Powerful women and work that makes you smile, courtesy of illustrator Hanna Melin

London-based, Sweden-born Melin creates work that’s imbued with a sort of punkish, bold presentation of women as powerful, funny and dynamic. Her work, in short, is a hell of a lot of fun.

Melin says she fell in love with drawing at an early age; a passion that took her to England to study at London’s Royal Academy of Art for her MA in visual communication.

Now based in East London, she works across illustration and design, and so far has built up an impressive client across editorial newspapers and magazines, advertisements and commercial brands list including The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, Subaru and more.

She finds inspiration “in daily living and in comics, patterns, and exhibitions,” she says; and her favourite kinds of art are those that “make her smile.” She adds that if she hadn’t pursued illustration, we’d probably find her working as a primary school teacher.