About

About

Lisa Aisato
Bibliography
Awards and nominations
Gallery 
Technique
FAQ

Lisa Aisato


Lisa Aisato (b. 1981) is an awarded and critically acclaimed author, illustrator and artist. Throughout her career she has published seven books of her own, among them the award-winning picture book for adults All the Colors of Life. In addition she has illustrated more than 30 books for other authors. Most well-known is perhaps the hugely successful The Snow Sister written by Maja Lunde. The books have been translated into more than 40 languages and Lisa’s artwork can be found in homes all over the world. Lisa runs her own gallery at Hvaler archipelago on the Norwegian South East coast where she lives and works.

 

Bibliography


Authored and illustrated by Lisa Aisato

Til min elskede (For My Love), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2008

Mine to oldemødre (My Two Great Grandmothers), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2008

Odd er et egg (Odd is an Egg), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2010

Fugl (Bird), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2013

En fisk til Luna (A Fish for Luna), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2014

Snokeboka (Snooping Around), Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2018

Livet - illustrert (All the Colors of Life), Kagge Forlag 2019


Illustrated by Lisa Aisato (selection)

Tambar er et troll (Tambar is a Troll) av Tor Åge Bringsværd, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2010

Svalene under isen (The Swallows Under the Ice) av Gaute Heivoll, Cappelen Damm 2012

Astrid Lindgren av Agnes-Margrethe Bjorvand, Cappelen Damm 2015

Snart sover du - Et års god natt (A Dream for Every Season) av Haddy Njie, Cappelen Damm 2016

Jenta som ville redde bøkene (The Girl Who Wanted to Save the Books) av Klaus Hagerup, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2017

Til ungdommen (Being Young) av Linn Skåber, Pitch Forlag 2018

Snøsøsteren (The Snow Sister) av Maja Lunde, Kagge Forlag 2018

The Night of His Birth by Katherine Paterson, Flyaway books 2019

Til de voksne (Being Grown-up) av Linn Skåber, Pitch Forlag 2020

Solvokteren (Lilly and the Sun Keeper) av Maja Lunde, Kagge Forlag 2020

Til oss - fra de eldste (To Us from Our Elders) av Linn Skåber, Pitch Forlag 2021

Å ri på enhjørninger (To Ride on Unicorns) av Mariangela Di Fiore, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag 2021

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, translated by Erlend Loe, Kagge Forlag 2022

 

Awards and nominations (selection)


Awarded The Bookseller's children's book scholarship 2011

Elected one of the ten best Norwegian authors under 35 by Morgenbladet in 2015

Awarded The 2016 Sørlandet’s Literary Prize for Astrid Lindgren in 2016, with Agnes-Margrethe Bjorvand

Awarded the Literary Prize from Fredrik Halvorsen's Trust in 2016

Awarded the «Teskjekjerring» Prize for Snart sover du (A Dream for Every Season) in 2016, with Haddy Njie

Winner of Best Animated Short at Tribeca Film festival in 2017 for Odd er et egg (Odd is an Egg), the animated short film based on her picture book by the same name.

Awarded «Ordknappen» for Jenta som ville redde bøkene (The Girl Who Wanted to Save the Books) in 2018, with Klaus Hagerup

Awarded the School Library Literary Prize in 2019

Winner of the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize for Livet - illustrert (All the Colors of Life) in 2019

Gold medal in the Holiday Book category, Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2020, for The Night of His Birth, with Katherine Paterson

Nominated for The Critics’ Prize with Odd er et egg (Odd is an Egg) in 2010 and En fisk til Luna (A Fish for Luna) in 2015

Nominated for the Brage Literary Prize in 2010, 2012 and 2014

Nominated for the H. C. Andersen Award in 2016

Nominated for the 2018 Amanda Prize for the animated short film Odd er et egg (Odd is an Egg), based on her picture book by the same name.

Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2022

 


Lisa's gallery is co-located with her office headquarter close to her home and studio at Skjærhalden in Hvaler, Norway, and has a permanent display of framed prints along with unframed prints, books, puzzles and calendars for sale. The gallery is open all year. Please see the contact page for location and opening hours.

 

Technique


Lisa Aisato's images are made by mixing physical media and digital drawing. She usually starts on paper or canvas and at some point digitises the sketch in order to finish the image with her digital pen/pencil and drawing board. This means the «original» is a digital file and the prints are the only physical representation. This way of creating the actual image is often referred to as DGA - Digital Graphic Artwork.

 

FAQ


Lisa receives a lot of inquiries and many have similar questions. We've tried to compile the most common questions with answers here. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, please send us an email. Our ambition is to respond to all inquiries, but please allow for some response time, especially during busy periods.

Can I use Lisa's images in a presentation, broschure or campaign?

