Just this past Monday, I completed an interview with the talented teen artist Didem Dursun. A German-native, of Turkish decent, Dursun’s craftsmanship caught my eye with her watercolor paintings by the rising star and model Lucky Blue Smith. Her technique and far-from novice abilities shine through in each of her well-detailed works. She agreed to converse with me about her creations via twitter and share the story behind herself and her work.
Starting with your name, who is @didemdursun? How old are and where are you from?
Didem Dursun is my real name, I turned fifteen in september, my parents are both turkish but I’ve been living in germany my whole life.
My goodness! So you are a young artist? When did you start creating?
I’ve been drawing since I can remember! I started using watercolors in 2014 and I’d say it’s my favourite medium at the moment :)
You seem to work well with it! It’s displayed in your art~ Is all of your work created by hand?
It is :) I mainly use graphite pencils, watercolors and acrylic paint
That’s talent in it’s rawest form, in my opinion. What made you start producing your artwork? And what made you start publishing it online?
Making art gives me this amazing feeling, as if I’m being really productive and accomplishing something. I decided to post my artwork online because it kind of motivated me to get better and better, if I deleted my social media, producing artwork wouldn’t be as much fun because just keeping it to myself would be boring, I guess? It’s nice getting recognition for your work, being noticed by people who inspire you and maybe even inspiring other artists.
Has art always been a part of your life? Is it possible that you come from a family of artists? :)
My mom used to draw a lot when she was a teenager, sadly she isn’t doing that anymore because her family wasn’t supportive at all but when I was in kindergarten and elementary school she would always show me drawing techniques, she inspired me a lot! My cousin was also one of the reasons why I continued drawing, I wanted to be as good as her but, sadly, she also stopped making art
With that being said, it’s clear that your talent must be innate! Have you ever taken classes to further develop your skill? What do you think an art class could help you improve on? How would it influence your work?
I’ve never taken any classes but right now I’m attending an art oriented school (thanks to my mom) so I’m always surrounded by artworks on the wall and art teachers that are actually interested in their student’s artwork proper art classes would probably help me develop new techniques but I’d rather keep learning from artists that I see on social media because I can choose how to practice myself
Do you think that taking art classes or attending art school will have/has had any effect on your social media presence as an artist? Would you, perhaps, even increase your level of activity? Or possibly change what it is that you draw/paint?
I highly doubt that I’d be more active on social media, I’d probably be even busier and have less time to create or even post. School is stressing me out enough my style is just what I adapt from other artists that are active on social media and art classes most likely wouldn’t change that.
Speaking of social media, where are all of the places people find your artwork?
I’ve had my instagram account (@plastictramps) for circa 3 years now (I deleted my old posts), a week ago or so I created a tumblr account (didemdursun) so I can post high quality scans of my artwork and I’ve used this twitter account a few times to show people I’ve drawn/painted my artwork of them. Also I finally had the time and opened a store on http://society6.com where i sell prints and phone cases, I do not expect anyone to buy anything but it’s good to have a store just in case
That’s a good precaution to take because I can see people wanting to purchase prints and phone cases sporting your work. It’s marvelous and having a cellphone case that is taken everywhere with one of your customers will certainly provoke a lot of attention for your artwork! What username/storename do you use for society6? And while on the topic of usernames once again, what is the story behind the username for your instagram: plastictramps?
I chose to go by my real name Didem Dursun on society6 so people can properly credit my work or just remember my real name when they see my artwork. I haven’t sold anything yet though, maybe I should promote myself more haha. I’m planning on selling original paintings and drawings soon but I still haven’t figured out how! A few of my friends have been thinking about buying my phone cases though, which is a big compliment and really motivating Actually I didn’t want people from my school to find my Instagram (they did anyway) so I didn’t use my real name. My favourite band (the Arctic Monkeys) have a song called Plastic Tramp that I really liked when I changed my username last year, it’s nothing deep really
Well you have good taste! Aside from your drawing of Lucky Blue Smith, which is how I came to recognize you, I’ve noticed that you draw several other celebrities and musicians. For instance, another of my personal favorites, Matt Heely of the 1975. Have you always used them [celebrities/musicians] as your muses?
Is it usually these types of people that influence your artwork?
I usually draw and paint musicians/models/actors etc because I draw my inspiration from them. For expample; I really love Grimes’ music and everytime I listen to it I get the urge to paint her as a tribute, she’s a big inspiration for me. Everytime I draw a model (like Lucky) it’s just that I think their face is so amazing, I have to capture it in a painting and add a few things (a bloody nose, a pink eye - stuff I like to add in my paintings). Haha thank you! Seems like your taste is amazing as well
Who was the first celebrity you drew/painted?
I can’t really remember that well but I think the very first celebrity I’ve ever drawn must be either Selena Gomez or Demi Lovato (I loved Disney Channel, can you tell haha)
The more you share your interests, the more I approve! Haha~
Where can people see some of your first works such as those? If you once had them posted online, is there any chance that some of your first works will resurface sooner or later?
