Kolbeinn Karlsson

RIGHT NOW: BADHUSDAGBOK: nude drawings in the Stockholm subway, T:Fridhemsplan until Q3 2018 Currently working on freelance illustration work, and THE TROLL KING 2 EXIBITING DRAWINGS at Los Vegos Café, Svartbäcksg.21, Uppsala, Sweden GROUP SHOW at Los Vegos at Kulturnatten, september 8th NEW COMIC up in the latest issue of GALAGO (nr.131) An ARTISTS PRESENTATION together with Konstfrämjandet Uppland at Uppsala konsert & kongress, sep.4th 17.00

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

I'm back in Sweden everyone! The heat is terrible. Still on the troll king, and my fall schedule. Mostly working out a lot, and discovering those apps that chart yr running.

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Vacation mode in NYC for the moment, with a view over Coney Island! I will do my best while i’m here to push another Troll king 2 chapter over the finish line.  Aside from that, i’m interested in doing some fun new york stuff. If anyone knows about any good drawing/art/cawmix events going around here, feel free to let me know!

On another note, between the 9th and the 22th of july, i will be guest posting on the @seriesverige instagram account! The account is in Swedish, and i will talk about some of the ups and down of writing such a long marathon projects, as well as some holiday humblebrags.

Oh! And for people in Uppsala, i have art up at my friends at Los Vegos Café again! Visitors can find Los vegos at Svartbäcksgatan 21.

Happy Summer, Kiddos!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Illustration for an anthology issued by the Swedish feminist party (F!)

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Look at that! A nice and juicy ten-pager in galago! I promise you desert adventure, beefcakes and kittens!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Re-reading the lanterns of nedzu by @tenreiro! It is one of those works that just oozes with great atmosphere and texture! And I am so in love with the world and the characters!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

My SiS 2018 haul! Most happy about daria bogdanska so far. Very excited about the David Liljemark book. In the bottom is a Lambiek bag he gave me after all our online talk about Suske en Wiske

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Sometimes i can’t help to squeeze in a Momus reference in my work. Good readers remember that i did a whole 12 page comic on the song hippopotamomus once, so it’s nothing odd there. This time, i pay a little homage to one of my favorite songs on 2005′s Otto Spooky. In the form of cats named after belvederes three goons, no less! The comic is almost finished and is due for galago.

Listen to Belvedere here!

Momus’ website here!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Here are some photos from the Chicago show! I am really bummed that I couldn't go, the show looks great!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Even though a lot of my week has been about my usual struggle of establishing a decent work routine, the weekend turned to shows. Yesterday i was at the opening for brilliant swedish artist Nina Hemmingsson. Hemmingsson is very much a key figure when mentioning swedish comics. Not only is she the editor at the publisher Kartago, but her comics are these brilliant dark twisted little gems. I really recommend the show. You can find links here.

The second thing is really good news for fans in Chicago! The Swedish-american museum is running a show on Swedish Comics history! Not only is this a bit of a rare treat, since we don’t get too many shows of this sort, especially internationally. And as a special bonus, i am contributiong with a LOT of troll king stuff! I mean really a lot. I am exhibiting several original pages, as well as the Troll King original script, and some other Troll King stuff. The opening is TONITE!  Expect more pictures soon, even though i’m not there in person. http://swedishamericanmuseum.org/2.0/exhibits/

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Movimenti della luna d’oro

The past month, i have been doing some freelance work, and i don’t really know if i should talk about it yet, so i keep schtumm until it is announced. The rest of the time, i am slowly working through the art on the Troll King 2. Last fall, i was feeling a bit worn out after just finishing the art for the first 120 pages, and feeling happy about that for about five minutes before realizing that i had about another hundred pages to go. I felt a bit better about it when i started working a bit on it, and relaized that those last 80 or 90 pages are some of the best bits, and i am so going to enjoy working on them.

And also, from a personal standpoint, drawing... doestn’t feel so hard anymore. I remember having a hard time getting into, and staying consistent with work. A lot of it felt like a challenge and a chore. But nowadays, i guess i got over the hump before things start feeling good again.

Anyway, after this freelance thing, i’m back doing book work. I’m having a meeting with my new editiors next week, and i am very interested seeing how it will turn out.

Oh! I had dinner with @justinhallcomics when he was visiting stockholm! Such a great, smart, friendly, easy-going guy.

Oh and my friend Léah has an EP out, and she is getting great reviews! You should definetly look into that! You can find some info on it here.

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Hey look, it’s antiquarian and lexiographer Francis Grose! Publisher of A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue!

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

My most caveman drawing routine: using my stupidly expensive computer screen for hanging sketches.

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Nkd doodz

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Oh, hello Squidford Squiddingsworth IV! (for Patrik S)

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Practicing my digital coloring, so i drew from an audience photo from a the cult gig. Borrowed some colors from @eriksvetoft

[kolbeinnkarlsson]

Hurra för Galago!

Sommaren efter första året i serieskolan satt jag i ett så gott som tomt rum i bergsgatan och gjorde mitt första riktigt ambitiösa fansin, "In these woods we are Ewok Kings. Efter många om och men, och viss förvirring hamnade det under en bokmässa i händerna på Mats och Johannes i Galago. Jag minns att jag antingen fick berättat för mig eller att jag faktiskt hörde mats säga "nämen jag läser väl den där jävla ewokserien då". Några veckor senare skrev jag kontrakt med Galago på min debutbok , Trollkungen. Detta blev början av mitt förhållande med Galago.

Efter det följde ett gäng intensiva år, men det mesta som hänt går att härleda till att de signerade mig. Det var med Galago jag flängde till olika seriefestivaler här och var i europa. Det var med Galago som jag fick mitt kontrakt med Top Shelf, och lanserades internationellt. Och det är genom detta som jag fortfarande får jobb och möjligheter att göra balla grejer, sju år efter släpp.

Och det är också Mats och Johannes jag har att tacka, för att de varit så tålmodiga och förstående förläggare under de senare åren som Trollis 2 varit en grej. Sämre förläggare skulle tappat tålmodet för mindre.

Just nu känner jag att jag är på en plats i min karriär där jag är väldigt nöjd med mig själv, kreativt.  Jag känner mig som en sjujävla konstnär, och Mats och Johannes och alla de andra på Galago har varit där och backat mig när jag behövt. Och nu vill jag blicka framåt. Galago är under ny regi, och jag ser med glädje fram emot att sitta med boken tillsammans med Sofia Olsson, och se vad vi skall hitta på i framtiden.

Men med detta vill jag säga TUSEN TACK, Mats, Johannes och alla de andra för dessa år tillsammans. Jag ser fram emot att se er i kulturarbetarland. Och HEJ SOFIA OLSSON!