A Migration Story
A young stork stars in the picture book “Marius – Ein Storch fliegt nach Afrika“ (A Stork Flies to Africa).
Marius can't believe it: This is where he hatched from his egg, this is where he and his sister learned to fly, this is where he knows his way around—and now he's supposed to leave! “It's getting too cold for us,“ say his parents. “We have to leave, go south.“
Marius has no choice. Together with his sister and the other young storks, he sets off. On their flight across half the world, the storks see a lot of destruction, but they also encounter a lot of beauty. And they see people who head the other direction: Like Marius and his fellow storks, they too are in search of a better life.
After a long and dangerous journey, they finally arrive in Africa, and now Marius knows that one can be at home in two places.
Dana Grigorcea came up with the sensitive story about storks and people; Edi Ettlin translated it into pictures.
La Cenerentola as a Board Game
In the summer of 2018, Gioachino Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" was performed at Hallwyl Castle.
For the program booklet the production team was looking for ways to support the description of action by visual means. For this they asked Edi Ettlin. The resulting work could be considered a cross between infographics and comic.
Ettlin presents the plot of the Cinderella Opera as a game across seven pages. He introduces the characters and their vocal registers by means of playing cards. Colorful figures then follow a game plan. They disguise themselves and sing their arias in the form of drawn keywords in speech bubbles. Short sentences explain the plot.
Excerpt double page
(in German)
School on a Mountain
For 75 years, the higher technical school Bürgenstock has been the educational center of the association of Swiss carpenters and furniture manufacturers.
For the third time Edi Ettlin - himself an alumnus of the school - illustrated the annual program. The double page spreads opening each chapter portray graduates in their learning environment.
The Mysterious Book
In the fall of 2017, a new edition of the book "Das geheimnisvolle Buch, Aus dem Rucksack von Andrì" (The Mysterious Book, From the Backpack of Andrì) came to Swiss bookstores. The story was the first children's book of the well-known Swiss storyteller, author and musician Linard Bardill. Baeschlin publishing house published the book in an updated version newly illustrated by Edi Ettlin.
The book tells the story of the cattle herdsman Andrì and his dog Tarru, who – like every fall – make their way from the alpine pasture to the city. On the way, Andrì finds an enigmatic book that slowly reveals its secrets.
Page from the fall 2017 preview of the publishing house (in German)
Firefighters responding
For a book about the Fire Department of Stans, Switzerland, Edi Ettlin drew emergency responses that have taken place in recent years.
By means of drawing, infographics and text, these pictures tell stories of how the emergencies happened and what the firefighters had to take care of.
Portrait of a Student
The current annual report of the University of Lucerne features students, portrayed by seven illustrators who are all alumni of the the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
When I committed to the exciting project, I got to portray law student Dario Picecchi. After interviewing him, I translated his key statements into pictures. At the suggestion of the University, I painted the piece in acrylic paint.
A Walnut in New York
The New York State Museum regu-
larly organizes the exhibit series
“Focus on Nature”, featuring natural
history illustrations from around the
world. The latest exhibition ran
from December 3 through April 9 at
the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in
Jamestown, New York.
Among others, the jury selected a
work by me showing a walnut tree
seedling. The picture tells the story
of a walnut seedling’s first growth
stages as it starts the journey to
become a mighty tree.
In my studio, I experimented with
growing walnuts for some time, which
served as a basis for the drawing.
Nidwaldner Kalender 2016
The Nidwaldner Kalender 2016
(Almanac of Nidwalden) continues
the tradition of the calendar story.
In "Heimspiel" (Home Match) written
by author Agi Arnold the urbanite
Lisa returns unexpectedly to the site
of an alpine summer of her youth.
There she goes through a emotional
rollercoaster ride.
The Illustration of the story was
carried in linocut technique. In the
pictures, people, places, and text
get superimposed and allow insights
and outlooks. The illustration is
closely related to the text and unites
with the typography.
Convent History
In the fall of 2015, a book com-
memorating the 400th anniversary
of the convent of St. Clara in
Stans was published. On 240
pages, a team of authors tell the
history of the sister community
from different angles.
Edi Ettlin designed the cover
drawing and seven illustrations
highlighting the main topics.
Swiss Championship
The poster for the Kendo Swiss Championship 2015 in Lucerne shows two kendokas executing the so-called men strike. The goal was to find the moment that defines the whole sequence of movements.
Observations, photos, videos, and consultations with experts helped define typical and technically cor-rect postures. Quick but precise brushstrokes represent the dynam-ics of the motion sequence and give an idea of what is about to happen in the next instant.
Fishing in the Neolithic
For 125 years, the five cantons around Lake Lucerne have been regulating fishing jointly. In late August 2015, the anniversary was commemorated around Lake Lucerne with a new book and an exhibition on a boat.
The book is titled "Fische kennen keine Grenzen" (fish don’t know any boundaries). Among other topics author Josef Muggli covers the Stone Age traces of fishing on Lake Lucerne. Illustrations by Edi Ettlin show how Neolithic settlers used the lake as a food source both in summer and in winter.
The Airship
A flying ship was what the graphic designer envisioned for the poster of the open-air theater Lucerne. It should bring to mind pioneering achievements in engineering and tourism during the Belle Époque. Simultaneously, the drawing was supposed to express a playful ease.
Executed as a digital hand drawing the airship represents hundreds of years of technological history. Bold and yet bulky the airship rises above the lake. Just one strong gust of wind, however, would be enough to topple the utopian vehicle.
Of Bees and Mites
For several years, the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) has plagued the European honeybee (Apis mellifera).
The chart explains the fragile bal-ance between host and parasite under several influencing factors. The picture was created as an assignment while studying Illus-tration Nonfiction at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Nidwaldner Kalender 2014
Inspired by an event, the student Johanna begins to ex-plore the work of artist Annemarie von Matt. While coming of age, the girl gets compelled to the biography of the once misunderstood artist.
With the story, written by Romano Cuonz, the Nidwaldner Kalender (Almanac of Nidwalden) reprises the tradition of the calendar story. The illustrations combine scenes from Johanna's life with works of von Matt, which go through
the mind of the student.
