I didn't set out to become an Illustrator, I didn't even study art. But I always enjoyed drawing. Amongst a myriad of hobbies and passions I had, drawing took centre stage when I was in my early 20s.
1. Tell us something about your Background and Journey?
I am a self taught artist. I did my undergraduate in B.com (Honours) and post graduation in Mass Communication. I didn't study art but always enjoyed drawing. Amongst a myriad of hobbies and passions I had, drawing took centre stage when I was in my early 20s.
I continued drawing and used to regularly share my work online. I worked for 3 years after college, my first job was as an assistant editor for an online college magazine then I moved to working with start-up advertising agencies and I worked as a copy writer and an account manager. I finally quit my job in 2016 and have been freelancing full time as a comic maker, illustrator, and writer since.
2. What inspired you to become an Illustrator?
I didn't set out to become an Illustrator, I didn't even study art. But I always enjoyed drawing. Amongst a myriad of hobbies and passions I had, drawing took centre stage when I was in my early 20s.
I like the fact that art, be it illustrations or comics allow me to tell stories. I enjoy the process of taking a thought or an idea and converting it into visuals. This joy keeps me going!
3. What is your Design Process?
I write more than I draw. I jot down ideas constantly and expand on them. I am continuously working on fleshing out these ideas/themes. Once I feel like I've enough research or ideas to draw out a topic/story, I then break it down into panels or map out how to best tell the story visually.
I then work on Thumbnails, Characters, Flow of the Story, Figure out the Beginning, Middle, and End of the story/idea. I mostly draw Digitally. So I then ink the thumbnails, work on the layout, and finally add color and text to it.
4. How would you define your Style of Doodling?
Round and very real!
5. How do you overcome a Creative Block?
I try not to fight it. Often talking about the creative block helps clear it. Drawing about it works too!
6. Who is your favorite Illustrator and why?
There are thousands of illustrators who I admire for their work, be it their Story Telling Style, their Humour, their Colors, Design Aesthetics, etc.
It would be very difficult to name a few (I usually answer this question with whoever pops in my head first). To name a few, Priya Kurian, Debangshu Moulik, Jasjyot Singh Hans, Yuko Shimizu, Gennine Zlatkis, etc.
7. What tips do you have for people who want to work in this industry?
To keep at it! In this day and age it's very hard to not equate success and skill with the Social Media Numbers, Likes, Comments, Followers, etc. But it's important to create and consume art sans the social media metrics.
It's always good to remember why you started making art in the first place and staying true to that.
8. Which is your favourite book & why?
Again, a very difficult question as I don't have one single favourite book. I will name a few of my recent favourites -
Outraged by Ashley Dotty Charles
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
On writers and writing by Margaret Atwood
Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Interviewed By - Serene Ingle
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