Some of the art I do is what I call amulet art. It’s art with runes included, visible or hidden, for the purpose of an amulet. Today I wanted to share with you how I create a piece of amulet art.

After deciding what purpose I want to create an amulet for, or when the contract for a commission is signed, I decide whether to use a rune symbol (bind rune or cypher rune) or a word written in runes. In cases where it’s a word or a couple of words, I also choose which futhark to use and find the right Norse words for the amulet.

I do a quick sketch on regular paper of what I have in mind, and if it’s a commissioned piece, I send this to the client for confirmation or changes.

I then sketch them up on the surface I’m using. Most of the time as a part of the imagery. For example, in the branches of a tree or the feathers of a bird. I then sketch an image that goes with that purpose. If the purpose is freedom, I might draw an eagle. If the purpose is a good harvest, I might do a field of grain.

Then I start the underpainting, getting the values down on the surface. After that, I create an initial layer of colour, to get the hues right. This layer is often rough, not detailed.

Subsequent layers get more and more detailed, both in matching colours and fine details.

The top layer is finishing it off. Making sure I have everything the way I want it.

When I have a landscape in the background, it’s often based on a local scene, from Norway, or one from where I grew up in Northern Sweden.

Here are some other examples of amulet art paintings I’ve created (I also do drawings):