Niklas Åkerblad

Niklas Åkerblad
Born	(1983-04-17)17 April 1983 Gothenburg,Sweden
Alma mater	University of Skövde
Known for	Painting,video game art,music
Website	elhuervo.tumblr

Niklas Åkerblad(born 17 April 1983), also known by his pseudonymEl Huervo,is a Swedish artist and musician known for hisoil paintings,watercolor paintings,andvideo game art.His portraits are known to be bold and vivid in nature. Åkerblad's wide body of work gained significant attention following the success of the video gameHotline Miami,for which he created thecover art,along with its successorHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.Åkerblad was also the sole artist for other video games, includingKometenandElse Heart.Break().Åkerblad is also widely known for regularly creating the cover art forBandcamp Weekly,the official podcast ofBandcamp.Åkerblad is also a musician with an extensive discography and created soundtracks for several video games.

Biography

Early life

Åkerblad grew up inGothenburg,the largestportcity in theNordic countries.As a child, Åkerblad spent the majority of his time indoorsdrawing,and being influenced bycomic bookart andvideo gamecovers. He found relative happiness leading a simple life and being free to be creative. He took an early interest in art, often drawing pictures of monsters, comic heroes, and masks.In his youth, Åkerblad would discover the work ofStan Sakai,Moebius,andEdward Hopper,which he studied and took great inspiration from. It would be later while working as aconcept artistfor a game studio, that he would make the decision to take on independent art in earnest. By this time, he primarily painted in either watercolor with ink outlines or strict oil oncanvas.He experimented with contradiction and boldness, often working from vivid colorpalettes.This style largely remained a consistent theme in his future paintings along with a consistency for blending horror and beauty. Recurring themes in Åkerblad's paintings are love and socialoppression.His work often features skulls, masks, and various elements ofDanse Macabre.When asked where his inspiration and drive originated, Åkerblad replied, "Everyday life can be so mundane. Art is an adventure. So I want to explore as much as possible before I die. It is just a very strong calling."

Breakthrough

In 2012, Åkerblad had been spending an increasing amount of time with his friends and fellow Swedish artistsDennis WedinandJonatan Söderström,when he learned ofHotline Miami,still in its early stages ofdevelopment.The pair had formed a partnership calledDennaton Games,and needed a place to finish work on the game. Åkerblad offered his apartment, and the arrangement continued until completion ofHotline Miami.When Wedin and Söderström asked Åkerblad to create the cover art forHotline Miami,they didn't yet have a specific vision for the art style they wanted. Åkerblad used his own interpretation to create a cover featuring asurreal80's vibrance and violence inMiami.Åkerblad created several drafts of the cover before completing the final draft, which Dennaton accepted. Åkerblad then spent three days finalizing the cover which would become the iconic portrait ofHotline Miami.

Video game art

Åkerblad has received widespread acclaim for his art in video games. In 2008, Åkerblad created the concept art, which the gameColosseumby Shortfuse Games is based on.Åkerblad worked as a character designer and animator atShortfuse Games.

In 2010, while discussing collaboration for a potential space exploration game with Swedish game developer Erik Svedang, Åkerblad was tasked with creating all the art. Svedang and Åkerblad collaborated closely to design and completeKometen.Åkerblad created all the art using watercolor, and the game would later be described as a "gorgeous exploration experience".For Kometen's art, Åkerblad set out to create visually stimulating planets for the player to discover. Each planet represented a different message, such as paranoia, unseen danger, and deceit. Åkerblad explained that he wanted his art for the game to communicate what words could not with the player.

In 2012, Åkerblad illustrated the cover art for thetop-downactiongameHotline Miami,as well as the successorHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number,citing theSilent Hillfranchise as a major influence. TheHotline Miamicover brought Åkerblad to receive critical acclaim and mainstream attention, whenHotline Miamiquickly sold more than 1.5 million copies, despite rampantpirating.Åkerblad's cover art became iconic when Hotline Miami gainedcult followings,with Åkerblad's cover art being its primary identity.Dennis Wedin and Jonatan Söderström, the creators ofHotline Miami,based some of the game's characters on real people; Åkerblad was immortalized asBeard,who returns as aplayable characterinWrong Number.Beard typically stays behind the counter and talks about ongoing events, referring to previousgameplay.

After collaborating with game designer Erik Svedang on several games, Åkerblad took on the art for the 3Dadventure gameElse Heart.Break()which was published in 2015.Åkerblad's art was recognized again when Else Heart.Break() was nominated for a 2015IGFExcellence in Visual Art Award.When asked about the unique visual style of Else Heart.Break(), Åkerblad stated "the Swedish television program Skrot-Nisse started to become a major influence. It’s a puppet show, and all the scenography is handmade and very elaborate in its execution, creating an almost over-saturated level of detail."

Music

Åkerblad is also a musician with an extensive discography. He created prominent tracks forHotline MiamiandHotline Miami 2: Wrong Number,such as "Crush", "Daisuke", "Turf", "Ghost", and "Rust". Åkerblad was asked to create more music forHotline Miami,after its creators listened to his track titled "Daisuke" and wanted this particular style and mood of lo-fi heart-pounding music in the game. When asked byTimothy Courtneywhat was a turning point for Åkerblad's music, Åkerblad replied "Shelby Cinca played guitar on Daisuke, which was the indisputable breakthrough for my music". Åkerblad's music was later recognized whenHotline Miamireceived the 2012 IGN Best PC Sound Award.Åkerblad's music received further acclaim when the soundtrack forHotline Miamiwon The 2012 Best Music of the Year Award fromPC Gamer Magazine.In 2014, a 3-discvinylalbumwas released containing the tracks for bothHotline Miamigames, which featured prominent tracks by Åkerblad, along with tracks by M|O|O|N andPerturbator.Åkerblad also created thealbum coverart for the double soundtrack release.In 2015, Åkerblad created the vast majority of the sound track for theadventure gameElse Heart.Break().Åkerblad is a member of therockband Crystal Boys. In 2014, Crystal Boys released their debut album "Let It Slip".Åkerblad has created a discography of more than 100 tracks.Under his El Huervo moniker he also produced music for the Steamworld Dig 2 game.

Discography

Albums

• To Stop You Must Die(January 2011, Swedish Columbia)
• World's End(May 2015, Swedish Columbia)
• Vandereer(March 2016, Swedish Columbia)
• A Thing With Feathers(June 2020, Swedish Columbia)
• Sambandh(November 2020, Swedish Columbia)
• Flammarion(October 2021, Swedish Columbia)
• When In Dream(December 2023, El Huervo Casserne)

EPs

• Do Not Lay Waste To Homes...(May 2012, Swedish Columbia)
• ...Where You Must Rest Your Weary Bones(June 2012, Swedish Columbia)

Singles

• Daisuke(June 2014, Swedish Columbia)
• Turf(December 2014, Swedish Columbia)
• Rust b/w Ghost(June 2015, Swedish Columbia)
• Le Temps(December 2017, Swedish Columbia)
• The Setup(November 2018, Swedish Columbia)

External links

• Official pageonTumblr