Atilgan, Merve: The Forest of Dreams

Merve Atilgan is an Istanbul-based illustrator and artist specialising in children's book illustration, concept art and character design. A graduate of the Maltepe University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Animation in Cartoon and Animation, she describes herself as half elf, thirty percent alien and twenty percent earthling with a sprinkle of stardust. With a passion for creating from a young age, Merve has worked as a freelance illustrator for children's books, posters and magazines. Her debut author-illustrated picture book, Derin Orman (The Forest of Dreams), was published in Turkish and was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Golden Pinwheel Awards.