All intellectual property is protected by copyright law and must not be used without the permission of the originator. In some cases Lisa licenses or gives away usage rights for her work to professional organisations, campaigns or similar. Inquiries about licensing can be made by contacting us. Beyond this, we do not want the images to be used.

But it's for a good cause?
Lisa cooperates with a few established charitable organisations, beyond this we're hoping for your understanding for the need to limit the use of Lisa's work.

 

Can I share Lisa's images in social media?

The following guidelines apply to the use of Lisa's images on social media:

  • All personal accounts can share Lisa's posts on Facebook using standard sharing functionality.
  • Similarly, all personal accounts can regram Lisa's posts on Instagram, but she must be credited with the hashtag #lisaaisato. Feel free to also tag @lisaaisato.
  • However, the above is not permitted if it is done in a commercial context or by organisations and the like, without prior agreement, or if the images are used in context controversial opinions, politics, religion etc.
  • All forms of downloading Lisa's photos, screenshots etc. and then publishing them is not allowed.
  • All forms of alterations to the images (adding text, cutting, etc.) are not allowed.

  

What's the difference between the Open Edition and Limited Edition prints?

Lisa's Limited Edition prints are giclée quality fine art prints of archival standard on Hahnemühle William Turner 190 gsm cotton mould-made watercolour paper. They all have a set edition size (varies between 50 and 300) which is the maximum number that will ever be made of these fine art prints of archival standard. The prints are numbered and signed by Lisa.

The Open Edition prints are printed on Scandia 2000 Natural 300 gsm heavy, matte paper. Signature is printed and there is no limit on how many can be made.

Only the Limited Edition prints are formally categorised as Fine Art.

Except for the above, and the obvious difference in size, the Limited Edition Fine Art prints are superior when it comes to resolution, colour depth, paper and ink quality, durability and lightfastness.

 

What is DGA and giclée?

DGA (Digital Graphic Artwork): Lisa Aisato's images are made by mixing physical media and digital drawing. She usually starts on paper or canvas and at some point digitises the sketch in order to finish the image with her digital pen/pencil and drawing board. This means the «original» is a digital file and the prints are the only physical representation. This way of creating the actual image is often referred to as DGA - Digital Graphic Artwork.

Giclée (Giclée Fine Art Print) is a method of producing the actual print. A giclée print is a digital ink print of high quality that requires an advanced printer and a combination of lightfast ink and an acid-free paper of archival standard, as guaranteed by the manufacturer. The printing technique is used by photographers and by artists for producing DGA prints in limited edition.

Until 2019, Lisa labelled her limited edition prints as «Giclée». From 2019 all limited edition prints are labelled «DGA» since this is a more precise description of the way the actual image is made. Except from the changed labelling the prints are exactly the same.

And how do you pronounce giclée?
Took us a while as well. It's French. Try zhee-KLAY.

 

Are there original paintings by Lisa?

Yes. Lisa has made several original paintings on canvas, most of them early on in her career. Regrettably, we have none for sale as of now.

 

Where can I see the Lisa's images in real life?

Lisa runs her own gallery in Norway, see above. In addition, you can find her Limited Edtion prints in selected galleries in Norway. For information about exhibitions, please check Lisa's social media: Facebook / Instagram.

 

There's an image I can't find in the store?

Lisa has had more than 1.300 images published throughout her career, so far. Unfortunately, we don't have all of them as prints for sale.

 

Can I get prints in other sizes?

Unfortunately, no.

 

How do I frame the prints?

All Open Edition prints will fit a (European) standard 30x40 cm frame or a standard 40x50 cm frame with a standard mount (passepartout) with an 29x39 cm opening.

We recommend getting the Limited Edition prints framed by a professional frame maker.

 

How do I get in touch with Lisa?

Inquiries for Lisa should be sent by email. All messages will be read and it's our ambition to repond to everyone. Sadly, we cannot promise a personal reply from Lisa, but she has a team of knowledgeable and nice people ready to help you out.

 

Can Lisa illustrate my book?

If you have a manuscript accepted by a publisher it's usually the editor who approaches potential illustrators. Generally, Lisa wishes to prioritise her own projects and she's typically fully booked for the next 3-4 years.

But I'm planning to self-publish?
Lisa prefers to work with established publishers. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the capacity to read and assess manuscripts.

 

Does Lisa give classes?

Unfortunately, no.

 

Can I book Lisa for an event or a talk?

Generally, Lisa tries to prioritise painting and writing. Booking inquiries for festivals or other large events can be made by contacting us.

 

Does Lisa do commission work?

Unfortunately, Lisa doesn't have the capacity to take on commission work.

 

What's the shipping time to my location?

Please refer to the Delivery page for shipping information.

 

Where can I buy Lisa's books?

Lisa's translated books should be available through your local book store or in an online book store operating internationally. Lisa's books in Norwegian can be ordered through a Norwegian book store that ships internationally, try www.bokkilden.no. Unfortunately, as of now we cannot ship books ourselves.