RECENT PROJECTS

Aside from children’s books, I’ve been working away on lots of wonderful editorial pieces. I love the variety of subject matter that comes with client work and it always breathes a bit of fresh air into my process. Here’s a few of my favorite editorials from the last months (click on the images to see the published articles):

PERSONALIZED GUITAR CASE

Another fun little side project I had in the last months was a hand-painted and custom designed guitar case. Another dear old pal entrusted me to make him a personalized illustration for his case. We both share a love for the old americana folk stars and when he approached me with this project I had a pretty good idea of what would make him smile. This included lots of references to his favorite artists and album covers and little portraits of his two greatest sources of inspiration.

An early sketch, exploring the different possibilities of stylization and the type of landscape.

I really loved this early sketch, because of the little icons surrounding the image would have served as little icons of what the owner of the case found the most important. And of course a Little Feat inspired landscape was a must.

After a few early iterations, we landed on a pretty classic landscape with a couple elements that were customized to its owner. The two little portraits at the bottom of Billy Gibbons and Lowell George, as well as a few references to album covers and gig posters by Blackberry Smoke, Little Feat and ZZ Top. And of course a lot of my own flare. My favorite part is how the two cowboys riding into the sunset are linked to the portraits, where we get to imagine that they are friends (I have no idea if they were or not) and living in this fantasy Wild West with jackalopes and gorgeous sunsets.

I do really love how it came out even though I was so nervous to paint it! Scroll for a detail shot of the landscape.

CLOSING NOTE: A SHOP IS COMING SOON!

The one last thing I wanted to share this month is that I will be working towards opening up a web shoppe right here on this website over the summer! Expect to see the return of laser cut earrings, some curated originals, prints, and a few surprises. And please let me know if you have anything you’d be interested to see in the shop! I’m always open to feedback or requests.

That’s all! Did you have enough of me yet? :—)

- Tilda Rose

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HAPPY SPRING AND OTHER NEWS | March 2022