- It's easy to notice that comics have huge inspiration on your works. In late 80's and early 90's, when you were a kid, were there any comic books that you followed regularly? Would you please share with us, who and what makes you choose to be an illustrator to earn a living?

Yes, I have been reading comics for a long time. At those years, I was mostly prefering Conand and some other Marvel comics. Besides, in early 90's, there was a magazine called "Dinosaurs". I was adoring the dinosaur illustrations in it. When it comes to being an illustrator, I can say that a "decision moment" didn't happen. Many people supported me for being an illustrator but it would already have been happened itself.

- Rapid developments in digital technology are offering some great advantages but at the same time, they are also bringing some discussions to the field with them. Some photographers think that photography is not art anymore with dijital technology and some illustrators defend that switching to digital kills the soul of their art. How do you evaluate the today and tomorrow of computer aided illustration?

Actually I find this argument a little bit nonsense. Computers and digital cameras are only tools just like the others. The one and only important thing is perception. Both digital and analog data are based on human perception. If the viewer doesn't care about the difference or he doesn't even see the difference, then there's no problem. In my opinion, in the future, perfect digital reproductions of the non-digital works will be done and saved as data and they will be protected from the damage of years.

- You graduated from Marmara University Fine Arts Faculty's Graphic Arts department and you're continuing your education with master degree at the same school. Imagine that you decide to stay at school and begin to work as a lecturer. If there were no limits and rules, what kind of guidelines would you give to your students and what kind of methods would you use to teach them to be successful illustrators?

This is a really difficult question. I guess I would lock them into a room full of painting materials and say "You're free now". Joking apart, this is something that needs very much self sacrifice. That's way it's not possible to make someone like to paint. And I think there are no guidelines. Because all artists have different processes, I would probably set the students free. If they were really passionate about what they were doing, then they wouldn't need me.

- A graphic tablet is one of the most important tools for a digital painter. Today, it's possible to draw and paint on the monitor itself. What kind of equipment do you use for your works? What do you suggest the people who is considering starting to work with graphic tablets or who has just started?

I work with a Wacom Intuos A5 on my PC. Because I didn't have chance to take a look at more advanced models, I'm not sure if I need one of them or not. People who want to paint with graphic tablets should begin with creating their own workspaces and interfaces by using the settings of the softwares and with changing the brush types for their taste. I can say that; do not be contented with what your computer offers you. Create something from deep inside you. And don't forget to work with real pencil and paper during the process of adapting to your new graphic tablet.

- In your portfolio, there are works in various styles. Some paintings remind us the characters and anatomies in old video games with so many vivid colors and some pieces show us more realistic but again fantastic style with less saturated tones. During this time, in which you are about to create your unique way of painting, what resources and which artists inspire you most?

Yes, I really like old video game illustrations, especially the golden age of pixel art. Besides, I've already loved the comics. I'm in love with the works of the artists who draw them; Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Simon Bisley, Alex Horley, Jim Murray, Glenn Fabry, ... There are many more resources and artists that I don't remember now. Although I'm fed by things like specific eras and hobbies, I'm always open for new and different stuff.

- Most of the artists don't find it enough to create only for clients or consumers and they produce some new projects for themselves, to feel more free and to enjoy. If you had a limitless budget, what kind of personal project would you prefer?

This is a kind of dissatisfaction and it always exists. If the artist creates something only for the client and the viewers, then he will get tired of this and do some 'art'. If I were looking for something like 'art' as a personal project, it would probably be about visual arts. Many projects like that come to my mind everyday but collecting them in just one is almost impossible so I'm noting down the most realistic ones for now.

- You are using the violence theme in your works as a reflection of your dream world but as one of the most dominant themes in our lives today, violence is very real and terrifying. As a young illustrator, who earns his living with fine arts, how do you evaluate the future of our world?

The subject and people's reactions to it are really interesting. I never support the violence but I'm not against the use of it in arts. I think it's not possible to destroy violence by denying or hiding it. Communities who are not suffered from 'real' violence are always more inclined to consume its cyber version. Maybe that's why the horror movies does exist. In my opinion, the thing that will effect the future and the order of the world will not be the violence, but the lack of the violence. I use that theme not to lose my hope to live in a perfect world where people ask for some violence.

- Great artists, world famous painters, sculptures and musicians left many impressive sayings to the history. For example, great master Michelangelo said; "Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop." Imagine that you and your works will also live forever and drop a note for your page in the history of the art world. What would you say?

I'm not sure, I guess I have to be a "world famous painter" first. Maybe I would drop a naive note like this; "I tried to create works in the style I really like. And now, I have to write something down here."

- Would you please tell us about the effects of cinema on your creations and your dream world? Which film directors do you find closer to yourself in terms of visual comprehension?

I owe to cinema for some of my ideas. I can say that I'm a little bit tasteless about film preferences because I enjoy every single piece with fantastic or Sci-Fi stuff in. I'm something like rubbish in that manner. Film critic Metin Demirhan whom we lost last year, had helped me much for that genres. I have so many favorite directors, such as John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, George Romero, Dario Argento, Enzo G. Castellari, Quentin Tarantino, Takeshi Miike, Woo-ping Yuen, Çetin İnanç, and the list goes on.