Øyvind Torseter

The recorded working language is Norwegian. The field of work recorded is book illustration, children's and young adult literature and visual arts. Places of work recorded in the authority are Oslo. Distinctions recorded are Bokkunstprisen, Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize and Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.

Torseter studied illustration in Oslo at the Merkantilt Institutt [no] from 1991 to 1992, the Skolen for Grafisk Design [no] from 1992 to 1994, followed by the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Maidstone from 1995 to 1998. Since he illustrated his first picture book in 1999, Torseter has published a variety of children's literature as both illustrator and as both author and illustrator, including the prize-winning Klikk (2004). Torseter's stories are often surreal. In 2002, Torseter published Mister Random, his first children's book as both writer and illustrator, featuring surreal characters including elephant men, octopuses, and superheroes, some depicted as humans in costume and others as fantastical human–animal hybrids. Some of these figures reappear in unofficial sequels, including Detours in 2007 and Connections in 2013. He typically starts by making pictures and then creates the story. Torseter uses both analog and digital techniques for his illustrations and has been noted for his three-dimensional artwork from cut and folded paper, as well as his line drawings in ink. He stated "I draw directly on the paper, often using a fountain pen with carbon ink. I don't sketch first". His pictures have been recognized as more than simple illustrations of text, but as free drawings that play and provide details, stories, and opportunities for imagination. Torseter is one of Norway's foremost illustrators and artists. Torseter credits cartoons as an influence on his career, as well as the Norwegian Folktales collection by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. He lives and works in Oslo.