JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF CARTOON WITH ERDIL YAŞAROĞLU
Could you tell us a little about yourself please?
I have a diploma in sculpture, but I’m a cartoonist. Sculpture, painting and photography are my main hobbies. TV programming is something that I’ve not done in a long time. I’ve been giving speeches at universities and for companies. I love to look at life differently and to tell the story behind the line. I also love to ride around the world on a motorcycle.
You’re so lucky to have a family that has supported your career choices. What would you like to say to parents thinking art is just a hobby, not a solid occupation?
They must know that the permanent profession they want for their children can make their children miserable all through their lives. Every parent wants their children to be happy. That's why they should support them to do what they love. They're asking me what kind of job I have been doing… I answered them that I've been unemployed for 25 years. Because I have been doing a job I'm in love with. I’ve been doing a job that I would choose to do even nobody pays me for it. Of course I am glad that they pay me, so I can continue doing what I love to do. And they should know that these are permanent jobs, very nice permanent jobs indeed.:)
What impact did your fine arts education have on your cartoon career?
The basis of line-related arts is all same. At school, many departments start with the same courses under the name of “basic art education”. Composition, pattern, perspective, light, color etc. You learn a lot of things, but most of all I built very nice friendships there, and learned a lot from them.
How do caricaturists spend their day? Where do they take their inspiration from?
Suffering. This job consists of two parts; finding humor and drawing. Drawing is the easy part. You know how long it will take. But finding humour… Every week you start by looking at a blank sheet of paper. If you don’t love what you do, this stress can make you cry, because inspiration is not something that visits you frequently. You have to work a lot to get the inspiration. I get up early in the morning a few days a week and I start working to find good joke. I find my topics by drawing, reading, watching and then I think about them. If I'm lucky, some jokes start to appear on my mind. Then I relax and I become a cheerful man again.
When you compare the day you set up Penguen Magazine and now, do you think that you achieve your dreams or do you think there are so much to do?
We’ve managed to create one of the nation's most widely read humour magazines. What we have to do right now is to continue doing that each week. So I guess we have things to do.
We always assume that cartoonists work alone. But you work for a magazine, and there must be some situations that you have to come together with other team members, and decide things together. What are the fun and not so fun sides of team work?
It is really enjoyable to work with many clever and funny guys. The hard part is finding good jokes. Together you experience the same painful process you experience alone, and it doesn’t make it any easier.
How does it feel to try to make people laugh in a country that has a wide variety of cultures and understandings?
Actually, I'm not trying to make anyone laugh. I draw and share the things I laugh.
How can a person build a career in charicature area?
This profession has only one rule: the more you draw, the more you find jokes… You can be the best artist or joker in the world, if you don’t have discipline, then you can not succeed in this job. We have been publishing weekly caricature magazines, and this means that we have to create and produce constantly. This is the hard part. If you can manage that, readers start to be aware of you. Our career is all about that, getting the attention of readers.
Pencil & paper or digital tools?
Both… In terms of drawing and the perception of readers, there is no difference. You draw in the same way with both. I prefer digital, because it's faster. You can handle many things very fast. There is a bad side. There is no original drawing.
Are there any current comic books that you enjoy reading?
Striped World History Series are perfect!
Hollywood has now opened a new door by adapting the comics to the feature films. You're an experienced artist on TV. Will we now be able to see a project on the screen where you take care of its screenplay and visuals?
We've been working on projects for a few years. I hope you will see them soon.
Anima Istanbul has been bringing characters to life for years, and you’ve had the chance to work with Anima for a family project. Would you like to tell us about this project?
Sarelle ads tell the story of Erdon and Bego, the two virtual babies of Begum and me. It has been going on for two years, because of its success. I hope it will continue. As a family this is the first project we've done with Anima, but I've worked with amazing Anima team many times.
Could you give us some clues about your new projects?
We are preparing a humor magazine for children named ‘Super Penguin’. We’re also preparing a cinema project with Anima. Is that enough of a clue?
What should be done to improve cartoon sector?
To improve the sector, new cartoonists have to be introduced. We're doing our best for that. We are trying to teach things to the amateur cartoonists who visit our magazine, but unfortunately we don't have much influence on those who can't come. I also think about creating an online interaction platform for them, so we can share information with amateur cartoonists all over the world.
What would you like to say about Anima School?
Sharing experiences is very precious. As one of the most successful animation studios in Turkey, it is even more precious for Anima Istanbul team to share their own experiences.
What are your advices for young people who want to enter caricature area or who are new in this area?
Nothing. It they love this profession, they will work. When they work hard, success is inevitable.