Emmeli Markegård

Mermaids, dragons, magic and myth – welcome to the fantasy universe of Norwegian illustrator Emmeli Markegård. Creating imagery across fantasy, romance and young adult publishing, Emmeli’s work is full of magic and illusion, heroes and mythic beasts, with a sensibility informed by vintage pulp and classic children’s storybooks. Whether it’s gloomy forests, frostbitten peaks or lush fields teeming with life, Emmeli’s characters always find their home in a world made to tell their stories.

World-building is paramount to her practice, and her beautifully painted pictures with their bright colours and vivid forms invite the viewer to linger. Using both atmosphere and eye contact, she creates a connection that draws you into the image and the story behind it. What her clients love most is that moment when her initial sketches arrive – often with colour – and the worlds they previously only imagined manifest in her unique artistic hand. Self-trained, but with experience in marketing and design, Emmeli has fulfilled fantasy art commissions since she was a teenager, developing an outstanding reputation in the genre. Her influences include the Lord of the Rings, Norse mythology, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who and historical dramas. She loves nature too and is a licensed PADI Divemaster.

Approach

Emmeli begins by identifying the feeling she wants to convey, using that to drive a loose sketching process that brings out the many ways it can express itself. Colour comes into her process early on, along with careful consideration of the characters, and particularly how their eyes express the feeling.

Key software

Procreate, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Style

Emmeli’s digital art pulls in elements of realism and surrealism. Her style is figurative and colourful, shaped to allow imaginations to thrive whatever the genre or age group the work is intended for.