"Love the Process to Draw Everyday and Get Better!"

Want to become a writer at Eat My News? Here is an opportunity to join the Board of Young Leaders Program by Eat My News. Click here to know more: bit.ly/boardofyoungleaders

1. Tell us more about your background and journey.

I’m your average jane who had it all chalked out or that’s what I thought. I had a splendid childhood, did my bachelors and masters in dentistry and started working when I was 28.

But I think the monotony of it all got to my head and that’s when I turned to sketching. I initially started doing it for the sheer pleasure of it with no intention of ever sharing it or making a career out of it.

2. When did you decide you wanted to be an painter/illustrator?

I had no idea I was heading this way. I just shared my work and got a lot of love from people on social media. I enjoyed the process and kept at it. I still have a long way to go in terms of my skill. But this was more of life’s plan for me rather than the other way around.

3. Is it a financially stable career?

I guess for the initial two years when I started sharing my art on social media, I didn’t get much work out of it. But eventually I did a lot of customisations for people, and some freelance work.

Now it has come to a point where the work has sort of started coming in more frequently, which made me cut on my clinic hours. But you have to be ready for a lot of dry spells financially initially.

4. Who is your favourite illustrator and why?

I love Alicia Souza, Oliver Jeffers, Gemma Correll to name a few. They each have different styles, but in the end they all make very relatable art.

5. Where do you get inspired from to create art?

I look at a lot of art in my free time. Be it acrylics, oils, watercolor, digital. And in the process I think I stay motivated to create. Every time I see a gorgeous piece of art or a well made comic, I get driven to draw too. It also makes me try new things.

6. What does your typical day look like?

I live a rather boring life. I’m not a huge people person. I have a dead social life :D I just hop between home, clinic and art. And on most days I make time to read.

7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring illustrators?

There is no trodden path for anybody who is starting in any field. You have to wake up everyday and see what makes sense to you, and do that. The only thing that I can say for sure is that you have to draw everyday to get better, and you have to love the process.

8. Which is your favourite book and why?

I don’t have one favourite book. I have a lot of books that I love equally though. I love reading fiction, and I started with a lot of Sidney sheldon, Agatha Christie, Daniel Steel, P.G. Wodehouse. Now I read anything I can get my hands on. I’m currently reading everything under by Daisy Johnson.

- Sharanbir Kaur, Doodler at TheBlueFrenchhorn

- Interviewed by Shilpy Sharan