Ulla Saar

Ulla Saar (1975) is an illustrator and graphic artist. She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in product design. Her first illustrated book Lift achieved immediate widespread recognition and was listed in the 2014 White Ravens catalogue. Since then, every one of her books has received international attention. Saar practices a contemporary, design-like approach to book illustration: her spirited and playful art is often more a part of the workā€™s overall design than free-standing pictures.

I started illustrating books from about the age of three, when many of my childrenā€™s books at home acquired new designs, mostly in a rather abstract form. A short break happened in the meantime, during which I dreamed about becoming a geologist, instead. Back then, one of my favorite books was Anatoly Chlenovā€™s Geology in Pictures ā€“ inspired by it, I started putting together my own personal rock collection. Over time, it became clear the field didnā€™t suit me, and I turned back to art.

I try to proceed more from context in my works ā€“ whether it is some fragment of text that has been haunting me, a text I am presently illustrating, or else something that eludes me at first and demands more concentration from the viewer, hopefully resulting in questions and motivating me to seek answers.

Pencils and I have a long history together that may contain blood, sweat, and tears, but weā€™ve come a long way and we know each other through and through. By now, we get along swimmingly. When I work on a book, I try to proceed from the text and catch the tone of it in my drawings; to support and elevate it rather than compete with it. Thatā€™s why all the books Iā€™ve illustrated look different ā€“ to me, a technique is just a tool that I execute to create a good book.

Profile photo: Piia Ruber

Illustrated books

Nice

2016

Lift

2013

Translations

Liftas

2016

Lift

2015

NƤtisti

2021

Awards

2023
Edgar Valter Illustration Award, nominee
The White Ravens (Liis Sein. Mona's Dad Has Some Ideas)
5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit (Kairi Look. Herring Disco)
Good Childrenā€™s Book (Kairi Look. Herring Disco)

2022
Good Childrenā€™s Book (Liis Sein. Mona's Dad Has Some Ideas)

2021
5 Best Designed Estonian Children's Books, special prize of the jury (Aino Pervik. The Kite Spreads Friendship)

2020
International Illustration and Book Design Competition ā€˜Image of the Book/Obraz knigiā€™, Moscow, laureate
5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit (Urmas Reinmaa. Where Did You Find it?)

2019

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Kristi Piiper. The Lovesick Basement Monster, the Vegan Blood Sausage, and Other Stories)
5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Graphic Designersā€™ Association (Kristi Piiper. The Lovesick Basement Monster, the Vegan Blood Sausage, and Other Stories)
Edgar Valter Illustration Award nominee

2018, 2019Ā Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award candidate

2018

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Helvi JĆ¼risson. What Letters Say)

2017

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (KƤtlin Vainola. The Boy Who Drew Maps)

2016

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Indrek Koff. I Am Doing Well)
5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Graphic Designersā€™ Association (Indrek Koff. Nice)
Good Childrenā€™s Book (Indrek Koff. Nice)

2015

25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Grigori Oster. Mischievous Mathematics)
5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit, Tallinn (KƤtlin Vainola. Sonya and the Cat)
Good Childrenā€™s Books (Contra. Everyoneā€™s the Smartest; Kairi Look. Piia Biscuit Moves In; Grigori Oster. Mischievous Mathematics; Anti Saar. Urmas the Maintenance Man)

2014

The White Ravens (KƤtlin Vainola. Lift)
Karl Eduard Sƶƶt Childrenā€™s Poetry Award (Contra. Everyoneā€™s the Smartest)
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Contra. Everyoneā€™s the Smartest)

2013

5 Best Designed Estonian Childrenā€™s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Estonian Graphic Designersā€™ Associationsā€™ Special Prize for a young artist (KƤtlin Vainola. Lift)
Good Childrenā€™s Book (KƤtlin Vainola. Lift)

Exhibitions

2024
Exhibition of Estonian and Spanish illustrators ā€œReflectionsā€,Ā  Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre

2023
VII Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT 2023), Estonian Museum of Architecture
Solo exhibition "Tƶtterman and others", Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB 2023)
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œFox Spirit. Fox Charmā€, Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury

2022
International exhibition of illustration "Fox Spirit. Fox Charm", Estonian Children's Literature Centre, Estonian National Museum, Latvian National Library
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators "Running with Wolves. Werewolf", Italy and Latvia
Tallinn Illustration Triennial TIT 2020, Centrum Kultury Dworek Białoprądnicki , Poland

