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InspirationIllustration

Mikko Heino's cartoons hide a darker undertone

Mikko Heino is a Finnish illustrator and visual artist living and working in Berlin, Germany. With a background in graphic design and advertising, Mikko has been working as a freelancer for around half a decade, working on everything from skateboard graphics to magazine illustrations.

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White sculptural figure with grey pointed hat and black dot eyes beside an orange container with metal rim, set against yellow background

His work can also be seen across screen prints, record covers and animation. But Mikko doesn't just stick to illustrating, working as he does in painting, sculpture, and animation.

"I've been working on an animation in between commissioned work for the past few months now and it’s almost finished," he tells us. "It's a short film about the feeling of being 'trapped' at home, and the walls are closing in. It’s called 'Cabin Fever Dream'. Very 2020."

We can't wait to see that, and animation sure suits Mikko's cartoonish style.

"I would describe it as 'cartoony': bold line and flat colours. A lot of my work explores cartoony spaces and objects with an adult mindset, seemingly happy and colourful pictures with a darker undertone."

"I work mainly as an illustrator and my commercial work is mostly digital. I try to bring the same kind of aesthetic to my artworks and make them look printed or factory produced. My work is inspired by old cartoons and comics, skate graphics, and popular culture in general."

Follow the artist @mikko_heino.

A large black pear-shaped figure with a red bow sits on a beach next to a radio tower, while a tiny climber scales its side against a teal background
Cartoon illustration of a rotund nude figure in a red hammock against a blue sky, with yellow and white sculptural forms below and two character head portraits in the corner
Mural by Mikko Heino on a blue wall showing an orange hand holding a red flower with a green stem, with a person in white crouching below it
Three directional signs stacked on a wooden pole reading "Nowhere" in yellow, pink and red, illustrating themes of displacement and uncertainty
Man posing on a yellow ladder in front of a bright blue wall mural featuring a large red flower with yellow centre and green stem
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