The Visual Projection of Music and Independent Production: An Interview with Efe Karadağlı

Clean lines, absurd humor, and the brutal truth of freelance life. Efe Karadağlı takes us behind the scenes of his digital production, sharing the story of working with his childhood musical heroes and how he continues to create despite all the struggles of the industry.

Hi Efe, we know you through your illustrations and animations. But who is Efe Karadağlı, the name behind the work? Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello. I’m Efe Karadağlı. I’m a freelance illustrator and animator producing under my own name. I’ve been in the industry for about 8–10 years, but I’d say I transitioned into my current style and workflow within the last 6 years. Also, unlike most people in the sector, I should mention that I live in İzmir, not Istanbul.

How would you define your creative focus and the distinct visual language you adopt?

I mostly create animations for musicians, illustrative concert posters, and artwork. Similarly, I also produce work for the advertising sector.

In my work, I usually prefer a style with thick outlines and a limited color palette. Even though my works don’t fully belong to that category, I take the Belgian comic movement known as Ligne Claire as a reference.

Let’s move from technique to content. What elements, themes, and imagery dominate your work?

If a project doesn’t have a specific brief, or if I’m working on a personal project, I generally enjoy creating absurd, silly, and humorous content. Situations and objects that could never come together in real life become perfectly possible through lines.

That "absurd and free" side of drawing—where you make the impossible possible—is often a fertile ground for satire or political critique. How is it on your end? Do you aim to convey a political message in your productions?

Honestly, I don’t have a style that shouts slogans or delivers direct political messages. Unless an extreme situation arises, I generally prefer not to. However, I do appreciate it when viewers realize that I take a stance against discrimination based on race, belief, gender, or orientation.

I follow politics closely and think about it often, but as I said, I prefer not to make direct calls to action, either in my work or on social media.

From time to time, I receive interpretations from followers that I never planned for, and I’m very happy about that. Once I share a piece, the perspective of the person encountering it is definitely more important for the work's positioning.

You’re right, the viewer’s interpretation completes the work. But let's look at the technical side. What tools and techniques do you use in your production?

Throughout my professional career, I’ve never produced anything outside the digital realm. If it’s an illustration: I mostly do the drawing using the Procreate app on my iPad Pro, and then finalize color, lighting, texture, and adjustments in Photoshop on my computer.

When it comes to animation; again, I prepare the animation frames using the iPad Pro and Procreate, then handle additions and editing on the computer with After Effects and Premiere Pro. Rarely, I also produce work that falls under the definition of Motion Graphics, done solely in After Effects.

Recently, I’ve also started working with the newly released Procreate Dreams for tablets.

Let's say we’ve covered the technical side. But when you sit down in front of that tablet, what do you feed your mind with? Do you draw inspiration solely from the visual world, or is there something else playing in the background while you produce?

Honestly, I can say ‘everything’. The contemporary painting and illustration works I follow regularly for my job always serve as both inspiration and a lesson. Apart from that, I listen to a lot of music, watch a lot of films and series, and read a lot of books and comics. I’m not someone who can concentrate on just one thing while working.

When I’m drawing, I definitely need secondary content runn’ing on the side. This could be an album, a YouTube video, a podcast episode, an audiobook, or a film/series episode I love and know by heart. Having a familiar film or series playing in the background while drawing does me good. I can keep track of the scenes with split-second glances at my second monitor while staying focused on my drawing. I think the biggest difference between my earlier and current inspirations is that the selection has expanded. I’ve been drawing since childhood, and throughout my education and professional life, my non-illustration creative influences have always held a big place.

Nowadays, accessibility—both for music and other mediums—has increased significantly. I constantly try to discover new musicians, filmmakers, and writers. Both mainstream and independent names matter to me. For example, imagine a band with only 10 monthly listeners; that situation certainly doesn’t make their music bad at all. I’m open to every work that is made sincerely and with good intent, because thanks to them I can create new things too.

