Danish Illustrator Liv Hansen: Vintage-Inspired Narrative Illustration

I'm a Danish illustrator based in Copenhagen, working mainly in colored pencil and gouache. My drawings often feature older interiors, railway stations, and scenes from everyday life in Denmark.

This railway illustration brings together several of those interests: red-brick station buildings, a steam train, and people waiting on a platform. The station is imagined, with details drawn from historical photographs, vintage travel posters, and places I’ve visited.

See more of my illustration work.

A vintage-inspired railway illustration influenced by Danish railway history, historical reference material, and mid-century visual storytelling.

Drawing a Danish Railway Station

I wanted to create a station that felt recognizably Danish, without basing it on one particular location. The buildings and train establish the setting, while the people give the scene something to follow: a man reading a newspaper, passengers waiting, and children waving.

The clothing, luggage, and small details around the platform help suggest the period. These are things I enjoy researching and drawing—the ordinary objects that make a setting feel inhabited.

Historical references and family connections

One influence was Matador, the Danish television series whose streets, interiors, and railway scenes have long appealed to me. I’m interested in how much those settings tell us about everyday life through furnishings, clothing, and the objects people use.

For the train, I also briefly looked at the railway posters of my great-grand-uncle, Aage Rasmussen. His work is part of my family’s connection to Danish illustration, and I enjoy returning to it when looking at older travel imagery.

Historical photographs, posters, films, and buildings each provide different kinds of reference. I combine those details as I draw, adapting them to the scene rather than reproducing a single source.

More Illustrations and Studio Notes

Older Danish settings appear throughout my work, from kitchens and apartments to stations and countryside scenes. You can browse my illustration portfolio to see more.

For more about my references and working process:

• Danish Poster Art: Travel, Place and Illustration

• Copenhagen Through the Eyes of a Danish Illustrator

• A Day in the Life of a Danish Illustrator