Ann-Sophie Qvarnström

Ann-Sophie Qvarnström
Born Ann-Sophie Linnéa Qvarnström
(1958-07-26) 26 July 1958
Nationality Swedish
Education Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Known for Illustration
Silversmith
Sophies Silver at Sankt Hansgatan 34, Visby.

Ann-Sophie Qvarnström (born 26 July 1958) is a Swedish illustrator and silversmith best known for the maps she made for the Swedish role-playing ("RPG") community during the 1980s.

Early years and education

Ann-Sophie Qvarnström was born in Gothenburg and grew up in Stockholm with her teacher mother, civil engineer father and younger sister. She went to the French School.[1] and through one of her classmates she got to know the Swedish artist Einar Jolin who came to have a great influence on her aesthetics and her choice to live and work as an artist. She would often stay with the Jolin family and sometimes help Einar Jolin with household duties at his atelier, where they talked about art and he would give her advice in how to draw.

So in 1978 she attended The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)[2] in Stockholm, department of chemistry. She never graduated, but her studies there were of great help in her artistic works. She used lessons in blueprint drawing to make very accurate maps for the games she illustrated, and took techniques from the iron industry to make new and innovative jewellery in silver and gold. To help finance her studies she made illustrations, jewellery and worked as a seamstress. She is a self-taught silversmith. At the KTH she learned how to find facts on her own and the patience to try and try again. In 1979 she met Leif Eurén and they married in 1984, but were divorced in 1992.

Biography

While her studies declined, her small business flourished. She did illustrations, jewellery[3][4][5] and props for films, commercials, historical societies and events. In 1984 she established the company Sophias Ateljé and opened a shop in Stockholm. About this time she came to the attentions of Äventyrsspel and Iron Crown Enterprises, she joined the motley crew of Swedish RPG pioneers[6] and during the following years she made many illustrated maps for board games and role-playing games. In 1986 she made one of the first Swedish RPG maps in colour,[7] the same year she was co-writer to her husband Leif as they made the first town module for a Swedish RPG, Kandra.[8] After that she drew maps for most of the games by Äventyrsspel 1986–1991.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

In 1993 she and her company moved to Visby, and she began to focus on jewellery design[18] but she still did some props, patterns[19] and garb for the Medieval week[20] on Gotland. In 2007 the company split up into two firms: Sophies Silver a shop and atelier where Qvarnström designs, makes and sell jewellery in silver and gold, and Sophias Ateljés Förlag KB[21] a publishing house for medieval garb patterns. After 2000 she gradually went from drawing and painting to photography. In 2013 she was one of the winners in the Wiki Loves Monuments competition.

Illustrating

For copyright reasons none of Qvarnström's maps can be shown here, but they are available via the linked references below.
Satirical sketch by Qvarnström of the Swedish Antiques Roadshow.

Since this was before computers became commonplace, all her maps and drawings were made to scale and totally by hand. She used dip pens with pigment ink for black and white drawings and gouache paints for the ones in color. When not making maps she did illustrations and satirical drawings for minor magazines and brochures.

Illustrated maps in publications

For Äventyrsspel

For Casper

For Iron Crown Enterprises

Jewellery

In her jewellery she is very much influenced by Japanese art. This she has from her early contact with artist Einar Jolin. She also uses the playing with textures which is common in the Japanese pottery technique raku ware. She uses clean lines and abstract shapes. About half of her production consists of unique, one of a kind piece of jewellery. Many of her customers are women representing Sweden in some way or other,[44] who are keen to wear genuine Swedish design, such as Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Maud Olofsson who often wore Qvarnström's jewellery while in office.[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]

Photography

References

  1. ↑ "Franska Skolan". Website. Ecole Francaise. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Swedish: Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, abbreviated KTH
  3. ↑ Nya Kristinehamnsposten, 13 July 1990
  4. ↑ Kuriren, 3 July 1984
  5. ↑ Bergslagsposten, 2 July 1984
  6. ↑ Blixt, Anders. "May 2011 The Dream Forge Page 2 part 5". Website. Anders Blixt. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Blixt, Anders. "May 2011 MT2 part 4". Website. Anders Blixt. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Kandra". Website. Rollspelsakademin. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Blixt, Anders. "May 2011 The Dream Forge". Website. Anders Blixt. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Granström, Erik. "Tankar från Trakorien". Website. Erik Granström-Blogspot. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Target Games/Äventyrsspel". Website. Rollspelsakademin. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Marsklandet". Website. La Tana dei Goblin. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Simonson, Jacob. "Marsklandet, del 2". Website. Krakorion, Kandra. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. ↑ HQ, Jonas. "Kandra". Website. Internet Archive. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Ann-Sophie Qvarnström". Website. BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "I skuggan av Trakorien". Website. Trakoren.blogg. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  17. ↑ Simonson, Jacob. "Drakar och Demoner". Website. Krakorien i Kandra. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Jönköpings-Posten 12 July 1993
  19. ↑ Veltman, Carola. "Mönster från Sophias Ateljé". Website. Fagert.se. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Medieval week on Gotland". Website. Medeltidsveckan. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Publications from Sophias Ateljé". Data base. Libris. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  22. ↑ Produktinformation om Mutant 2
  23. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 11
  24. 1 2 Produktinformation om Rohan
  25. ↑ Produktinformation om Efter Ragnarök
  26. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 16
  27. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 17
  28. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 20
  29. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 21
  30. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 22
  31. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 23
  32. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 24
  33. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 27
  34. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 28
  35. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 29
  36. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 36
  37. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 40
  38. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 44
  39. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 45
  40. ↑ http://www.riotminds.se/spelen/tiden-innan-trudvang/ nr 46
  41. ↑ Château: Vinspelet | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
  42. ↑ Riders of Rohan (1985 book) - Tolkien Gateway
  43. ↑ Southern Mirkwood - Tolkien Gateway
  44. ↑ SVT1 The Nobel Prize Banquet 10 December 2005
  45. ↑ Behdjou, Behrang (6 October 2006). "14.08: Sveriges nya elit poserade på Lejonbacken". Expressen. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  46. ↑ Swedish Headlines, 18 June 2011. "Olofsson Leaves Centre Party Post". Website. Swedish Headlines. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  47. ↑ "Maud Olofsson, nästa kvinna till rakning". Website. YouGov, What the world thinks. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  48. ↑ Andrén, Simon (18 May 2009). "Svaret: Aldrig". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  49. ↑ Flyborg, Eva. "Livet efter Maud". Website. Eva Flyborgs Blogg. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  50. ↑ Dahlgren, Christian. "Fem små ödesdigra ord av Maud Olofsson?". Website. Christian Dahlgrens Blogg. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  51. ↑ Holm, Christian (17 June 2011). "Maud Olofsson avgår". Värmlands Folkblad. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  52. ↑ SVT1 Babben & Co, 15 December 2007

External links

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