Anna Ravn Bjørn

The calm and close-knit environment of Danish artist Anna Ravn Bjørn’s childhood provided the perfect backdrop for nurturing her artistic inclinations. Five years ago, she moved to Copenhagen to pursue her studies at the Royal Danish Academy and is now entering the final year of her master’s in graphic communication design.

Balancing her studies with a burgeoning freelance career in illustration and graphic design, Anna explores a range of subjects and continually expands her experimental methodology, allowing intuition to guide her creative process. This shift towards a less structured approach has led to the discovery of new techniques and unexpected outcomes, often yielding the most intriguing results when she lets go of the pressure to achieve a specific visual goal.

“I recently discovered that interesting things happen when I am more experimental and use my intuition more when making something,” Anna says. “I have learned that it is important for me to take breaks from wanting to create something with a specific result and visuals, and instead, create something that is mostly just for fun. Sometimes, the things I create with this mindset end up having the most interesting outcomes.”

Analogue Work

Watercolours and gouache are her primary mediums, which she has refined over the years. Although she occasionally ventures into digital art, she prefers the tactile and unpredictable nature of analogue work. Her hands-on approach not only makes the process more enjoyable but also gives her work a unique, authentic quality that digital methods often lack.

A sketchbook is a constant companion in which she often captures flashes of inspiration just before sleep. Collaging plays a significant role in her technique, too; she creates individual water-coloured elements, which she then cuts and assembles into cohesive motifs. This allows her to focus heavily on composition and decoration, viewing these elements as integral to the identity and personal touch of her work.

“I view decoration as a way of creating identity in my work and making it more personal. I often use flowers and nature as a way of doing this, but I also often have specific nuances of colours I like to use too. I often create images based on a mix between my imagination and reality.”