Artist Focus: Begüm Özan

Hello, I am Begüm! I will tell you a little bit about myself and the place of illustration in my life.

I think one of the most beautiful things about being an illustrator is that everywhere can become your workspace. Sometimes you can work at home in your pajamas or you can spread out on the grass and illustrate against the sea.

Like most illustrators, my inspiration comes at night. If I don't succumb to sleep, I usually prefer to work at night. I always listen to something while I work. When I'm not listening to music, I prefer to listen to podcasts or re-listen to series that I have watched many times before.

I generally prefer to use brushes in my drawings, which I think add a more fairytale-like atmosphere, rather than clear and sharp lines. My favorite characters to draw are, of course, children. I feel much freer when illustrating children, because I can use a variety of costumes and accessories and make use of an endless color palette.

I usually imagine that the child characters I draw are a bit mischievous, and I try to reflect this in their expressions. I usually prefer to draw children in touch with nature and having fun.

Plants are one of the things that are good for me. Even though I always promise myself not to buy a new plant, I often find myself returning home with a new pot and with excitement. Dealing with plants, changing their soil and pots, following their growth makes me happy.

When I feel unmotivated, I usually go out and ride my bike, especially by the sea, which is one of the activities that makes me feel the best.

Sometimes when I want to do something different, I make clay pots and leave little notes for my flowers!

You never know when inspiration will strike and in what way. But over the years, I can say that I have found the things that will activate my own muse.

The most important of these is definitely getting out in public. In those moments when my brain is no longer helping me, when I stare at the blank screen, when I think "I guess I'll never be able to draw again", I drop everything and go outside. Because there are infinite characters, infinite color palettes and lots of stories out there. Observing people and animals, looking at things around me in a different way always awakens my lazy muse. Most of the time I come home with a lot of new ideas.

I really enjoy designing characters. I usually start my drawings with sketches that are not very detailed. I decide on the details during the process of painting the character. The details of the character's outfit, accessories, hairstyle usually come to life in my mind during this time. I don't use a clear contour line. I usually prefer pastel tones and brushes that look like crayons.