About Felicia Fortes

Illustrator and artist Felicia Fortes paints, illustrates, designs, and writes from her studio on Ringön, an industrial and creative area in her hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. She studied art, literature, and illustration at the University of Gothenburg.

Illustrator

Felicia Fortes is recognized for her editorial illustrations in Dagens Nyheter, Göteborgs-Posten, Kommunalarbetaren, Filter, Faktum, and Skriva, and was shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards in both 2021 and 2025.

Her debut as a children’s book illustrator was in 2024 with Addis afro, followed in 2025 by Kattkriget and High-five.

Artist

As an artist, Felicia has made wall paintings with girls tackling everyday relations. In her art, she explores family memory, sad fairytales, and her suburban upbringing. She has also inspired others with her 100-day projects, Imaginary Places, and Fortes’ Fauna.

Educator

With a background in teaching, Felicia knows how to package and share her knowledge in workshops and lectures and has been a recurring guest educator at several places for many years. Her workshops are built out of her curiosity and her everyday findings as an illustrator and artist, from inspiring sessions on arbitrary storytelling, inner landscapes, and collaborative image-making, to name a few. Her lectures span areas like ideation, creative processes, and business planning. Currently, Felicia is the illustration teacher in the course Bilderbok (focused on graphic novels and children’s books) at Sörängens folkhögskola.

Moderator

Well-known as a Q&A moderator for Göteborg Film Festival. She has also moderated talks on topics like children’s book illustration and contemporary art.