Art & Hobbies

I used to draw... Yes, I don't anymore, except for occasional technical drawing to design some mechanical parts. I started in high school around 2012, and my interest in charcoal drawing grew over time. Shortly after, I found myself designing models. I used SolidWorks quite a lot over the years. I recently found that one of the models I created for one of my projects became one of the most downloaded on GrabCAD. Ever since, I've been involved in designing something of some sort.

I decided to get a 3D printer in 2017. They had just started to become popular, but weren't widely available. I ordered a Tevo Tarantula, a model that was sold disassembled, because I wanted to learn “how to make a 3D printer”. Don't get me wrong, I used it only to print pieces for the printer itself... Maybe at least 90% of the time. And here you can see some of it.

With one major exception! My friend Emre Can Alagöz convinced me that we should do microphotography. To do that, we needed a microscope objective and a macro rail. The depth of field is so small that if you want a full picture of your object, you need to take consecutive images of your target at all depths.

So I designed a macro rail in SolidWorks, printed it with my 3D printer, ordered and assembled the necessary mechanical parts, and programmed it with an Arduino. We got the necessary resolution (more than we needed, actually). Somehow, I didn't keep many results from it. You can see the first test here.

My friend Emre is still trying to convince me to restart microphotography.

Even though I stopped drawing, the artist inside me never stopped. I'm not sure how I convinced myself to make a 1.5-meter aquarium, but I did. I bought the glass from the shop and assembled it. I was quite anxious testing it for leaks the first time... But it never leaked!

Then starting it opened a whole new world to me: aquascaping. I'd say it is a design of planted tanks, but it is certainly more than that, as I later figured out. Because it is not only a visual design, but also an ecological design. The plant species you choose to live together matter. One grows faster than the other, then blocks the light for the rest and kills them. Pick the wrong species, and it'll shoot roots everywhere and start popping up everywhere, ruining your scape.

I see aquascaping as one of the newer art forms. It is certainly difficult, but it is a rewarding one. Creating a tiny world, a thriving ecosystem in your room, is an amazing experience. My design skills changed over time, but I was typically limited by a lack of time. I started it in 2018, and even continued in the US until 2026, when I no longer had the time to maintain it.