Aharon Ze'ev Bernstein: "I'm a Yeshiva Student Who Makes a Living from Drawing"

Aharon Ze'ev Bernstein, 23, started studying illustration professionally just three years ago. "Until age 20, I was a yeshiva student and wanted to focus on Torah study," explains Bernstein, a Karlin Hasid who studied in Hasidic institutions from kindergarten through the upper yeshiva. "At 20, I got married and decided it was time to learn drawing for livelihood. I've been drawing since age zero but never took a formal course."

His studies began with Moti Heller, a renowned illustrator who is also a Karlin Hasid. "Moti taught me how to make sketches, how to illustrate on a computer. I owe him a lot of thanks." Later, Bernstein chose to study with illustrator Avishai Hen, who also serves as a cartoonist for the 'Mishpacha' newspaper. "Many say my style resembles Avishai's, and it's no wonder. I really love his style. Since I was a child, I would wait for my father to receive the newspaper and I'd open it to see Avishai's cartoon of the week. After that, I would try to copy it."

Avishai Hen frequently paints at night, says Bernstein. "I often go to him and sit illustrating during those hours. That way, I work beside him, and he gives me feedback and critique. He also compliments me, of course, but when he starts to compliment me, I tell him: 'Avishai, stop, I need critique, not compliments.'"

The world of ultra-Orthodox illustrators is relatively small, and a wonderful harmony prevails, it seems. "Everyone knows everyone, and everyone supports each other," says Bernstein. "Moti Heller belongs to the same Hasidic group as I do and lives not far from me, yet he taught me with joy. It's a field full of support. Usually, artists are envious of each other, but the demand for illustrators is great, and everyone has their style, and thus truly wonderful relationships prevail among everyone. Early in my career, I used to call every artist I knew and ask for advice, and everyone received me warmly, and I learned something from each of them."

Today, Bernstein works as a cartoonist for the 'HaMevaser' newspaper and illustrates a bulletin for the Breslov Hasidic group ("From this, I have special satisfaction—I'm essentially illustrating a vort from Rabbi Nachman. I hear that people sometimes cut and hang the illustrated vort on the wall"). He has also illustrated three comic books, one of which has already been published, and two are soon to be released. Additionally, readers of Hidabroot have often encountered his illustrations in the 'Humor Collections'.

What are your future plans?

"I want to advance, to become a million times better illustrator than I am today. I also plan to release my own series of comic books, where not only the pictures but also the story will be mine. It's still very much in its infancy, but basically, it's a humorous story about a not particularly intelligent Arab trying to commit attacks, always failing in a different way."

Despite hoping to improve his illustration skills, Bernstein emphasizes that for him, illustration is secondary to Torah study. "When I'm called 'the painter,' I feel uncomfortable. I think of myself as a yeshiva student who illustrates for a living, like some who work in a store for income or do anything else. Once, an advertising person asked me why I sign my full name 'Aharon Ze'ev Bernstein' and not 'Ari' or 'Ze'evi' or some other easy name. I answered the same thing: I'm not an artist looking to be a brand; I'm a yeshiva student who also happens to draw, that's all. I have Torah lessons in the morning and evening that I don't miss, no matter what work pressure I have, and during the hours I work, I try mainly to listen to lessons."

Don't get me wrong—the learning is the main thing, but Bernstein is happy he has the opportunity to make a living specifically from illustration. "First of all, it's really making a living from the work of your hands. In many jobs, there's the worry of theft—if you didn't use your time properly, and so on. Here you get net compensation for your work. Beyond that, drawing just fills me with a lot of satisfaction. When you finish an illustration to your satisfaction, it's just fun."

What responses do you get to your illustrations?

"I mainly get responses to the cartoons I publish in the 'HaMevaser' newspaper. When I go to the synagogue, people often stop me and tell me what they thought of my cartoon... Even those who usually don't read newspapers look at the cartoons, so everyone has something to say. Not to mention that at family events, people flood me with suggestions for cartoons."

What do you suggest to people who ask you how to professionalize in drawing?

"Mainly parents come to me, saying their son draws and how best to develop that. If the child is under 15, I give a tip I received from Yoni Gerstein: the child should take a drawing by an artist whose style he likes, study it well for ten minutes, then copy it from memory and compare it to the original and the copy. It's also advisable to ask others for their opinions on the resulting creation. For older youths, I suggest they go study formally with a professional illustrator."

Do you have an illustration you particularly love?

"Once, someone ordered a not-standard order: not an illustration but an actual painting, on the subject of 'the journey to the tzaddik.' The journey to the tzaddik is a familiar and historical concept in the Hasidic movement, and I always connected very much to this concept. I depicted Hasidim traveling in a cart from the town of Stolin, where the Karlin Hasidim were born, to Givat Ze'ev where the current admor of Karlin lives. I'm also in the painting—I painted myself as the wagon driver... It's a painting I truly love very much."