2021
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators "Running with Wolves", Napoli, Rome, Frigento, Italy
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial TIT 2020, Moscow; Krasnoarmeysk, Russia
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB 2021), Slovakkia
TIT 2020 & "Leafing Through Estonian Children's Books IV", Mytishchi, Russia
Sharjah Childrenā€™s Book Illustrations Exhibition, the United Arab Emirates
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œFox Spirit. Fox Charmā€, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Central Library of LƤƤne County, Haapsalu
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Tapa Public Library

2020
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "Once Upon a Time" (Grimm's Fairy Tales), Tapa Public Library, Estonia; Gallery DeƔk17, Budapest, Hungary
International illustrations exhibition "It's Always Tea-Time", Vyborg, St. Petersburg, Russia; Kondas Centre, Viljandi
Joint exhibition of nominees for Edgar Valter Illustration Award, Estonian Children's Literature Centre, Tallinn; Central Library of Saare County, Kuressaare
Midsummer spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children's Literature Centre
"Picture World of Tales and Fairy Tales", Central Library of LƤƤne County

2019
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB, Slovakia
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn
International illustrations exhibition "It's Always Tea-Time", Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Russia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "Once Upon a Time" (Grimm's Fairy Tales), Opole, Gdansk, Poland; Tapa Public Library, Estonia
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œLeafing Through Estonian Childrenā€™s Books IIā€, Moscow, Kolomna, Russia

2018ā€“2020
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators ā€œRunning with Wolvesā€, London, the United Kingdom; Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn (ā€Wolf Runā€œ); Gdańsk, Wrocław, Białystok, Warsaw, Płock, Szczecin, Poland; Pordenone, Italy; Vilnius, Lithuania

2018

Exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œRunning with Wolvesā€, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€žTra ghiaccio e fuocoā€œ, Rome, Pesco Sannita, Italy

2017

Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), Slovakia
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œLeafing Through Estonian Childrenā€™s Books Iā€, Moscow, Kolomna, Russia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators ā€œA Window into the Fairy Tale Worldā€, Haapsalu Cultural Centre, Haapsalu Childrenā€™s Library

2016

Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre
Travelling exhibition of Estonian illustrators, ā€œA Walk on the Path of Fairy Tale Together with Charles Perraultā€, Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Russia

2015ā€“2020
International illustration exhibition, ā€œItā€™s Always Tea-Timeā€, Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Riga, Latvia; Uusikaupunki, Finland; Gdansk, Wrocław, Toruń, Elbląg, Poland; Berlin, Germany; Szczecin, Płock, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Oxford, the United Kingdom; Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Vyborg, St. Petesburg, Russia

2015ā€“2019
Exhibition of Estonian Illustrators, ā€œOnce Upon a Time...ā€ (Grimmā€™s Fairy Tales), Aosta, Anagni, Lagonegro, Bernalda-Metaponto, Corato, Matera, Roma, Lacco Ameno, Irsina, Siracusa, Sassari, Roma, Bologna, Italy; Estonian Childrenā€™s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Minsk, Belarus; KrakĆ³w, Łomża, Białystok, Szczecin, Płock, Warszaw, Elbląg, Gdańsk, Opole, Poland

2013ā€“2014
Solo exhibition ā€œMajahoidjaā€ (Housekeeper), Tallinn, Mooste, Estonia

2002

Exhibition of drawings and photographs with Lauri Saar, Tallinn, Estonia

2001

Annual exhibition of artistsā€™ group Ydi, Tallinn, Estonia
Exhibition of the Estonian Academy of Artsā€™ (EAA) Finno-Ugric expedition, ā€œThe Water-Bird Peopleā€, Belgium

1999ā€“2001
Exhibitions of the EAA Finno-Ugric expeditions, Tallinn, Tartu, Estonia

About the author

Sample of works 2022

2019
Estonian Candidates for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Estonian Illustrators at the Pop Up festival (UK)
Ulla Saar at the London Book Fair on the 12th of March, 2019

2018
Emma Press Publishes a Poetry Collection by Contra and Ulla Saar
Estonian childrenā€™s book ā€œEveryoneā€™s the Smartestā€ now available in English (Estonian World)
Everyoneā€™s the Smartest (The Emma Press)

2017
KƤtlin Vainola and Ulla Saar at the Festival The Childrenā€™s Bookshow
The Exhibition ā€œBaltic Taleā€ will open in Riga
The Opening of the Exhibition ā€œBaltic Taleā€ in Vilnius
Estonian Artists Take Part in the International Illustration Project Pop Up
Estonian Illustrators at the Literary Festival Berliner BĆ¼cherinseln in Berlin
The Exhibition ā€œBaltic Taleā€

2016
Ulla Saar (VivaVostok)

2014
Residency Artists: Ulla Saar (MoKS)
Ulla Saarā€™s Emotionally Raw Graphite Drawings
Young Estonian Illustrators: Ulla Saar

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