Representation:

For non-book illustration commissions:
Studio Pi

 

Sinem Erkas is a graphic artist and designer with an appetite for experimentation and a good sense of fun.

Her visual practice ranges from flat digital works to tactile paper collages to 3D sets, often creating playful and bold images that make you look twice.

Based in London, Sinem graduated from CSM in 2008. She has worked in publishing for 12 years as a book cover artist and has acquired numerous awards and clients that include Profile Books, Penguin Random House, Wellcome Collection and The Observer.

    • Brand Impact Awards Judge 2022

    • D&AD Awards Judge 2019

    • 3 x Finalist @ British Book Design & Production Awards

    • 5 x Winner @ ABCD Awards

    • 5 x Shortlisted @ ABCD Awards

    • 1 x D&AD New Blood Award

    • Rising Star 2013 @ The Bookseller

    • Live Paper Cutting
      ‘Cocoa Kids Fest’
      Dulwich College, 2021

    • Live Paper Cutting
      ‘Women of the World’ festival,
      Southbank Centre, 2020

    • Talk on ‘Collaboration’,
      St Brides Library 2019

    • Regular careers advice,
      Central Saint Martins

    • Regular careers advice,
      The Brit School

    • She Designs Books, 2020
      Type Directors Club, New York

    • The Girl Guide, 2017
      Geffrye Museum, London

    • A+ Exhibition, 2016
      Central Saint Martins, London

    • Killed Covers, 2012
      Hay festival, Hay

    • Adorn, 2010
      London Design Festival, London

    • The Internet Pavilion, 2009
      Venice Biennale, Venice

    • Not a f****** art show! 2009
      Trinity Buoy Wharf, London

    • YCN Live, 2009
      The Village Underground, London

    • D&AD New Blood Awards, 2008
      Earls Court, London

    • Context Collected, 2008
      St Brides Library, London

    • CSM Degree Show, 2008
      Oxo Tower, London

    • The Replenishing Body, 2007
      Gallery Boutique, London

  • AIGA Eye on Design
    Anyways
    Boots
    Elle Decoration
    Granta
    Google
    Hachette
    Penguin Random House
    Profile books
    The British Library
    The Observer
    The Times
    Warp records
    Wellcome Collection

  • Illustration
    Graphic Design
    3D Props / Set Design
    Art Direction
    Animation
    Live Paper Portraits

  • Instagram: @sinemerkas

    Twitter: @sinemerkas

Copyright © Sinem Erkas 2021

 

FAQ

  • You can buy my illustrated childrens books from Foyles, Waterstones, many independent bookshops and Bookshop.org.

    Below is a list of ISBNs to help find the books:

    The Girl Guide
    ISBN: 978-1847809483

    Work it Girl, Oprah Winfrey
    ISBN: 978-1786037350

    Work it Girl, J K Rowling
    ISBN: 978-1786037381

    Work it Girl, Michelle Obama
    ISBN: 978-0711245174

    Work it Girl, Mae Jemison
    ISBN: 978-0711245143

    Work it Girl, Beyoncé Knowles
    ISBN: 978-0711245143

  • I graduated in Graphic Design from CSM in 2008 after studying Art & Design at The Brit School. After a little stint working in branding, I decided I was more into image-making and explored this more whilst still working full-time in an agency. This led to self-publishing a project that (after getting some press) managed to sell 400 copies in a day!

    This was rather exciting and after contacting several publishers, I discovered (rather late) that you could design just book covers full-time. After sending my portfolio to art directors I started freelancing at a couple of publishing houses in their art departments. Now I work from my studio for many publishing houses in the UK and internationally.

  • Yes you can, feel free to email me.

    If you live in London, I sometimes get invited to events where I make 15-minute live paper portraits of anyone who is willing to see themselves in paper. I use a scalpel like a pencil and work really fast to get interesting results! Follow me on instagram to find out the latest event news. See some recent paper portraits here.

  • I’m mainly inspired by the words I read in the books or articles I am working on. Also personal experiences, comics and finding simplicity in things. Visually I’m like a sponge and can be inspired by anything from a little vintage matchbox to an exhibition about optical illusions to a piece of theatre, for example Ennio Marchettos paper costume comedy!

    Feminism plays an important role within my work, as can be seen in my first illustrated book ‘The Girl Guide’.

  • I have always been drawing / making for as long as I can remember. I used a lot of sketchbooks as visual diaries and find communication a lot easier through images.

    When I started designing books, that was when I started to also create my own images commercially. It’s quite handy being able to design and illustrate.

  • Sometimes I am asked to work in a particular medium, but often I decide instinctively... Some ideas are better executed digitally, whilst others might be better suited to paper collages or another medium, like balloons, for example. Whatever compliments the idea!

    I’m a fan of both analogue and digital, and get bored very easily, so I like to mix it up!