My Spider Stories book is finally published! It’s available for purchase in Australia, and available for preorder in several other countries. Below is a list of some outlets where you can buy your copy. Prefer another bookshop? Search for ‘Spider stories Hildegunn Hodne’ to check where you can get it 🙂
» Posted on October 20, 2022This tea towel, with a poem by Annie Leschen and illustrations by Hildegunn Hodne, is now available for purchase. Proceeds of your purchase go to marine conservation :) The tea towels cost AUD$25 and are for sale in the gift shop at Port Arthur Historic Site, Red Fox Antiques in Launceston, and from Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, all three in Tasmania.
» Posted on August 18, 2022The Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is one of the largest flying birds on the planet, with a wing span of up to 3.25 metres. It spends most of the time gliding around on the strong winds of the Southern Ocean, circling the globe as it goes. When it does decide to make landfall, one of it’s favourite breeding sites is Macquarie Island, a sub-Antarctic island half way between Tasmania and Antarctica. Not that it’s in a hurry - young albatrosses can spend up to six years at sea. It’s a good thing they’ve perfected their power naps, sleeping for seconds at a time while flying.
» Posted on August 7, 2022Superb fairywrens (Malurus cyaneus) are small little birds that bounce around our gardens and fields all year round in Tasmania. One amazing thing about this little bird, measuring only 14 cm, is that the male changes colour. Most of the time he is brownish in colour, resembling the female, but when his hormones start raging and mating season is near, his hood colours bright blue with black markings. They always bring a smile to my face, so I thought I’d bring their smiles out in return :)
» Posted on July 17, 2022The Pink robin (Petroica rodinogaster) is a tiny little pink-breasted ball of a bird, measuring 13 cm or less from the tip of its beak to the end of the tail feathers. Only males have a pink chest and belly, to impress the more sombre looking brown females. These gorgeous little birds are of course found in Tasmania :)
» Posted on June 30, 2022The Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is normally associated with winter in Europe, but as it’s winter in Tasmania I thought it a good time to make a wee drawing of this little guy. He’s puffed up because of the cold. And not found in Tasmania :)
» Posted on June 23, 2022This dog portrait was commissioned by a friend of mine in Germany. Say hello to her dog Rex. The size is 30 x 42 cm, medium is pencil and colour pencils. Get in touch if you’d like a portrait of your pet :)
» Posted on June 17, 2022Cheeky, clever and distinctly Australian, the Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) was named after the European magpie, which it has nothing in common with apart from its black-and-white colours.
» Posted on May 26, 2022The Beautiful Firetail (Stagonopleura bella) is a small beautiful finch, supposedly common in Tasmania, but I haven’t seen it yet. Looking forward to the day I do :)
» Posted on March 26, 2022The bubbly Humpback whale is part of a larger piece, but I felt this gentle giant needed a bit of space and attention all to itself. Hope you like it.
The poster shown here is available in Redbubble.com
» Posted on February 15, 2022Finally completed, here’s my Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, accompanied by an Eastern quoll. I call this “The Tasmanian Express”, as it depicts two wonderful creatures endemic to Tasmania. The Eastern quoll is considered extinct on mainland Australia, and is now only found in Tasmania. The Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle has developed in isolation for over 10.000 years, and is the largest of all the wedge-tailed eagles. The female is the largest of them all, with a body length of up to 1.1 metres, and a wingspan of up to 2.3 metres!
» Posted on February 8, 2022I’m jumping into the new year with this Orca :) Orcas (Orcinus orca) belong to the oceanic dolphin family. No wonder they love to jump and play! Available for purchase in Redbubble.com
» Posted on January 7, 2022Orcas are such beautiful beasts, with their iconic black-and-white tuxedo. This female orca is part of a larger piece, but stands very well on her own, and on a throw pillow :)
The pillow shown here is available in Redbubble.com
» Posted on December 18, 2021This happy hopping Humpback whale is part of a commission for a client. It’s one of many illustrations used as a border on a tea towel with a poem about whales in the centre.
Fore products with this design, visit my shops at Society6.com and Redbubble.com
» Posted on November 12, 2021I finished this portrait early October 2021. The portrait was commissioned as a wedding anniversary present. It has now been gifted, and I’m able to share it with you. My goal with the face itself, was to capture the warm friendly smile of this very kind-looking man. The background is designed to resemble a tweed jacket (as he’s not wearing one), to add depth, and to make the face pop out from the background.
» Posted on October 29, 2021This illustration is taken completely out of context. It’s a speech bubble belonging to a short story by Zac Stafford. I’ve enhanced the original black-and-white illustration, adding colour and more detail. The laptop skin is found in my shop in Society6.com
» Posted on September 2, 2021In August 2021, I was commissioned to draw a dog portrait. The customer wanted a portrait 60 x 40 cm, but after seeing the photos she sent me of her dog, I chose a standing format to fit the portrait I envisioned. She left it to me to decide the technique.
