Autumn 2025 Courses and Events
Please note: Registration for the autumn courses opens on Tuesday, August 19th at 9:00 AM.
The Finnish Illustration Association offers its members high-quality training and a variety of events, which are free of charge for participants. They are financed by copyright remunerations collected by Kopiosto.
On this page, you will find the training aimed at student and support members as well as English-speaking members.
The new theme of the Illustrators’ Online clubs is the illustrators’ commissioners and partners. Maria Leskinen will continue to lead the clubs from Brazil. You can find more information and discussions about the clubs in the Illustrators Online Facebook group for members of the Association.
Also remember that the Croquis Nights in Kunsthalle Helsinki are free for our members and add the events open to everyone this autumn already to your calendar. You’ll find the list at the bottom of the page!
Please note that:
The workshop part of the autumn masterclass is primarily offered to full members.
Student and supporting members are welcome to separately announced trainings, larger public lectures organized on Zoom, and Illustrators Online clubs.
As a student member, you can also register for the waiting lists of all courses that interest you. If the course is not filled with regular members, student members from the waiting list will be admitted in the order of registration.
The Association adheres to the principles of a safer space in all its events. If you experience or notice disruptive behavior, please contact our staff.
Cancellations
Registration for face-to-face classes is binding. Please do not register unnecessarily and take someone else’s place if you are not sure of your participation.
In case of force majeure: Please make a possible cancellation at least a week, i.e. 7 days before the start of the course, so that we have time to fill the vacant place. For cancellations received later without a doctor’s certificate, we unfortunately have to charge a cancellation fee of 20€.
You do not need to notify the office about cancellations for Zoom lectures.
Cancellations: veera.jalava(at)kuvittajat.fi
Travel reimbursement
We will reimburse travel expenses for members arriving from outside Uusimaa for face-to-face teaching based on the cheapest public transport method (max. €80). Note! We do not reimburse local transport (HSL) travel expenses or car mileage reimbursement.
Please contact our office in advance: emilia.alm(at)kuvittajat.fi
Have an inspiring illustration autumn!
SEPTEMBER
Inspirational Speech
with illustrator Olya Tsikhanchuk & Arts Advisor Anna Sidorova, Taike – Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
The meeting is aimed at illustrators who have moved to Finland from elsewhere or immigrants who intend to enter the illustration industry.
Time: Friday 12.9. at 16-17
Location: Galleria Kuvitus, Hämeentie 28
Language English.
You can ask questions also in Finnish, Swedish, Belarusian and Russian.
Max 16 participants
An inspiring and encouraging conversational encounter, where Olya Tsikhanchuk talks about her own journey as a Finnish illustrator working with international companies. We will also hear a speech from Arts Advisor Anna Sidorova about immigrants’ employment in creative industries in Finland. There will be time for discussion and questions at the end. The event is a part of Helsinki Design Week’s programme and Aparty! mini-festival.
Registration has ended.
Illustrators’ Online Club
For all Association’s members.
Time: Friday 19.9. at 18:00-19:00 Helsinki time
Location: Google Meet
Host: Maria Leskinen
Guest: Henna Santalahti / Kumma-kustannus
Main language: Finnish. Feel free to ask questions in English.
The new theme of the autumn clubs is illustrators’ clients and partners. With the introduction of CEO Henna Santalahti, we will get to know the children’s book publisher Kumma-Kustannus from Jyväskylä. Henna will tell us what the story of Kumma-Kustannus is and what kind of collaboration the publishing house has with illustrators. We will also hear tips from the industry and have the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences.
Registration has ended.
OCTOBER
Visit to the Finnish Heritage Agency
For Editorial Illustrators.
Tuesday 21.10. at 13-15.30
At an event organized by the Newspaper Illustration Archive project, the editorial illustrators will have the opportunity to learn about the work done on editorial illustrations, the archive project, and the premises of the Finnish Heritage Agency.
Registration has ended.
NOVEMBER
Master Class: Tania Yakunova
Public Lecture
For all members of the Finnish Illustrators Association and everyone interested in illustration.
When: Wednesday 12 November from 5-6 pm
Where: Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy (TeaK), Auditorium 1, Haapaniemenkatu 6, 1st floor
Language: English
Tania Yakunova is a London-based illustrator and visual artist of Ukrainian origin. Bold colours, expressive forms, and a playful yet poignant narrative quality define her style. Over the past decade, Tania has collaborated with leading global brands, magazines, and publishers. Her works have won numerous professional awards and have been exhibited around the world. Whether working on personal or commercial projects, Tania’s main focus is to communicate feelings through shape, composition, and colour.
In the public lecture Tania will tell about her journey into freelance illustration and how a few visual communication theories shaped and elevated her entire practice.
Register for the lecture
Intensive workshop with Tania Yakunova
Thursday 13.11. – Friday 14.11.
Language: English
max 15 participants
In a two-day workshop, we will explore shape building and composition to see how it can help us to create striking emotional illustrations.
On the first day, we will do a bunch of fun and useful exercises with live materials, on the second day, each can work with the media they like to finish the illustration.
Materials:
- Scissors and paper glue (we will be creating cutouts)
- Graphic materials such as paint/markers/pencils
- Also, participants can take what they like to work with, especially for the second day (can be digital tools too).
The course is fully booked.
Illustrators’ Online Club
For all Association’s members.
Date: Friday 14 November at 18:00-19:00 Helsinki time.
Paikka: Google Meet
Host: Maria Leskinen
Guest: Tuomas Soukka / Fingersoft
Language: Englanti
The theme of the clubs this autumn is illustrators’ clients and partners. The November club will dive into the world of gaming. Tuomas Soukka, the artistic director of Fingersoft, a gaming company based in Oulu and Helsinki, will present the company’s activities in the gaming industry at the club. We will hear about the collaboration Fingersoft does with illustrators and get tips related to the gaming industry. The club will allow you to ask questions and share experiences.
Register here
Upcoming events open to all
- Wednesday 12.11. Open lecture: Tania Yakunova. (Pre-registration, link earlier on this page.)
- Thursday 27.11. 5-7pm Julia Savtchenko’s exhibition opening at Galleria Kuvitus.
- Date to come: Meet the artist: Julia Savtchenko
- Date to come: Meet the artist: Julia Savtchenko
- Tuesday 9.12. Kuvittajat ry’s Little Christmas Party at Restaurant Tanner for members who have purchased a dinner card. Pre-registration will be announced in Kuvitusposti Newsletter.