A Day in the Life of a Danish Illustrator

In my Copenhagen studio, no two days look the same. I might spend the morning working through a drawing, then switch to a self-tape, voiceover work, or the practical business of illustration. Some days are mostly drawing. Others are divided between several things.

Liv Hansen sketching at her desk in Copenhagen.

When I sit down to work, I usually have a sketchbook nearby and something playing on the radio. It might be classical music, jazz, country, or bluegrass, depending on the day. I play the fiddle, so music has long been part of my life. It’s simply one of the familiar things in the studio while I work.

How a Drawing Takes Shape

I often begin with a reference, a sketch, or one detail that has stayed with me: the shape of a room, a figure’s gesture, or an arrangement of objects. I don’t always know what the finished illustration will look like. I make studies, test colors, and adjust the composition as the image develops.

The drawing shown here grew from the kind of details I collect in my work: a figure carrying a basket through a garden, the vegetables, the fence, and the ordinary business of moving through a place. The scene is invented, but it draws on things I’ve observed.

Looking for Useful Details

My illustrations often take inspiration from Denmark, older interiors, and everyday settings. I photograph places, look through books and historical images, and make notes when something catches my eye. I’m not trying to copy a location exactly. I’m looking for a detail I can use: a color combination, the shape of a path, or the way a room is arranged.

Some references make their way into a drawing immediately. Others stay in a notebook until I find a use for them. A lot of the work is deciding what belongs in the picture and what can be left out.

Illustration Alongside Acting

Acting is also part of my professional life. A drawing day can be interrupted by a casting notice, rehearsal, a voiceover job, or a self-tape. I move between those commitments as the work requires; there isn’t a tidy division between creative days and administrative ones.

A vintage-inspired garden scene from Liv Hansen’s illustration work.

The illustration itself may take hours, or it may need to be put aside and returned to later. I try to leave room for that. A day’s work isn’t always a finished image. Sometimes it’s a better composition, a useful study, or a clearer idea of what to do next.

That’s a fairly typical day for me as a Danish illustrator: drawing, gathering references, handling the practical work, and fitting it around the rest of a creative career. The details change. The sketchbook is usually close by.

Further reading:

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