(NOTE: Ilona is not taking commissions in 2023)

Ilona Partanen (b.1986) is a Helsinki-based illustrator and graphic designer. She graduated from the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts as a graphic designer in 2011 and from Aalto University as a master of arts in 2018.  She mainly operates with gouache, ink and computer techniques in her illustrations. Her style is characterized mainly by strong colour intensity and organic shapes. In her illustrations, smooth colour surfaces meet the artistic brush strokes. Nature, abstract concepts, psychology and dreams inspire her. In addition to making illustrations, Ilona is a part of Multicoloured Dreams street art collective and G-REX street art guild. Her illustrations have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Finland and abroad e.g. in London and Slovenia. She also makes designs to license (ask for a link to the material info@napa-agency.fi).
Speciality: pattern design, children’s book illustration, character illustration, editorial illustration, traditional illustration styles, mural painting

Path of the Craft: From sketch to illustration process by Ilona Partanen (pdf)
Instagram: @kedaali