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3DTotal: You say you watch a lot of movies. Which ones have had the most impact on you and why?
Kerem : John Millius’s, Conan the Barbarian. The designs of helmets armour and weapons in the
movie are still the ones I like the most and of course The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many scenes in the L.O.T.R. series are truly inspiring to many artists. I watch the trilogy once every 3 months or so
and come up with new ideas every time :) Aside from these, non-job related movies: Big Lebowski, True Romance and Carlito’s Way, form my top three. As for more recent movies, I like Wolf Creek,
The Descent and Waiting.
3DTotal : What area of the industry would you ideally like to work in and why?
Kerem : About a year ago, my only dream was to be a great cover artist. I really can’t say why
but I just love visualizing a good fantasy novel. It gives me great pleasure to illustrate a character that I read and know about. I still like to do covers but since I started to work in the game industry
as a concept artist I realized that I enjoy this area more. Why concept design? - pretty much
the same reasons. I like to visualize a character, a unit, a city, an environment or a vehicle that
hasn’t been illustrated before. So, I want to go with both concept design and novel covers.
3DTotal : What is your favourite aspect of working in a digital medium?
Kerem : ctrl-z :) There are no undos in traditional methods... If you’re working in a digital medium,
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you can go as far as you wish as there are no limits or boundaries. You can be more experimental and bold and this naturally adds a lot to your artistic development.
3DTotal : Do you think it is important to master the pencil / brush before the graphics tablet or do you think digital artists do not necessarily need to practice drawing?
Kerem : One must know the basics of drawing. People who want to start doing illustrations usually think that everything will be easy just by buying a tablet which is totally wrong and an insult to digital artists :)
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Tools like Photoshop and a graphics tablet are just tools ultimately and they can only work in the hands of a qualified operator. If you don’t know the basics of drawing the only thing you should do is practice- not go and buys a tablet. When a guy at a beginner’s level asks me for advice about Photoshop or a graphics tablet, I always tell them to stay away from Photoshop etc, because to master the basic elements such as drawing, pose, composition, light and shadow you should most certainly practice them on paper. If the composition is not working, even an amazing colouring won’t cover it up. Many digital artists on the advanced level keep up their drawing practice on paper. There are some pros who start directly in the digital medium but frankly I can’t feel “in control” using a tablet as much as I do on paper. That’s why I always start my works on paper.
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3DTotal : Finally what advice can you offer anyone wishing to follow a career as a concept artist?
Kerem : I am not a big shot on this industry but if you want advice from a rookie, I can tell you one thing: Keep your eyes open :) The most important thing that a concept artist needs is a visual library. If you don’t add new pieces to this library, you may find yourself repeating the same lines over and over again. However, if you have an extensive library, you can create something new by blending the different objects you see in your everyday surroundings with those in your imagination. For example, when I’m on my way to or from work I always observe the environment and adsorb everything. I observe the formation of the fog or lights and notice the trees or the hair on the person who’s sitting next to me. If you can memorise these kinds of little things, reflecting them on paper is just a matter of practice. |
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