“My heart jumps a little when I see something I find beautiful — and with drawing and painting I’ve always felt, ‘I wish I had created that.'”
Art in Full Bloom: A Life Between Forest Paths and Print Palettes
Growing up in the rural heart of Sweden, Malin Gyllensvaan found herself constantly surrounded by nature’s quiet abundance—shimmering lakes, deep woods, and a household teeming with animals. Her childhood days often included cradling kittens, chasing chickens, or feeding a newborn lamb. This close proximity to the natural world formed a visual and emotional language that would eventually permeate her art. Yet, even as she relished the tranquility of the countryside, a yearning for urban vibrancy grew within her. London soon became her destination of choice, igniting a journey that would fuse her pastoral roots with metropolitan creativity.
Malin’s decision to study art in London marked a pivotal transformation in her artistic trajectory. Enrolling first at Central Saint Martins and later at Chelsea College of Art & Design, she immersed herself in a dynamic educational environment that celebrated experimentation and rigor. It was during these years that her love for printed textiles truly took root. The eclectic patterns, the narrative potential of surface design, and the interplay between texture and motif resonated deeply with her. Earning a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design, she quickly established herself in the industry, working at studios and fashion houses across London, Antwerp, and Stockholm.
Since 2013, Malin has flourished as a full-time freelance illustrator, lending her vision to an array of mediums including puzzles, books, greeting cards, and textiles. Her creative appetite is sustained by a deep curiosity—whether it’s interpreting client briefs, experimenting with materials, or uncovering new influences. She brings to each project a distinctive fusion of Swedish serenity and London-bred dynamism, channeling her love for both structured design and organic imagery into work that is consistently captivating and richly detailed.
Malin Gyllensvaan: A Patterned Affection for Nature
Natural forms are the cornerstone of Malin’s artistic identity. She returns again and again to motifs found in flora and fauna—not for their realism, but for their potential to blur the line between abstraction and representation. Her approach draws heavily from folk traditions and the Arts & Crafts movement, both of which emphasize craftsmanship and ornamental storytelling. Stylized flowers, whimsical birds, and tangled greenery dominate her compositions, shaped by a multicolored palette that refuses to settle into monochrome comfort. Her pieces don’t mimic nature—they reinterpret it, compressing lush ecosystems into controlled, often symmetrical arrangements.
This stylization doesn’t diminish emotional connection; rather, it heightens it. The charm of her work lies in how it transforms familiar forms into fantastical emblems. Viewers find themselves navigating a visual language where mushrooms wear the geometry of mandalas, and trees hint at mythological roots. Malin’s color choices—vivid yet grounded—evoke both joy and nostalgia, often echoing the hues found in antique botanical drawings or regional folk embroidery. While some influences shift over time, her attraction to traditional decorative arts remains steady, acting as both anchor and springboard for new explorations.
At the center of her creative universe is a chosen medium that enhances this expressive balance: gouache. Its versatility allows her to modulate between opaqueness and translucency, giving her the flexibility to layer intricate detail over broad swathes of color. She pairs this with simple graphite pencils—tools that, to her, offer a tactile immediacy critical to her process. Creating art is not solely visual for Malin; it’s a sensory experience, where the feel of pigment on paper matters as much as the image itself. This tactile sensitivity is what gives her illustrations their unmistakable vibrancy and textured appeal.
The Discipline of Beauty: Inside Her Creative Practice
Malin’s studio setup reflects both practicality and the quiet rituals of her creative process. Her needs are modest but purposeful: a generous desk surface, functional storage, and reliable lighting. Given Stockholm’s long winters and limited natural light, daylight lamps are essential companions during the darker months. Her workspace doesn’t require grandeur; it simply needs to support the act of making. Most of her paintings remain within A3 dimensions, and for larger works she turns to a nearby easel. These practical constraints don’t limit her vision—in fact, they sharpen her focus, allowing her to channel attention inward and stay immersed in the work.
Distraction is not a major adversary when the project at hand excites her. Malin finds it easy to stay engaged with challenging or novel tasks, especially when they involve thoughtful problem-solving or collaboration. However, repetitive or uninspired assignments test her concentration. During these moments, she applies simple strategies: silencing social media, putting physical distance between herself and her phone, or stepping outside. Living in a verdant, water-lined district in central Stockholm provides quick access to nature, offering a refreshing contrast to screen fatigue and creative stagnation.
Her love for learning continues to energize her professional life. Whether navigating a complex brief or researching historical motifs, she treats each assignment as an opportunity for discovery. This mindset keeps her portfolio diverse and her skills evolving. From editorial illustration to commercial textile commissions, she adapts with ease, always grounding her work in the qualities that define her style: a love of organic patterning, a keen eye for color, and a curiosity that finds the extraordinary in the everyday.
Malin Gyllensvaan: From Sketchbooks to Storywalls
Among her wide-ranging projects, one future endeavor stands out as a personal aspiration: creating a mural. The idea of expanding her imagery into a large-scale, immersive experience intrigues her. Though most of her work to date has occupied intimate formats—book pages, puzzles, fabrics—a mural would allow her to think spatially, to engage with architecture, and to envelop viewers in the kind of vibrant, natural world she usually contains within borders. This project remains a dream, yet it’s one she hopes to realize, signaling her desire to explore new dimensions without departing from her artistic core.
The emotional connection she feels toward art is not reserved only for finished works. There’s a unique piece that continues to resonate with her on a personal level, though she chooses not to elaborate publicly on its details. What’s clear is that this artwork, whatever its subject or scale, holds meaning beyond its material form. It exemplifies the powerful relationship between artist and creation, where the act of making becomes a kind of dialogue—between memory and imagination, past and present.
Ultimately, Malin’s artistic drive stems from an instinctive response to beauty. She describes an almost physical reaction—a flutter of the heart—upon encountering something visually arresting. It’s this emotional voltage that keeps her returning to her desk, again and again, in pursuit of images that stir not only her own senses but those of others. Whether through the intimate frame of a greeting card or the bold expanse of a future mural, her work continues to reflect a singular vision: grounded in nature, shaped by design, and driven by an enduring love for visual storytelling.
