The project that started approximately 5 years ago is finally done! Hangaaring Kummitus tells the story of the first female pilot of Finland, Vuokko Knuutila. It is written and illustrated by me and my dear sister Iriini Kalliomäki (https://www.iriini.com/). At the beginning of the project we shared all the responsibilities, both of us did research, design, writing and storyboarding, but for the finalizing phase we had to choose who gets to draw the characters and who does the background illustrations. We both love drawing characters so it was a tough call but in the end Iriini cave in and took on her to illustrate the backgrounds (perhaps because at the time I was very pregnant and she felt sorry for me). I’m forever grateful for her as I really enjoyed drawing all the different characters and expressions!

The previously released ABC-book series got continuation in the form of a preschool textbook. The book is set in the same world and it features some of the same characters as the previous books, but the main characters are new. Tiki the squirrel and Havu the bear teach preschoolers important emotional skills, while also preparing them for the first grade. Yet again I teamed up with Tiia Reijonen who drew the background art for the full spread illustrations.

These wobbly characters are called Hyllerös and they love everything fun! And what’s more fun than a roller coaster?? But before they can enter the ride, they need grow and reach the required height.

The final characters and backgrounds were done in co-operation with my husband Jaakko Mukka. If you wish to see these characters in action, log in to Veikkaus website and search for Hylleröt.

Taneli is a weevil who does not know how to let go once he grabs a hold of something. This isn’t particularly handy trait if one wants to succeed in sports competitions. Taneli’s friends try to cheer him on, but time and time again he fails miserably until he meets with the world famous Masa Murska.

Taneli and his friends first appeared on the pages of ABC book as side characters. I had an idea for a story that would feature these bugs, but it was a bit too complicated to be told on 16 spreads. Johanna Asplund helped me co-write the story and to make it more suitable for children that are just learning to read.

If you want to find out how the story ends, you can buy the book from Oppi&Ilo

A few years ago I was asked to illustrate ABC-book for Sanoma Pro. The task was enormous, so these illustrations were made in co-operation with the incredibly talented Tiia Reijonen. She was responsible for the background art and I did the characters. Some first graders have already learned to read with Ulla the lynx, Aamos the moose and Papu the mouse and soon second graders will have the chance to meet Klaara the crocodile as well!

I made this animation some time ago at Brink Helsinki. The client wanted a painterly look which made animating the character a bit challenging. Eventually I ended up combining After Effects puppeting with frame by frame animation.

Last yearedesign the children’s mascots for Finnish ski resort Ruka. It was an awesome project and I had lots of fun with Rosa the Bear and Rudolf the Reindeer! r I got to

I’ve drawn The Cherry Pie girls many times, but it’s always equally exciting! These are my latest designs from last fall.

I made some character design for Santa Claus foundation quite a while ago. Here’s a few of them. This year we made a Christmas calendar featuring the old characters along with some new ones! tontuksi.fi