Artist Focus: Zeynep Bihter Yıldız

Hello everyone! I'm Bihter (you can also call me Bido) I draw at this desk. In fact, I spend most of my time drawing. Actually, since I work with a tablet, everywhere can be my workspace.

But I always come back to a quiet environment where I am by myself. I always turn on music while working; if I get overwhelmed, I listen to nature sounds such as sea waves, forest sounds.

I like the bright and colorful environment I am in. It motivates me.

Before I start a drawing, I ask myself the question "how can I be more creative?". I think my drawings answer this question with small details and jokes I add. I do my drawings in Procreate. The textured brushes I use there help me capture those natural and childish lines I want. My color choices consist of bright and warm colors. If we look at the physical characteristics of my characters, usually the eyes can be either dot or huge. There is always an "X" in the ears of my human characters. You can find a lot of sweetness and a little bit of weirdness in the characters I fictionalize. I also add spirals, disproportionate stars and abstract shapes that I think give movement to the drawing.

When I am not working, if I want to draw/produce, I draw and produce, I don't stop myself. But other than that, it is better for me not to produce to reset. Spending time on inspiring social media like Pinterest, Tumblr, reading books, reviewing children's books, sunbathing if I find the sun and keeping a journal are the things that refresh me. Not forgetting to squeeze and pet my cat Kaju.

I get most of my inspiration from real life. I can gather beautiful details from conversations with relatives, children's conversations among themselves for ideas or fiction. The color palettes used by other artists, the brush strokes in drawings can create new sparkles in my head. Textures, color transitions and plants in nature give me direction.

Recently, folkloric patterns and architectural structures in different cultures have also become my source of inspiration.

I do my drawings on Procreate. After drawing the sketch, I continue drawing with textured brushes such as watercolor, dry pencil, chalk. I try to capture the childlike mood with disproportionate shapes and lumpy lines. The color palette can take shape spontaneously as the drawing progresses, but of course there are certain colors I use. Greens, yellows, pinks... I create contrast by using faint, thin lines with clear lines🖇