The drawings I mentioned above have never been posted online since I was very young and didn’t even really know about the internet haha. I posted my stuff from 2013-2015 on Instagram but I deleted most of it, I used to have another account where I posted drawings that I deleted but after a little while I then decided to keep on posting my art. I deleted everything I didn’t like but I might post my older drawings to show people how much I’ve improved over the past few years, I’m actually really proud of having improved this much
Do you draw everyday or just whenever you have free time?
I used to draw almost everyday, that’s why I improved a lot in 2013 & 2014 but it was too much of a distraction from school and i failed almost every class back then, now I’m focusing more on school. When I started to work on my grades I didn’t create art for months, that made me feel very unproductive so right now I’m pushing myself to make as much art as possible but not to the level where it’s no fun anymore! I can only paint a couple of paintings (about 2-3) a month
It’s good that you can manage to discipline yourself enough to do what you have to do and what you want to do, even if it isn’t as often as you might like. How do you do this?
Well, I’m paying a lot more attention in class now because I’m thinking about my future and how I want to have a higher education, so I’m putting school first, same thing goes for my art, if I’m not always putting enough dedication into it I probably won’t be able to pursue a career in art, to me school and my art go hand in hand because I’m planning to study art in college! I’m only thinking about how I could ruin my future by not trying hard enough and by being lazy
With that in mind, it’s definitely safe to say that art is your passion, or at the very least, something that you are passionate about. Do you plan to pursue art as your primary career? Or will you go to school for art and an additional subject?
I’d love to mainly create art and make a living out of it but that’s not really realistic so I have to think of something else I’ll do additionally. I’ve thought about teaching art but I still have a lot of time to think about what exactly I’ll do when I’m older. The only thing I’m sure about doing is studying art. And before doing that, I want to see the world!
I have a good feeling that your art may have an influence on that happening! But of course, while it is good to dream big, we have to take baby steps. And you seem to be on the right track with that. I admire it!
Can you describe your creative process? Do you complete your projects all at once or over time?
You’re really kind, thank you! It does take time to finish a portrait (if I ever even finish it) because as I already mentioned I have to work on my grades and study a lot and I’m also trying to squeeze in my social life so I dont always have time. I never finish anything all at once!
What do you hope to accomplish with your artwork? What do you feel that you have accomplished so far?
I want to be able to do what I enjoy most for the rest of my life, maybe make a living out of it (or at least a bit) - as I already mentioned, I just feel like art is always there for me. I really just hope that I’ll have fun creating for the rest of my life. I want my artwork to open doors for me, give me opportunities in life and help me make life more enjoyable. I’d not say I’ve accomplished anything great so far though.
Can people look forward to hearing about seeing your original artwork displayed somewhere any time soon? And could you give us a heads up on what or who the next subject in your artwork will be?
I’m really working on understanding how shipping and payment and all that stuff works, I’ll definitely sell some originals but I don’t have any shows planned (for the next few years probably haha). I’m working on a few things right now, I’m drawing Elias Bender Ronnenfelt right in this exact moment, I’m working on a painting of my best friend and also one of Lana Del Rey. I’ll also paint Lucky Blue at the MFW. I have a lot planned & I’m trying to squeeze all of it in my freetime. And again, thank you!!
You are welcome! It has been a pleasure and I look forward to hearing updates about the successes of you and your work in the near future~
For more information and updates on Didem Dursun and her artwork, it can be found here:
I’ve just started Them on Amazon Prime, and…. I’m not sure I’ll finish. It’s not necessary. The value of this show is currently being debated by some on Black Twitter, but I’ve determined where it is that I stand. As many of the reviews have said — we’ve seen this already. We’re living it. Why the Black torture and terror feature commemorating our suffering? Another great question that stirred within me and appeared in the reviews was: What’s up with these white antagonists who are very obviously racist? Especially in regions that attracted many Black Americans during the migration from the south. I live in the Northeast — I have for my entire life. The racism here is unlike any other that I’ve ever heard the south get credit for. It’s covert ops for sure and the undercut is often even more disturbing because it's hospitably performed. It’s very much like that tweet that discussed the difference between Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden being that one would use the N-word with a h
I started this account on 12/28/2015, according to my initial post that stated the purpose of this blog. Returning after several years and rereading my initial post let me know two things: I did NOT proofread Not much has changed — I’m still passionate about exploring the wide range of ideas/topics, and I still seldom proofread What has changed, however, includes the following: My level of self-confidence and discipline My level of education My writing My knowledge of branding (among other things). This is likely to push my commitment in writing. The revived purpose of this blog is to harbor the research I’ve conducted responding to questions I’ve developed from my ranging curiosities. That isn’t too far from its original purpose — only now, there’s a better explanation of the blog’s intention and a title that reflects it. Spending a lot more time and effort on writing during my college years has brought me back to this. Of all the discipline that college has provided
Comments
Post a Comment