Based in the south of Sweden, Kristofer Ström has been publishing his iPhone images on his blog, Ljudbilden, since 2012. The idea is simple - create an illustration each day on his iPhone. Since starting the blog he has continued to establish himself as a global talent within animation & illustration and has managed to compile a collection of hundreds of unique characters.
"Moving from the city to a house in the suburbs, I found I had a 25 minute bus ride each day to the studio. Instead of getting bored I decided to use the time creatively. I came across this amazing app called ‘Sketchbook Mobile’" explains Ström. ‘So I started drawing more frequently and some friends encouraged me to do something with the illustrations instead of just archiving them and forgetting. So I started a Tumblr page which got some nice feedback, but it wasn't really until I started my Instagram account that they got the attention they needed."
Ström is an illustrator & animator with a unique style, blending cute and cuddly with disturbing & twisted. His quirky characters, each one unique with a personality of its own, come to life full of vivid colour & playful innocence to amuse and be adored. His print & film work slide between family fun filled commercials and more disturbing yet still humorous music videos.
‘Some illustrations work as a part of a diary and some are just stream of consciousness style. Getting nice feedback from people and inspiring others in turn inspires me to continue publishing my daily bus-drawings’, says Ström.
CHI creative producer & art buyer Laura Blight came across Ströms' work earlier in the year.
“I first spotted Kristofer’s work when Hobby Films came into the agency to play their showreel. I was drawn to the intricacy and dark humour of his illustrations. Each piece seems to take on their own personality depicting good and evil. I’m always on the look out for unique creative talent to fill our exhibition space and new instantly that Kristofer’s work would go down extremely well with our creative teams and the rest of the agency.”
Ström’s work will be displayed at CHI from Monday August 10 onwards. His images can be found on his Tumblr site, his Instagram account and on the Hobby Animation website.