Vagabonding and Illustrating with Sougwen

If any artist I’ve come across shows real dedication to the hand drawn line, that artist is Canadian-born Sougwen. Now based in Stockholm, Sougwen combines intricate vintage pattern, floral design and flourishes, with fresh, contemporary colours and unique shapes. She is particularly good at creating striking images by superimposing organic lines onto simple and clean shapes and typography.

Coming towards the end of a journey that has involved traveling with her sketchbooks and pens through the US, Canada and China, ending in Sweden (this is the benefit of being a footloose illustrator!), I’ve asked her a few questions about her work.

Sougwen Chung Illustration

What kind of training have you had in illustration?

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a motley crew of ink-scrawled sketchbooks.

What is your work process?

Depending on the piece, I execute numerous studies and experiments until I arrive in a direction I would like to pursue as a series. Lately, I’ve been vagabonding around with two Brunnen sketchbooks, and a handful of Micron and Tria implements. The outcome of these sketches can be found here. For more formal executions of work: oils, acrylics, ink washes… lately, anything goes.