Meet orhan mert | doctor, illustrator and comic artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with orhan mert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi orhan, why did you pursue a creative career?
Art production constitutes an indispensable part of me. The progress I have made in this field encourages me. The details I notice during my development process give me pleasure. That’s why I direct my career towards art production. ​

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art career process is a bit complicated. I received my BA and PhD in painting, but the school did not have much of an impact on my current work. What inspired me the most were the cartoons, FRP games and movies I watched since my childhood. I have tried to create my works for a long time with the fantastic oldschool aesthetic language I adopted from these. During this process, I had problems with vintage textures and coloring techniques because it was a bit difficult to adapt them to today’s digital mediums. In addition, I had to adhere to some anatomical rules of drawing heroic figures. I’m still working on it. But an important point I need to point out is that even the effort I make in this field is quite fun.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely like to show you around Çanakkale, the city where I live. In my opinion, Çanakkale is a fascinating and very comfortable city in Turkey. In addition to being a small coastal city, it is also a place rich in historical layers. In this respect, great times can be had, both having fun and learning while traveling.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I learned a lot, even if not personally, from legendary comic artists such as John Buscema and Bernie Wrightson, who inspired me. Apart from that, I would definitely like to mention my mother and father who encouraged me in this regard.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/orh.mert/