Since we’re on the topic of music and independent production, let’s dig a bit deeper there. Clearly, music isn’t just 'background noise' for you... What are the roots of this relationship that feeds your lines? Which names are staples in your playlist?

Music is probably the biggest thing that makes me who I am. It hurts to admit, but I love it even more than drawing. Fortunately, I’m able to merge my work and music at a common point.

I’ve been a listener of all kinds of music since childhood. At different ages, I identified as a listener of specific genres: Punk, Metal, Indie... But at some point, I stopped being a "genre listener" and now describe myself simply as a music lover. As I mentioned in the previous answer; I’m open to any music produced with sincerity and good intentions. Of course, there are genres I mostly prefer, but I’m not an authority; I can’t judge any genre or creator. But truth be told, I harbor a special respect for independent musicians because I’m also trying to sustain my profession independently, and I’m aware of the pros and cons.

If I had to list my favorite bands: Blink 182, Bad Religion, Rancid, Nofx, Lagwagon, Kings of Convenience, Belle and Sebastian, Death Cab for Cutie, Travis, Joy Division, Acid House Kings, The Strokes, Doves... No matter how cliché these names might seem, they are very special to me.

I must also mention names from our local scene: First and foremost, Second. The place this band holds in my life is truly huge, and they are with me in every moment. Also Özgün Semerci’s solo career… Jakuzi, Sakin, Parham A.G, Nilipek, Lara Di Lara, Güneş Özgeç, Simge Pınar, Çokgeç, Getaman, and especially anything Taner Yücel has touched.

As a final note; in recent years I’ve been obsessed with Joyce Manor, PUP, and Bring Me The Horizon—I couldn’t skip mentioning them.

Which of your works has satisfied you the most? Why? Could you tell us about the production process behind it?

My clear answer is definitely the animated music video I made for Second’s song Kül Olana Kadar. It still feels unbelievable to meet a band I’ve admired for nearly 20 years and to become part of their current productions.

This job unfolded differently from my usual music video processes, and I couldn’t dedicate much time to pre-production. For only the first 1 minute of the song, I prepared a small storyboard, an animatic, and about 3 concept drawings. For the remaining parts, we proceeded day by day, making decisions in close communication with the band. For a large portion of the clip, I prepared rotoscope animations using footage sent by the band members as references.

The band members were very understanding throughout this process and always trusted my decisions. We hardly even had any revisions. People in the industry know what a great chance it is to work with such harmonious people, so I’m grateful to them.

It was one of the most exhausting projects I’ve ever worked on, but definitely the work I enjoyed the most.

How does earning money from your creative work affect your motivation? Do you have positive or negative experiences regarding this?

The conditions in our country are obvious. Especially in our fields of production—and particularly for freelancers—life can be quite difficult. There are months when I earn literally zero income. Yet, I try to practice this profession professionally; I have a tax registration, and you can imagine my monthly expenses. So, we always have to take our next steps cautiously. Therefore, earning money from my work is not only a huge motivation but also a necessity. Unlike many other media professionals, designers unfortunately don't have a royalty system that generates continuous income. We often have to work based on one-time payments.

I would love nothing more than to produce independent works for free. My biggest desire is to create whatever comes from within, without the anxiety of earning a single lira. But the realities of life are right there.

In business negotiations, I evaluate things differently depending on whether the other party is an individual or a company. If it’s an individual, I want to learn about their conditions and plans, and I seek a solution through dialogue on how we can move forward.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to add or a specific story you’d like to share?

Thank you very much for this interview; I’m truly honored. It’s a great joy for me to be a guest on a platform run by people I love. Also, thanks to everyone who will read this. Anyone who thinks we might be on the same wavelength can reach out to me—I’m always happy to establish new dialogues.

Currently, I’ve been working on a series called “what if… animated by efe…” where I create short animations for musicians I love. I started this series purely to make myself happy, carrying the same spirit I had during my teenage years when I used to draw in my room with excitement.

Apart from that, there are some projects I’m currently discussing and some that are waiting to be released. If people enjoy them when they see them, I'll be happy.

With love…