Award Year
2025
Why did you choose to enter this work?
This project has been a joy to create and is personally significant. I love the combination of fantastic creatures and realistic nature, alongside the curious animals and the proud child, Addi.
What’s your favourite thing about your shortlisted project?
I enjoyed the entertaining script by Jali Madi Susso, which presented a serious topic. I illustrated it with bold perspectives and strong characters. It was both amusing and significant to work with.
What excites you most about being shortlisted?
This is my first children's book, so I feel very honored to be shortlisted in this category. I am thrilled by how readers have received the book and hope that more kids will get to know Addi now.
Where do you usually work?
I create in my studio at Ringön, an industrial and creative area by the water in Gothenburg. I often listen to podcasts while I draw and paint. Lunch breaks are best spent by the river.
How long did it take to complete your project?
It is tricky to estimate. From start to finished illustrations took about a year, but I also had other illustration commissions and worked for some months as a graphic designer at a film festival.
What is your dream commission?
One would be to illustrate a story I have written about a family visiting a tree. Another would be to create the visuals for the marketing of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
What’s your favourite thing to draw?
It changes all the time. At the moment it is superhero dogs.
What is your best tip for other illustrators?
Attend a dance performance, concert, or lecture on an unfamiliar topic. Engage with other things than illustration and you will be wildly inspired.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to illustrate a story of my own. About the family and the tree. Or about what happens if you have to invite a small beast. Or about a pig who creates a theatre in a cafe.
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Felicia Fortes395054-Felicia_Fortes-photo_©Emelie_Asplund
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