Stunning 3D Anamorphic Letters, Meet Tolga Girgin

I seem to have a soft spot for all kinds of creations that try to break the “ordinary” use of their medium. That’s probably the reason why I’m so much in love with any kind of anamorphic design. If you are not aware of what anamorphic creations is, here is a short explanation. Anamorphic creation is some sort of an illusion. You see it when you look at something that is drawn in such a manner, that makes you believe it is coming out, into real life, from the surface it is created upon. I already did a few posts about anamorphic graffiti and chalk illustrations in the past. But when I came across the 3D anamorphic letters of Tolga Girgin, I filled up with joy.

When I reached out to Tolga, to find out some more about his calligraphy work, I was really surprised. It seems calligraphy is just a hobby for him. Tolga lives in Eskisehir, Turkey, because of his work. He is actually a full time Electrical and Electronics Engineer. In the past 2 years he started to take calligraphy in a more serious manner, and invest more time into it. The results are showing.

Tolga was kind, and was willing to answer a few questions about his stunning 3D anamorphic letters. Read on, and watch a few of his works below. Make sure to check out his Behance page and Instagram page for some more samples of his calligraphy work.

How are you able to convey the illusion of the letters popping out of the pages? Is it a special technique?

“The technique is not new. I am using a technique called anamorphic drawing to do my works. There are a lot of videos on the web for these kind of drawings. The uniqueness of my work, is in the fact that I use this technique for my calligraphic designs and lettering.”

What are the tools you use for your 3D Anamorphic Letters and calligraphic work?

“I generally use parallel pens, liquid watercolors and pencils. I tend to write on a print paper for most of my 3D calligraphy and 3D anamorphic lettering works.

I do more than just 3D letters, I am also interested in classical calligraphy. For these kind of works I prefer to use the broad edged steel nibs and fountain pens with walnut ink. I will also use water-based inks or acrylic inks according the surfaces. I use various sizes and types of watercolor papers as a surface. In terms of colors, I like to use vibrant colors like: blue, green, red and orange.”

How can someone learn to become a calligrapher, and do what you do?

“I see myself as a beginner in this profession. I’m always trying to learn more and broaden my knowledge. I advise people to start by understanding the past and the fundamentals of calligraphy from the Roman Capitals and the foundation hand. I also advise them to learn the anatomy of the letter forms. True practice, and observation of various calligraphy artists are the best way. Educating the eyes and learning typography is all very important. If you do all this, you will get better in calligraphy and lettering.”

Do you plan ahead before you create something? Or do you work on the fly?

“Of course I plan and do some calculations beforehand. It really depends on the difficulty of my idea and solutions for it. If everything goes according to plan, it can take as little as 1 hour, but sometimes it can take maybe 8-10 hours. Sometimes I find myself thinking about a work for a whole week without doing anything.”