This month's YKRA FACES guest is our longtime friend, illustrator Levi Csordás, who is a genius with a brilliant and unique style, and who’s collaborated with YKRA on multiple occasions.

Levi, please tell us about yourself and what you do!

Since kindergarten, I have always been drawing. In the beginning I followed my older siblings' guidance, and in the end all the three of us became artists!  

I have been working as a graphic designer at Kiosk, an advertising agency for 6 years now. I also do freelance projects, but I only take illustration commissions, because that is what I enjoy the most. 

For years I have been creating artworks for the Budapest based party series KIMITRAK. Of course that ended with the pandemic, but from week to week I attended the events and made sketches of the DJs and the guests. The principle idea was, that every week different people came and they danced in a different way, so it would be less challenging to create something new regularly. 

Recently Árpi from Hurrikánpress contacted me to design a poster, and all of the riso prints were sold out in a few days, I was very happy about this.

I did a collaboration with Orsi Boncsér, she writes stories for kids. She precisely knew what she wanted to see, but I did not mind, I like it when the topic is given, and I am responsible for the visual realization. I'm always more interested in how things look like, than what I am drawing. 

That is why I consider myself an illustrator.

What does a day of yours look like?

Since I am a night-owl, I usually get up around noon. I have this unusual biorhythm, so I like the home-office situation, however I try to be awake when the sun is shining. I always check my mail first, then I have breakfast, something egg based. I start working, and I have lunch around 4 p.m. It is rather difficult for me to start doing something, but then it is equally difficult to stop doing it, so sometimes I'm working until 11 pm. In my free time, I watch movies, but I try to avoid series. I also love reading in the evenings. 

What are your hobbies? 

Unfortunately I'm addicted to Instagram, sometimes I spend quite a long time just scrolling it. But everyone needs an addiction, and I do not smoke or drink. Whenever I can, I take a long walk, mostly on the Buda side. I love the Buda hills very much.

What is in your bag?

2 books - Pompásan buszozunk by László Garaczi I have read it more than 10 times. The 5th district, the neighborhood, where I live now is depicted by a child’s point of view in this book.

Puszták népe by Gyula Illyés. This is the other extreme, a book about the Hungarian countryside. I love this book, because it reminds me of my two Grandmothers, one of them used to live in Somogy county, the other one in Baranya.  

Laptop - I work on this small laptop when I'm traveling. 

2 sketchbooks - A smaller and a bigger for my drawings. I use colored pencils or bullet point pens.

Sling-shot - I received it from my cousin when I was 18.  We used to hike a lot with my family, and even nowadays I keep it in my bag when I go to the forest. 

Table tennis - I play it a lot with my friends and my co-workers at the office.

Military binoculars - A present from my father. He brought it from the MOM (Hungarian Optical Works) when he was working there.

Swimming pool pass - I love the building of the Alfred Hajos National Aquatics Complex which is on Margaret Island. I warm up for the swim by walking there by foot, it is a spectacular walk. 

MATRA MINI from the KEMPING'73 limited edition collection - This is my 2nd pattern for YKRA, and it was inspired by family hikes to the Buda hills in my childhood. There is a Children’s Railway, the Elizabeth Lookout tower, chestnuts, a fountain, etc.

The PENCIL CASE - The skiing-themed pattern was also designed by me for YKRA, but it was an experiment with digital printing, so this pencil case was never distributed

Water bottle

Photos by Sára Petrák