Meet
Illustrator Çağlar Özgün!
“I am a 29
children's book illustrator and Event Caricature artist. I live between Bursa,
Turkey and Cairo, Egypt. And I love white chocolate wafers!”
GM: At what
age did you realize you wanted to pursue a career as an artist?
Ç Ö: 11
years old. After watching Heidy I started to write my own stories and draw
them. Then I started to characterize people into drawings, when my old neighbor
asked me “Do you draw caricature?”, I had no idea what was it! Back then when
there was no internet available in each house I went to an internet café and
wrote on google “Caracature”, google corrected me “Do you mean Caricature?” I
clicked on it and found a whole world of art I had no idea about. I said to
myself “OMG that’s exactly what I am doing” then started to research more and
more and develop a style of myself.
GM: Describe
your studio and where you like to work...
Ç Ö: It’s
more of a home-office, I have a large desk with 2 screens and Wacom tablet.
Printed on walls my previous works and some caricatures of my family. I have bookshelves
where I keep the Children's books I illustrated and old Caricature magazines and
comics.
GM: What
mediums do you like to use?
Ç Ö: I
basically use Photoshop and illustrator for my digital illustrations. In live
events, I use soft pastel with piece of cloth and matte photo paper. Sometimes I
also use food colors and brushes.
GM: Who is
your favorite artist(s)?
Ç Ö: May
sound cliché but of course Walt Disney and Peyo! Their perspective of the world
and their works are so inspiring that it widens the imagination of whoever
watches them.
GM: Do you
have a muse or other inspiration?
Ç Ö: When I
illustrate children books my inspiration is always my desire to open up
children's minds to the world of imagination and pushing them to be themselves,
telling them there is more in life than they can imagine.
When I go on
live caricature events my inspiration is definitely the smile or laugh the
people I draw have on their faces when they see my caricature POV of them.
GM: What is
the key to creating an illustration that will resonate with a lot of people and
keep them captivated for more?
Ç Ö: We
always remember the character that looks like us, that have some of us in them.
For example: always have “Simba” on mind
because we have those impulsive moments when we run after our desires and
curiosity, and many times we fail to satisfy them, still we want them so badly
that we keep chasing them. The point is: creating a character that touches
something in us and being creative with it is always the key.
GM: Do you
have advice for novice artists?
Ç Ö: Never
put limits to your imagination. Always read, watch and analyze. And NEVER
give up on it.
Need illustration? Email Çağlar: azcaglar@gmail.com
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