The World through Sandra’s Lens: Sandra Isaksson illustrates stunning series of landscapes

Already a master of illustrating food and people, Sandra Isaksson has shown she is equally adept at capturing the landscapes around us, with the addition of some Scandi flare, of course. We had a chat with Sandra to understand how she goes about creating them:

Where do you draw inspiration from? Are they drawn from life or imagination?

I draw inspiration from my childhood and surroundings, people and travel. We bought a summer house in Sweden a few years ago so a lot of recent work is around lakes and forests as well as Hong Kong from living there for 5 years recently. So I guess it all starts in reality but the outcome is very imaginative, if that makes sense?

Do you have a favourite place to draw? 

Yes, it must be the forests and Lake Unden where I grew up in Sweden.

How do you decide what to include? 

It’s a process! Like a puzzle. I keep adding or taking away details until I feel there is a near perfect balance. You just know when it’s right. On complicated pieces it can take months.

Are there any plants or animals you want to draw next?

Yes, what’s next… I want to draw rhubarb because I’ve never been able to make an illustration that I like of rhubarb. It seems particularly difficult for me. I also struggle with African animals so that’s something I need to master. I need to include an elk in my repertoire too, and maybe a wolf and lynx. A bear. There’s a lot more to add!