» Posted on August 26, 2021Here’s a cleaned up version of an illustration I did for a short story by Zac Stafford. With just a touch of colour added. The illustration shows him and his wife having dinner with friends in their very small rental in Lisbon, Portugal. Looks cozy though 🙂 Link to the Stationary card
» Posted on August 20, 2021June to August 2021, I was commissioned to create three large scale portraits, two in charcoal and one portrait in techniques of my choosing.
» Posted on July 28, 2021My friend Zac Stafford asked me to have a go at illustrating his short story about a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Here’s him and his wife arriving at their tiny rental apartment in Lisbon. Link to Tote bag: https://society6.com/product/tiny-room5442592_bag
» Posted on June 24, 2021I’m finally done with my year of drawing spiders! It’s time to turn my attention to other amazing creatures. Like this one: Meet the Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus), this one with a little bit of attitude. Available on products in https://society6.com/hildegunnhodne and https://www.redbubble.com/people/hildegunnhodne/shop
» Posted on May 15, 2021I’m currently working on a book about spiders and arachnophobia. A monster project in many ways, with over 100 illustrations created in 2020/21. More than 80 of the illustrations are cartoon images, the rest are lifelike illustrations of spiders.
» Posted on March 29, 2021This illustration was made as a 60th birthday present for a friend who loves hedgehogs. It’s my first ever hedgehog illustration, but might very well not be my last. I hope you like it too.
» Posted on December 12, 2020Logo created for the group Map of Tassie, a women’s only outdoor adventure group based in Northern Tasmania, Australia. The group offers a supportive, safe and diverse LGBTIQ+ environment, and is open to all women regardless of sexual and/or gender identity.
» Posted on October 2, 2020Participation in the annual Tapirulan illustrators contest, XV edition, with theme “SUPER”. Click the link to see my submission, titled Super.
I have tried to capture the feeling of super, of being super. The wonderful feeling of being excited about yourself and your abilities. Empowerment, super power, girl power. Feelings we should all be brave enough to allow ourselves to feel.
» Posted on September 24, 2019In June 2019, I participated in the Pride Art exhibition in Oslo, Norway, with the illustration “Skuer tilbake i tid/ Looking back”. Pride Art is an annual exhibition held during Oslo Pride in Norway. It is the largest and most important exhibition for LGBTIQ+ artists in Norway. In 2019, the theme of the exhibition was “I fought, therefore I am”, with 50 years of LGBTIQ+ history as the backdrop.
» Posted on August 1, 2019My wife has a thing about snakes, and asked me if I could design her a tattoo. Here is the result. My simple design was given great colour and life by Centro Piercing e Tattoo Leotta in Pisa, Italy.
» Posted on June 10, 2019Being an Aquarius, and having grown up at the water’s edge with a fishing rod in my hand, water and the ocean has always been my element. This tattoo design celebrates water. My design was given great colour and life by Centro Piercing e Tattoo Leotta in Pisa, Italy.
» Posted on April 12, 2019Logo design for the first winter pride in Norway, and the first ever pride event held in the city of Lillehammer. I have incorporated the skiing ‘Birkebeiner‘ in the logo, a figure associated with the city of Lillehammer and also incorporated into the city’s coat of arms.
» Posted on January 1, 2019Label design for a private microbrewery, Bryggeri Øvre Riplegården XLI. The design elements will be used on their future beer bottle labels. First one out is their Christmas beer, “Julefred”.
Web image design for Sew n Sew, an online sewing school. The company is located in Narre Warren outside of Melbourne, Australia.
» Posted on July 2, 2018A collection of 16 illustrations for a short story set in Lisbon, Portugal.
» Posted on June 11, 2018Logo design for Petit Paradis Mini Goats, a pet goat breeder located in Tasmania, Australia. The logo will be used on t-shirts, caps and similar, as well as on website, Facebook, Twitter, and more. As the logo will be printed on backgrounds with colour, it has been designed with black and white versions.
» Posted on June 4, 2018This illustration was included in the online article “Fyret på skjeret“, published January 19th, 2018 by Kystverket, the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
Description
The tiny little «Stabben» lighthouse is found on an islet right outside of Florø in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. The building covers almost the entire islet. It is a wonderful and slightly strange sight when you glide past it in a sailboat, as I did in May 2014.
The name «Stabben» can mean round, steep stone. It can also come from the Norse word stabbi which means short, cut off part of a log, or solid stocky person or plug. All of these words can easily be used to describe the little islet that Stabben lighthouse has been built upon, as well as to describe the building itself.
The lighthouse was manned and inhabited from October 1st, 1867 to 1975. Unfortunately, in 1975 the lighthouse was automated and unmanned. Legend has it that at some point in time as many as 30 members of the lighthouse keeper family were living on Stabben – at the same time! This legend inspired me to make the drawing. Although my originally plan was to fit all 30 people into the picture, I soon realized that I was facing an impossible task. In the end I included only 6 people – and even that looks a bit crowded. The characters have clothes and styles based on photos from the 1860’s. The weather on Stabben is seldom as quiet as portrayed in this drawing. I was tempted to draw a story scene, but ended up portraying a quiet sunny summer day.
