Berlin-based illustrator Riikka Laakso’s lino printed book explores the number seven

Riikka Laakso continues to create interesting work for various magazines, but in recent months she’s been turning her attention to hand-printed books. This one, titled Von der Sieben explores the origins of the myths surrounding the number seven. 

Here the Berlin-based illustrator invites us into her process a bit more with her use of lino printing. Wonderful deep patches of ink infiltrate the page but it’s equally engaging when the black fades and adds more detail and tactlity to her simply constructed illustrations. 

For this project, Riikka was keen to “illustrate another perspective [of the number seven] when taken out of its mathematical function,” she explains. Manually printed, the book contains a series of 24 original lino prints that feature a seven lane race track and seven pairs of giraffes nearly toppling on top of each other among other whimsical things.