BJØRN OUSLAND
Born in Oslo, Norway 1959.
Educated at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in Dover, New Jersey.

At school I specialised in making comic books. I got stories published by Heavy Metal Magazine, DC Comics and Pacific Comics, before returning to Europe. At that time I was influenced by science fiction and fantacy art, especially French and new American graphic novels. At that time I mainly worked in a realistic style.

Back in Norway, the comic MOE bodyguard was created with writer Eirik Ildahl. This collaberation continued with 3 graphic novels about the young girl SOLRUN: The plague 1988, Nighlight 1989 and the Sea serpent 1993. The series was set in Norway in the middel ages, and my artwork shanged to a more stylized, black and white style to capture the mood of the era.
During that time I was hired to do storyboard to the movie BLACKOUT by Erik Gustavson.

At the same time I started developing a parallell humouros style as well, contributing to the highly popular satirical magazine PYTON, that eventually was published in Sweden, Finland and Denmark as well as in Norway. For Pyton I created several of my own features, as well as writing stories for other artists.

This work led to a fascination for the newspaper strip. During some years several strips was created for magazines and newspapers in Norway. Notably IGGY and SPIKE, about two teenage boys sharing a flat, and SMALL TALK, set in a kindergarden.

During several long journeys around Asia sketch books and watercolor pads were filled with images.

All the time while working on graphic novels and cartooning, I have taken on commissions as an illustrator, with several of the biggest companies in Norway as my clients.

During the last couple of years my efforts have mostly been consentrated towards making children´s books, collaborating with several of Norway´s top writers. In the future, I hope to continue writing more of my own books, as well as taking on the most interesting stories I will be offered by gifted writers.

My books and comics has recieved several national awards, and original art from my published works has been exhibited nationally and internationally.


SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES
I'm often invited to schools and libraries to tell about my books. Here you can see me at Bøler Library, drawing and talking about my book "The Dragon Hunt".


(Below) Visiting schools near Trondheim with Bisk, Carl Comet and The Dragon Hunt in 2012.



BOOK LAUNCH
Launch of NANSEN across Greenland and MONEY! pat Cappelen Damm in 2012.
Photo: Liv Holte Steine.
With publisher Steffen Sørum at the book launch. Photo: Åshild Irgens





PUBLISHED WORKS
See Books and Comics sections.


In 2006 I returned to my hometown of Nesodden where I live with my family.