Size: 21 x 29 cm (8 x 11 inches). Materials: Pigment ink pen and colour pencils on acid free drawing paper. The image shows a high resolution scanned copy, true to original colours.
Where is the original drawing?
The drawing was on display in our bed & breakfast for about a year, and was then bought by a visitor from the Netherlands. She lives in a maritime environment in the Netherlands and said the picture would fit perfectly on the green wall in her living room.
» Posted on January 19, 2018For article on myths, science and historical beliefs related to full moons and the lunar cycles.
» Posted on October 9, 2017Logo design for Hairy Paws Healing, a pet service offering kinesiology and SCENAR therapy for cats and dogs. Harry Paws Healing is located in Queensland, Australia.
» Posted on October 6, 2017Submission to the Norwegian magazine “Bøygen” for their #3/2017 issue, with topics eco critique, nature and culture. My submission was based on the words “…to live more green and more environmentally conscious…”.
» Posted on August 30, 2017Examples of illustrations for a children’s book about Vicky Licketts, The Little Grey Woodlouse and Vicky’s toothbrush. Page layout: 14 cm tall x 28 cm wide. Materials: Pencil, pigment ink pen, color pencils and water colors.
» Posted on June 28, 2017Examples of sequential illustrations. “The hunt for inspiration” was drawn with pigment ink pen and color pencils.
» Posted on June 18, 2017Customer Happy Vegan Hikes requested a set of icons for their website, related to their service offering. The icons should have similar look and theme, be hand-drawn and black-and-white.
» Posted on May 11, 2017Examples of editorial illustrations for an article titled “10 Winter Boredom Busters for Chickens”. Size specification for spot illustration 4 cm wide x 5 cm high, and for quarter page illustration 18 cm wide x 8,5 cm high.
» Posted on April 25, 2017Tattoo design based on a very specific request from a friend. She asked for a velociped, or penny-farthing bicycle, with initials C and B hidden in the design.
» Posted on April 12, 2017Logo design for Creative Nomads Consulting. To be used on letter heads, invoices, gift cards, website, and more.
» Posted on April 11, 2017On assignment from CKS Healing in Queensland, Australia, I created a new version of their corporate logo. The new logo, with softer artwork and design, will be used on gifts, gifts cards, letter heads, and more.
» Posted on March 21, 2017To the lyrics “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again.” From The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.
» Posted on March 2, 2017On assignment from Alma-M, I illustrated and designed the below two diplomas. Alma-M is an ideal organization working to give training and eduction to girls and young women in a tiny fishing village outside of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The diplomas will be used to certify completion of training courses in sewing and computer.
» Posted on October 19, 2016The Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) is a wader, and the largest wader in Europe. The bird is called storspove in Norwegian. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, the curlew population along the coast of Norway is not doing so well. It has been placed on the redlist for endangered species by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (Artsdatabanken).
» Posted on July 31, 2016Many years ago, a friend of mine bought a large scale “double portrait” (see more information below). I am happy to say she has displayed it on her wall ever since. Recently, about 10 years later, I was contacted by a friend of hers. She wondered if I could make her something similar. Of course I took on the challenge, this time aiming for a “triple portrait”.
» Posted on July 25, 2016The Lomis farm consists of several buildings, known in Norwegian as “Lomisgardane”. The buildings are heritage listed and consist of restored old living quarters. They are located on the hillside right below the Lomen stave church in Vestre Slidre municipality, Oppland, Norway.
» Posted on July 25, 2016Heading north on Bruce highway out of Mackay in Queensland, Australia, you will pass by this tiny roadside hotel. If it wasn’t for the beer signs and the rather large sculpture of an aboriginal woman and child, you would probably pass by without noticing it much. But this place makes you take a closer look at history.
» Posted on July 24, 2016The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), called «storskarv» in Norwegian, is a coastal bound diving seabird found almost all over the world. The genus name means “bald raven” and carbo is Latin for “charcoal”. The cormorant can vary greatly in size from 1.5 kg to 5.3 kg, but it is not the size or the blackness of the bird that keeps catching my eye. It is its habit of sitting in the sun or the wind to dry off its wings after the last dive for fish.
» Posted on July 24, 2016“Hof Hannesen” is the name of this Black Forest farm building, situated in the Black Forest in south-western Germany. The farm belongs to friends of mine, and has belonged to their family for generations. The oldest parts of the main building are over 400 years old. Over the centuries the house has been expanded and changed, from being a combined animal barn and family home to the current setup with 2-3 separate households under the same roof.
» Posted on July 24, 2016This drawing is inspired by Forsgrénska badet (swimming pool) in Stockholm, Sweden.
» Posted on July 22, 2016