Grandfather Gandhi


Today is the release date for my first children's book, 'Grandfather Gandhi'! Written by Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Arun Gandhi, and author Bethany Hegedus, it is the story of a young boy learning to use his anger to create change, with the guidance of his monumental grandfather.


The book has been a dream job, especially for my first job out of school, and it's so wonderful to finally have it out in the world!

Below is the book trailer with narration from authors Arun and Bethany, music by Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami, and animation and illustration by yours truly!


(Trailer also available on YouTube)

The reviews so far have been wonderful, including a starred review from both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly! Here are a few quotes about the art from early reviews:

Turk mixes carefully detailed renderings with abstracted expressions of emotional struggle, achieving a powerful balance. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Grandfather-Gandhi/Arun-Gandhi/9781442423657#sthash.kCROT9aI.dpuf
"Turk mixes carefully detailed renderings with abstracted expressions of emotional struggle, achieving a powerful balance."
-Booklist, December 2013

"Turk’s complex collages, rich in symbolic meaning and bold, expressive imagery, contribute greatly to the emotional worldbuilding."
-Kirkus Review, starred review

"Turk’s illustrations are stylized, strikingly patterned, and rendered in contrasting purples and golds, blues and creams, blacks and whites, highlighting the tension between anger and peace. Dynamic visuals and storytelling create a rousing family story that speaks to a broad audience."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review


Also, check out the site for the book GrandfatherGandhi.com where you can read posts about the book, its creation, and its themes from myself and the two authors. You can also take a Pledge inspired by the message in the book, to Live Your Life As Light.


More to come soon on this blog about the making of the art and illustrations for Grandfather Gandhi!

 (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)

Disney: India at Animal Kingdom


Disneyworld is great because you have access to pieces from cultures all over the world in one place. On this day in the south Asian side of Animal Kingdom, I decided to create one long drawing as a mural design, to play with the type of storytelling and weaving of patterns that Indian miniatures use. Here are a few close-ups:

A hut nestled in the forest
The gibbons on their climbing structure
A family of Indian tourists
The tiger on the nature walk and the lines of people for a ride
The beautiful jungle and river that winds its way through the park


I Return! (With some animation!)


Wow, it has been such a long time since I last posted. I've been working on an animation for my last year at Parsons, so I've been busy with that for most of this semester. Here's a few drawings and collages from that, as well as a trailer for the final animation (Coming Spring 2011!)

"Clouds" Teaser Trailer from Evan Turk on Vimeo.

Here are a couple shots of the set-up for presenting my thesis to the judges (taken by my fellow classmate, Deniz!):

(me, looking a little delirious)

And some of the storyboard collages and drawings: