Name: The Art of Heikala
ISBN: 9781909414815

Heikala

This exquisitely presented hardback art book showcases the finest works and helpful thoughts of popular Finnish artist, Heikala.

Works and Thoughts

The Art of Heikala

Heikala does an excellent job of showing the full thought process that goes into her illustrations — from something as complex as the watercolor process, to something as simple as how she pairs her characters with their setting.

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

The characters not only interact with their environment as a part of a story — thereby forming a connection with the viewer — they also tell a story with their appearance pose and clothes.

I decide if the setting will be the focus or not, as this determines how basic or complex I will make the character. If the scenery is the focus of the illustration then I want the character to take a minor part in the image, so I create a basic character.

I highly recommend looking up these illustrations online! I love how Heikala presents her thought process and gives specific examples throughout this book.

Just like a single illustration can tell a story — through the choices of elements such as backgrounds, a character's dress, and their proportion in relation to their environment — you can build even more of a narrative by repeating an object, character, or setting in separate and consecutively shared pieces.

I worked with this theme of "continuity between illustrations" for some of my Inktober 2018 works. For example: Meteor Shower, Crash Site, and Astrochemist were released over three separate days, and combined together to tell more of a story than each one presents on its own.

One of my favorite art books, delightful from cover to cover! I especially love the tutorial section at the end of the book. I enjoy watching Heikala's progress videos on her youtube channel, but it's so interesting and encouraging to see her thought process in the step-by-step.

The art book also features many full illustrations throughout her career as an art student and professional artist, as well as beautifully curated spreads of select sketchbook pages. The binding is wonderful, such a nice hardcover with a beautiful feel to it.

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves watercolor illustrations, atmospheric scenery, and a Studio Ghibli aesthetic. I think this would be a perfect gift for younger audiences interested in art, too. All of Heikala's artwork is imaginative, wholesome, and speaks to a deeper theme of story and narrative.

Can't recommend this enough! She sells copies of this and some of her other illustration books on her website. (This book is the only one with tutorials.) - 

One of my favorite art books, delightful from cover to cover! I especially love the tutorial section at the end of the book. I enjoy watching Heikala's progress videos on her youtube channel, but it's so interesting and encouraging to see her thought process in the step-by-step.

The art book also features many full illustrations throughout her career as an art student and professional artist, as well as beautifully curated spreads of select sketchbook pages. The binding is wonderful, such a nice hardcover with a beautiful feel to it.

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves watercolor illustrations, atmospheric scenery, and a Studio Ghibli aesthetic. I think this would be a perfect gift for younger audiences interested in art, too. All of Heikala's artwork is imaginative, wholesome, and speaks to a deeper theme of story and narrative.

Can't recommend this enough! She sells copies of this and some of her other illustration books on her website. (This book is the only one with tutorials.) - https://heikala.com/

The Art of Heikala Works and Thoughts

Reviews

Highlights