KALTBLUT: Hi Masoud, could you please tell us a bit about your artistic background?

Masoud: I’m an Iranian artist and like many other artists I began with my work in my childhood. It got serious in high school which led me to choose Graphic Design as a course. That time I drew a lot. Then I attended University of Tehran and I earned my Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design. After that because of my great interest in animation, I continued my education and I earned my Master in Animation at the same university.

KALTBLUT: Your style is really strip cartoon alike. How did you get there?

Masoud: I like many illustration styles, but personally I prefer artistic ones with special themes and I’ve always wanted to be that type of illustrator.

KALTBLUT:  Do you read yourself a lot of cartoons?

Masoud: I did when I was young but now I like serious literature a lot more and I try to read that genre.

KALTBLUT: What is your favorite medium to use?

Masoud: I like pen/ink on paper more than any other media because the quality of lines are really important to me and they allow me to use my drawing skills better than other media. But I should mention that pencil is my first choice when I’m preparing for sketching. In painting my favorite one is acrylic on canvas.

KALTBLUT: What inspires you when you’re drawing?

Masoud: When I get a manuscript, I read it several times to comprehend it well. The manuscript is important itself beside its situations, tone and mood of places. Specifics and characteristics of personalities are significantly important. I should recognize the era of the story and consider the details. Even though I have my personal style in illustration, the literary style is inspiring for me. Details are very important and I often add some details according to the manuscript.

KALTBLUT: When you draw for a specific project, what is your creative process? Are you more independent and can do quick interpretations of a storyline? Or do you need some guidelines from the author?

Masoud: Usually, I’ll have a meeting with the publisher and rarely with the author. Our discussion is limited to dimensions, formats, number of frames and other stuff. But we don’t talk about style of the illustrations or its specifics. Mostly, I’m free to do my work. It’s really rare that I’ll require author’s guidelines. I’ll use their guidelines if the manuscript is vague or he/she wants to imply something.

KALTBLUT: Are you also writing stories yourself?

Masoud: Well, I’m not a writer, I work with them! But for my own works like a short animation or similar reasons I may write one.

KALTBLUT: What are you working on at the moment?

Masoud: I have been illustrating books and magazines for many years but along with illustrating I paint as well. These days I’m working on a painting project which will be exhibited after it’s finished. Some of the paintings are on my website now.

At last I want to thank you for all your efforts to make this interview happen.

Interview by Nicolas Simoneau