LEVENT TARHAN ILLUSTRATOR
I was born in Turkey, in 1963. I have been living in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and working for our planet, since many years.
When I was a child I used to make my mother and elder sisters read children books and various comics to me, even before I could read and write. While absorbing the stories, I also admired particular illustrations.
I started to depict stories into picture at an early age. In my stories, Indians and cowboys were looking for ways to be friends instead of fighting. I have always been impressed by the quest of peace in the 60s and 70s. I truly believe that telling nice stories to children is the way to make to peace.
Besides drawing, I have performed in children’s theaters, made films, and I played music quite passionately when I was a teenager. But the excitement of drawing has always been my focus. During my high school years, I started drawing caricatures and comics in magazines in İstanbul. At the same time, I was drawing illustrations for advertising agencies as a freelancer. I drew my first children’s book in İstanbul in 1982.
In 1983, I figured out that I did not want to return from Vienna, where I was living as a tourist, back to living in Turkey again, which was governing by a military junta at that time. I studied graphic design at the Universitat für angewandte Kunst in Wien, University of Applied Fine Arts in Vienna.
Since that time I have been working as an illustrator, graphic designer and artist.
During this time my Works are as followed:
Illustrations:
Comics:
Cartoons:
While I was working as a freelancer for advertising agencies I was doing graphic design as well.. I worked at Publicis Istanbul and then at the CHC advertising agency near Vienna and Direct & More (later Publicis Vienna) for some time. Then I chose to be a freelancer again.
In the early 2000s, my little daughters, Suna Chiara and Arzu Cornelia, have motivated me with their fantastic drawings and asked me to tell and draw stories for them. Eventually, what I really wanted to do gained gravity, so I decided to focus on drawing for children.
The following list consists of my drawings for children:
When I was a child I used to make my mother and elder sisters read children books and various comics to me, even before I could read and write. While absorbing the stories, I also admired particular illustrations.
I started to depict stories into picture at an early age. In my stories, Indians and cowboys were looking for ways to be friends instead of fighting. I have always been impressed by the quest of peace in the 60s and 70s. I truly believe that telling nice stories to children is the way to make to peace.
Besides drawing, I have performed in children’s theaters, made films, and I played music quite passionately when I was a teenager. But the excitement of drawing has always been my focus. During my high school years, I started drawing caricatures and comics in magazines in İstanbul. At the same time, I was drawing illustrations for advertising agencies as a freelancer. I drew my first children’s book in İstanbul in 1982.
In 1983, I figured out that I did not want to return from Vienna, where I was living as a tourist, back to living in Turkey again, which was governing by a military junta at that time. I studied graphic design at the Universitat für angewandte Kunst in Wien, University of Applied Fine Arts in Vienna.
Since that time I have been working as an illustrator, graphic designer and artist.
During this time my Works are as followed:
Illustrations:
- Women’s magazine “Wienerin” (Vienna)
- Men’s magazine “Wiener” (Vienna)
- Diners Club Magazine (Vienna)
- Visa Magazine (Vienna)
- The Magazine Zeit. Schritt (Vienna)
- Posters and brochures for various cultural organizations (Vienna)
- Storyboards for advertising agencies (Vienna, İstanbul)
Comics:
- Comic stories for the weekly city program magazine “CITY” (Vienna)
- Comic stories for the youth and cultural magazine “ECHO” (Vienna)
Cartoons:
- Humor magazine “Gırgır” (Istanbul)
- Humor magazine “Curcuna” (Istanbul)
- Humor magazine “Atmaca” (Istanbul)
- Humor attachment “GÜM” (Humor Production Center) (Istanbul)
- Medical newspaper “Aertze Woche” (Vienna)
- Fair trade “posters for solidarity” with Central American coffee farmers. (Vienna)
While I was working as a freelancer for advertising agencies I was doing graphic design as well.. I worked at Publicis Istanbul and then at the CHC advertising agency near Vienna and Direct & More (later Publicis Vienna) for some time. Then I chose to be a freelancer again.
In the early 2000s, my little daughters, Suna Chiara and Arzu Cornelia, have motivated me with their fantastic drawings and asked me to tell and draw stories for them. Eventually, what I really wanted to do gained gravity, so I decided to focus on drawing for children.
The following list consists of my drawings for children:
- 6-story series of children’s picture story books to Early Childhood Publications International Pte Ltd. (Singapore)
- Educational books and brochures in English for elementary school children to “News Edition International” publishing house. (Athens)
- Illustrated children’s books “Lola” and “African Princes” for Artisan. (London)
- A series of 10 books “Sani” and “I” children’s stories for the publishing house Beratungsgruppe. (Vienna)
- 4-volumes primary school books series to “Weber” publishing house. (Eisenstadt)
- A series of 4-volumes educational books for primary school to the “OEBV” publication. (Vienna)
- A series of 4-volumes English lessons and supplementary books for “Lemberger” publishing house. (Vienna)
- Screen Illustrations for the Re-Learn Project Memocorby. (Vienna)