New Talent: Tishk Barzanji
In the latest in our series uncovering creative talent on Facebook and Instagram, we speak to Tishk Barzanji, a visual artist and commercial illustrator based in London
Tishk Barzanji creates surreal and cinematic illustrations of fictional landscapes and interiors. Born in Kurdistan, he grew up in London and studied Physics at Loughborough University, but turned to drawing after experiencing anxiety and Migraine Vertigo.
“I decided to take a step back and re-evaluate my ambitions and passions. So I went back to basics and explored my passion for art by documenting my surroundings for two years,” he explains. “It started off as being purely therapeutic, but as I came to notice more beauty in the world, it sparked my interest and curiosity [in pursuing a creative career].”
Barzanji is now represented by Jelly London and has worked on commissions for Wallpaper* and American Express. He also created the poster for this year’s Film4 Summer Screen season at Somerset House.
He is inspired by nature and the physical world – “I like to take walks to examine shadows and lights whilst also documenting small details I see on the streets,” he says – and works both digitally and by hand.
“I like to experiment a fair bit with my work so my process tends to change throughout the year,’ he says. “At the moment … I like to sketch the work, then build the background colours with watercolour. I then scan and edit it digitally so that I am able to edit it in the future as well. When I work commercially, the process is more digital.”
Barzanji is now working on a book for architects with a new housing development and is interested in taking on both small and large-scale commissions. “I really enjoy doing large projects – commissions that take time to build and have a large impact. I’d love to be able to take my work into building installations. I also enjoy smaller commissions such as book and album covers.”
New Talent is part of Inspire, a partnership between Creative Review, Facebook and Instagram showcasing outstanding creative work across both platforms. More advice and inspiration for creatives using Facebook and Instagram is available at facebook.com/ads/creativehub.You can follow Tishk Barzanji on Instagram (@tishkbarzanji) or see more of his work at tishkbarzanji.co.uk