We continue our artist interviews and thanks to the talented people who have submitted their work, we got the chance to meet Ehsan Mehrbakhsh. Ehsan is an Iranian illustrator and animation maker currently living in Milano, Italy. The series of question we’ve prepare for him will let you know more about his art.

How do you choose your art?

I divide my artworks in two main categories:

1. those witch are based on an Idea, I elaborate the Idea in my mind then I will try to figure out how I can show it. It’s important for me that who sees the artwork understands the “main Idea” behind it. The color and the composition in these illustrations are means to make the “idea” shine.
2. artworks created by a surrealistic technique. Sometimes I just feel some images moving in my subconscious and without having any idea what the final result is going to look like, I just begin drawing them on a paper or monitor in case of digital painting (in this case I call it “vomiting”). In this second category the color and composition are also very important as protagonists.

What influenced the most your path as an artist?

Animation cartoons I guess. As a child I was mesmerized by the classic pink panther series, Donald Duck, and a Soviet cartoon named “NU POGODI”. Later I discovered TIN-TIN comic stripe books. I’m not a patient person, so I could not create a comic books, so I just began drawing “cartooned paintings” and making animations on the book edges. Later, when I was about 18 years old, I began going to an Illustration and painting academy in Tehran, Iran, witch was the most important art education that I received till now. “embrio.net digital art studio” in Rome where I worked for two years also taught me a lot about animation. I consider the philosophy to also have a very important part for creativity.

Why did you choose Italy to continue your studies and how did this impact your art?

When I was 15 years old Roberto Baggio (Italian football champion) was my hero, so I just began loving Italy. Later I discovered Italian cinema and literature. So choosing Italy to live for me was more like an emotional decision and I’m happy with it. The main impact was that for the first time I began living alone and facing the life in a country which injects into your head beauty, adventure, melancholy, and good wine… everyday.

What inspires you?

Some people I meet usually or unusually, music, philosophy, some forms and colors you find in Iranian architecture and Persian carpets, my usual city life.

Who do you admire in your field?

Ali Fatollahi is one of my favorites.
Farhad Fozouni as a Graphic designer.
Ivan Maximov is a Russian animator witch inspired me a lot.

 Share with us one of your favorite artwork and give us a few details about the insight behind its creation

It’s titled: “a message to me”. I just had this image of a man riding a bottle in the ocean then all the other details came later. The details in this illustration are important. After I finished drawing the Idea, I wondered why I’ve got this vision and what is that message inside the whale’s stomach. So I called Fabrizio Mambro and asked him to choose a name for this drawing. The choice couldn’t have been better, this is “a message to me”.

What do you consider your greatest challenge in this world of art?

Creating interest in culture generally.

What’s your biggest dream as an illustrator and animation maker?

Having my own studio, to research and experiment animation videos, having some talented people working with me. And a Roberto Baggio poster on it’s wall.

What’s the next step for you right now?

There is a short movie I’m thinking about to make. It’s going to have animations on the film.

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If you want to learn more about Ehsan and discover his work, you can find a full portfolio here.