I have worked on an environmental art comic about the Koli region in East-Finland on and off for five years. The work name of the long graphic novel is Mustarinta, Black Chest, which was the old name of the Koli mountain hundreds of years ago.
The project is about experiencing a place or a scenery through a story. I have collected stories and folklore from the area and paint them outside in the places where they have happened. Maps to the locations will be included in the book, so the reader can go to the actual site of the events. With the book you can experience the place through the story. I put much effort into depicting the surroundings in a very regocnizable way. Working on site at the correct time of the year is important.
I have collected over 50 stories connected to the area with interviews, story collecting campaigns, researching folklore archives and hiking in the area. These stories I have transformed to a 200 page illustrated script. Currently I am drawing and painting the book. I am hoping to publish the book in early 2019.
Here is a sample from Mustarinta. The story is from the Devil's Church, which is a cave near Koli mountain.
I did my first self-published comic booklet about folklore and stories from Koli in 2013 as a part of the Koli Environmental Art festival. You can still buy the comic from here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NinaMutik