EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 29 © 2019 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

85 2018 and was published by well-known French comic-book publisher Fluide Glacial , with whom Ersin contributes on a regular basis in France. Considered one of the most respected comic artists in Turkey, Ersin has exhibited his work and frequently teaches and lectures about comics and storytelling at universities, institutes and conferences all over Turkey and Europe. He is currently based in Los Angeles and is still one of the editors and a weekly contributing artist and writer for Uykusuz . IQ: Did you always draw? EK: Yes, I don’t remember myself not drawing, ever. IQ: Were any other members of your family artistic? EK: My father was a primary school teacher, but to make extra money he painted and also did small graphic design jobs during my childhood. IQ: Did you have any formal artistic training? EK: I mostly trainedmyself by reading the limited numbers of comics I could afford to buy. I started working professionally at 16 for a magazine, writing and drawing cartoons, so I learned a lot just working with masters and older professionals. And then I went to college and studied graphic design and that helped me improve my general visual understanding. IQ: What were your early influences? Did you read any comics? EK: Tintin , Asterix and Superman first. A little later, it was mostly Italian Fumettis. Then, by following Turkish cartoonists, they introduced me to masters who influenced them, like Manara, Bilal, andMoebius. Also, science fiction movies like ‘The Terminator’, ‘Alien’ and the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy had a great impact on me. IQ: Did drawing come easily to you? EK: Never. It’s still not easy. There are things that are always difficult for me to draw. But this defines your style—not only the things you can do easily shape your style, but also the things you cannot do as well. IQ: Was it difficult to break into the comic book field in your country? EK: Not really. There is an old tradition of weekly satire magazines in Turkey and they were very popular back in the old days. My first caricatures were published one year after I decided I wanted to draw for these publications, as a teenager. My work was rough but the editors were trying to train young people and give wannabes a chance if they saw potential. Fortunately, I was passionate and always worked hard, and I improved.