Musa Gümüş
Musa Gumus was born in Turkey in 1963. He graduated from Marmara University School of Business Administration and Management. He has started his career in national cartoon magazines. He worked as a cartoonist in HIBIR cartoon magazine from 1989 to 1994. He drew picture stories for kids in BANDO magazine. He had illustrations published in Nokta magazine. His works were displayed in the “NEIGHBORS” Exhibition in Strasbourg which was supported by EU Parliament.
He started to work on international cartoon works in the year 2000. He has participated in lots of cartoon competitions since 2001. He has had 233 awards from many national and international cartoon competitions.
His works have been entered in contests, exhibitions, and catalogs and have been accepted to museums in 30 countries. He has also served as a jury member in international competitions. In 2008, one of his cartoons was converted into a monument and placed in Plaza de la Libertad in Porto, Portugal. He has opened 7 personal exhibitions. He worked as a cartoon teacher in MEF Schools in Istanbul for 18 years. He is a member of the Turkish Cartoonists Association.
(Source: Toons Mag Plus)
Interview
How and where did you learn to draw?
I learned to draw myself. I improved myself in this area.GIRGIR of humor magazines published in Turkey has been very effective.
Who are the favorite cartoonists from your country?
There are many artist like Oguz Aral, Turhan Selçuk, Semih Balcioglu, and Selcuk Demirel.
What was the first cartoon that gave you recognition?
My cartoon won the first prize in the competition themed “Being young”.I loved that cartoon and it was printed on the album.
How long have you been working as an artist?
Since 1979, so 42 years.
Name three artists/cartoonists/caricaturists you are inspired by? How have they inspired you?
In my early years, Oguz Aral’s sense of humor impressed me. Later, the illustrators with a graphic sense of humor impressed me. I discovered different techniques and ways of painting. Thank you to Kambiz Derambakhsh, Alessandro Gatto, Jerzy Głuszek, and others for this.
Why did you decide to be a cartoonist/caricaturist/artist?
When I was a college student, I realized that I loved drawing and painting. This went on, and then it went forward on its own.
What was the first exhibition that you attended?
When I was a university student, I opened a cartoon exhibition at the school’s gallery. I think it was 1983 year.
Tell us about you and your artwork? Which genres of cartoons do you like to draw?
I am dealing with the problems of our world and people. I draw my drawings on paper by hand and I do not use a computer. I try to make my drawings easy to understand. Sometimes I use a very plain line. Sometimes I paint detailed drawings with pastels.
Tell us about some of your favorite pieces of artwork. Do you feel our young generation is talented enough to hold up their passion for arts, drawing?
I love the works of classical painters. It gives me pleasure to study their charts and find. Everything is changing, art is also changing. Young people will give a new perspective to art.
Do you think political cartoons or caricatures should be regardless of depicting any biases?
This is a problem. Political cartoons should not be made with prejudice. There may be criticism, of course, but there is no prejudice and people should not be misled.
What is the biggest achievement you think that you earned in your career?
I have won huge awards from many of the major competitions around the world.
According to you, what are some of the main qualities that a cartoonist should possess?
A clean perspective, diligence, positive dialogue.
Did you face obstacles in the early days of your career? If yes, then what sort of?
No. I did not encounter any obstacles. Everyone encouraged me.
Did you ever get threatened or bullied because of your job?
I was sued because a cartoon I drew years ago was misunderstood. But there is a problem.
Why should anyone choose the same profession as you?
It is very enjoyable to draw and show your works to other people. There is a chance to meet and become friends with many artists around the world. Since it is not an overtime job, you can spend time on other things. But you may not earn a lot of money!
Did you ever felt racism and ethnic discrimination in this field?
I saw religious discrimination.
Difference between the old and new generations’ cartoons?
Old cartoons have a simpler comic style. Illustrative lines are very popular now. But the message of some is difficult to understand.
Any suggestions that you would like to share with our new cartoonist/artist?
Do not stay in one style and feel free to try different techniques.
What do you think about Toons Mag?
It has a huge impact on the field of cartoons and I will continue to watch it.
Are you interested to use Toons Mag as your cartoon publishing platform?
Of course.
Do you think that more and more exhibitions should be arranged for promising new artists all over the world?
This is very necessary. It should be very important for the artists to see each other’s work and to be part of the same organization.
The difference that you want to see in your career after 10 years from now?
There are young artists that I teach. I want them to be great artists and achieve success.
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