Meet Yigit Isik | Illustrator & Concept Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yigit Isik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yigit, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would say perseverance and reliability, as I think they are two of the main players of success in any situation.

Speaking about my own field, if you’re pursuing an art career in entertainment, this is not the easiest industry to break in. It’s very competitive because of the sheer number of art school graduates and self taught artists who are competing for the similar positions in the same productions and studios. But also, since the schedules and deadlines are so demanding, having a great portfolio and showcasing good art is not the only component for the selection process either. The studios/agencies/creatives/producers who will hire you need to know that they can rely on you to adapt to the fast paced nature of this industry and meet the deadlines – hence the reliability. That’s something that’s as important as the quality of the work itself when it comes to ensuring continued success. Good news is, if you do a decent job in not letting people down, word goes out fast in this town.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I mainly do sketch art, storyboards and concept art for film, tv, commercials and live events for a wide array of clients and collaborators – and love everything about it, especially when I find out that I’m going to be working on an IP or an artist that I’m a fan of. I would say the level of polish, actor likeness and attention to detail would be what catches my clients’ eyes and make my art stand out, or at least it’s what I’m going after.

How I started in the industry is an unconventional story, not so long after I graduated I applied for a storyboarding job posting I saw online, and it turned out that it was my agents back then who posted it looking for new artists to represent. They asked me to do some tv advertisement samples if I’m interested and they loved my samples, so they started representing me and they got my first clients. Those first gigs were a success and I started being referred to other clients after. In a short period of time, my clientele started growing.

For the stage concepts I do, again it was referral and word of mouth. I met a production designer who was interested in working with me after he saw my portfolio on Art Director Guilds’ website and he referred to me to his friend, who hired me to work on the Oscars’ stage designs. Then from there, I started getting calls for other live events .

Considering the amount of sleepless nights, canceled plans and the sacrifices, I wouldn’t call it easy by any means. But when you’re pursuing things that were your childhood dreams and that you want to do for the rest of your life, those don’t feel like a drag at the end of the day, and the things that you’re proud of surely overcome the toll.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the first places I take my friends to when they’re in town, especially if they want to have a fun night out is Good Times at Davey Wayne’s in Hollywood. I have so many fun memories there and I haven’t had a guest who was not satisfied with their time there – so it lives up to its name. If they’re into rock and metal music scene, I make sure to take them to Whisky A Go Go and Rainbow as a pilgrimage to some rock history and good live music. For whisky lovers, Bar Jackalope that’s hidden in Seven Grand in DTLA is a great cozy and calm spot – and you can just step out to Seven Grand if you want to listen to some live jazz while playing pool on most nights. When it comes to rooftop bars, Perch in DTLA and EP & LP in WeHo are the winners – I adore the ambiances in both. For my carnivore friends, if they’re a little more on the adventurous side, I make sure to take them to Dan Sung Sa in Koreatown to sample some delicious street style skewers and soju, in a great old school ambiance, and cap the night off with shaved ice across the street in Oakobing. Canter’s would be another staple for either late night dinner after a night of drinking, or for breakfast. Also I wouldn’t call it a California experience if they don’t get a 3×3 with animal fries from In N Out at some point during their trip, but if they want a more authentic burger joint in LA and not a chain, then The Apple Pan is the go to.

I’m not the one to enjoy the usual touristic stuff, I refer them to Google if they want to do the museums and sightseeing but for anyone who’s into cinema, Academy Museum is a great spot to witness the film history, and I admit I enjoy hanging out at the LACMA lamps at night even more than seeing the exhibits. Also again for cinephiles, catching a great IMAX release in TLC Chinese theater, or a premier in Bruin Theater in Westwood is always a good idea. If they enjoy stand up comedy, Hollywood Improv and the Comedy Store are the legendary clubs that you can catch the world’s best comics doing old school club line ups. If they’re lucky with the timing, catching a cool show at the Hollywood Bowl would be a treat as well.

Also for my friends who are physical music collectors like me, Amoeba in Hollywood is an absolute must. What an impressive inventory those folks have, I lose track of time everytime I’m there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well it’d come as no surprise but the biggest shoutout goes to my parents for actively encouraging and supporting me in my pursuit from the get go and always believing that this wasn’t just a whim and I’d succeed in what I really wanted to do in life, as well as my chosen siblings who always root for me and encourage me no matter how crazy of a dream I talk to them about chasing after. I also would like to mention my production designer friends John Muto and Adam Rowe who put their faith in me with their recommendations and referrals when I was very nascent in my career. Thanks to their invaluable support, I have some of the most prestigious credits I have under my belt which I’ll always be grateful for. I had many great dedicated and supportive teachers at my alma mater who treated me as their peers and did everything they could do to help me so huge gratitudes go to David Choong Lee, Joko Budiono, Robert Revels, Alessandro Squitti, Eric Lutes, Jeremy Saliba, Chris Canga and Francis Hsu among a few others who I will regret that I forgot to mention.

Website: yigitisik.com

Instagram: instagram.com/art.of.yigit

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yigit-isik-2364176b