Dhritikana Nath - My Journey Of Becoming A Painter To An Artist Is Still Going On But What I'm Always Confident About Is One Thing "Sky Is The Limit" If You Work Hard (Artist & Illustrator, India)

 

Nature is my biggest inspiration, I love to paint each and every element of nature. Day, night, sunrise, sunset, trees, lakes, birds, water, houses, places, cities with each one of them I keep falling in love over & over again. 

1. Tell us more about your background and journey. 

I am an MBA professional, worked in corporate for about 9 years at a decent position of Finance Manager (Commercial Pricing) and then found that this is not what I want from life. There was no time to think much because of work pressure. I think destiny heard my inner voice and the big change happened when my husband got transferred to Gurgaon. I was looking for a job but it just didn't work out. 

In the meanwhile I got to know a few artists who were teaching online and learned the basics of watercolor from them in December 2018. There on I kept exploring different subjects inspired by nature and my most favourite is painting light till date.

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

When I got selected as a brand ambassador for a paint manufacturer, amongst the people whom they selected I had the shortest journey till then which is around May 2019. Within 6 months of hardwork brands started coming that was actually when I knew this is where my passion lies. 

My journey of becoming a painter to an artist is still going on but what I am always confident about is one thing "Sky is the limit" if you work hard. Painting/ illustration is a process that can be learned and improved with time.

 

3. Is it a financially stable career?  

If I historically see many renowned artists haven't been able to sell any paintings during their lifetime and did die in poverty but with the internet, online platforms, workshops, book publications etc. the artist life has changed a lot. Business can never be stable because the urge to earm more always stays. 

Looking back at my journey June 2019 I started with a very minimum monthly income that could only provide me with the supplies and meet my own needs. Within a span of 2 years my monthly income has become five to six times. The growth which I have witnessed is tremendous and can be taken to an explonential level of steady income as we keep progessing in this journey.

 

4. Who is your favourite illustrator and why? 

I love many German & Russian artists, few of my favourites are Sergei Kubatov, Nadja Leutloff, Thomas W Schaller & many more. Sergei's style is loose and interesting it is really fluid. Nadja's choice of subjects is amazing and the way she works through each one of them is something you can always fall in love. Thomas work with light is something that captivates & inspires me as an artist.

 

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

Nature is my biggest inspiration, I love to paint each and every element of nature. Day, night, sunrise, sunset, trees, lakes, birds, water, houses, places, cities with each one of them I keep falling in love over & over again. 

 

6. What does your typical day look like? 

My typical day usually is like getting up, enjoying my cup of tea and taking care of my 6 month old baby. Usually when the baby takes a nap during the day I start painting and at night once she is off to sleep I work on the editing, voiceover, replying to emails, planning, organising etc.

 

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

Follow your passion and do not compare your own journey with other illustrators/ artists. Give your self a definite time so that you can start earning through your art, but do note never waste a lot of years just to achive perfection because that is something you will hardly find. Each one of us do have our own road map to success. Hardwork and being informed I would say can help you cross bridges. 

 

8. Which is your favourite book and why? 

My all time favourite book that I would refer to any beginner is The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook by Mac Kenzie.  

- Dhritikana Nath

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 - Interviewed By Kusum Jha