Swedish illustrator and GIF creator, Sofia Hydman, is known for her chubby, zesty characters which although cute come off as a bit unsettling. Having graduated with a BA in Visual Communications, Hydman moved to New York to become an Art Director, before returning to Sweden. Now based in Stockholm, her work is varied and includes different fields of visual communication, as she splits her time between commercial work (with selected clients including The Washington Post, Google, and Cards Against Humanity), and personal projects.
With her work completely digital, her toolbox includes Photoshop (for illustrations) and After Effects (for animation). “I really don’t miss using analogue materials but I wish I did,” she joked in an interview with Ballpitmag. “Its much more romantic.” Her work, often described as sassy and voluminous is sprinkled with humor and feminism. “I usually draw bubbly, cheeky chicks with love handles, dancing through life,” says Hydman.
Working mostly from home, Hydman admits a lot of the time she works on her personal projects late at night or over the weekend. “I sit on my bed, crooked like a cheese doodle, with my Wacom and Mac, listening to podcasts,” she describes her work environment. “Often I plan ahead, you kind off need to when dealing with animation. Being disorganized or sloppy could end up costing me hours. Hours.”
Inspired by pop culture and social media, like many creatives these days she gets her inspiration fix mainly on Instagram. “I spend hours lurking through Instagram where I follow a bunch of super talented people,” says Hydman. “I would say my biggest drive is jealousy.”
