The recent bloody tragedy in France began with two Kalashnikov rifles and ended with millions of sharpened pencils. One of them was part of a work by renowned Bulgarian cartoonist Christo Komarnitski:

"It was the Eiffel tower on top of which the pencil of free speech was placed,” he said. “A terrorist hangs on it like a modern King Kong, sharpening the pencil with his sword.”

Artist Christo Komarnitski is among the people who have been able for long years to find the satirical side of news and to depict the falseness of the local political elite. "The cartoons are the result of my personal position and attitude to what is happening," he says. Readers often see his works on the pages of Sega Daily. Before that he worked for a number of papers that emerged after the democratic reforms in 1989.

If a politician is not present in the cartoons of Komarnitski, they should seriously consider whether anything at all depends on them. Komarnitski draws all those who make the headlines of the news. There have also been cases when he received threats because of his cartoons.

"Keeping in mind the events that took place in Paris it is ridiculous to complain about any threats related to my work,” says Christo Komarnitski. “Every cartoonist is looking for a challenge and aims at provoking a reaction. As for the negative reactions - that is the goal – to awaken people and the object of satire."

His child’s love towards "the funny pictures" in the press became his profession and after the democratic changes Komarnitski has become one of the leading cartoonists of Bulgaria.

"I create a visual commentary on what is happening,” he says. ЧI could say that I am co-author of the politicians. I translate the ideas and messages that cause their actions. "

It happens every day, and the process is quite exhausting. From early in the morning Komarnitski is in the maelstrom of news. A lot of reading and thinking is required, followed by dozens of sketches until the final idea crystalized.

The cartoonist prefers classic tools such as pencils, pens and brushes.

"Each tool has its own charm and character,” Christo Komarnitski further says. “The brush suggests more softness, while the pen giver a harsher line. Pencils also transmit softness. The thin brush is my favorite tool. "

Christo Komarnitski is also one of the leading cartoonists of U.S. political cartoon site "Carle Cartoons."

"I have been publishing cartoons in this site since 1998,” he says. “The war in former Yugoslavia provoked me to cooperate with them, because international interest in what was happening in the region was great. As a creative person near the site of events I decided to join.”

Christo Komarnitski is a winner of many national and international awards. Only one of them has surprised him – the Human Rights Award of the media in Southeastern Europe.

"I was very surprised by this award,” he says. “I felt quite uncomfortable because I had never considered myself a champion of human rights. People from the jury told me that according to them, through my work I was doing exactly this – protecting human rights.”

English: Alexander Markov