The illustration world is constantly growing with rest of digital world. New apps, gadgets and terminologies keep evolving with new possibilities for creating art. It also creates a learning curve which is exciting and fun! An example is the recent sudden demand for NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artists to create generative art.
1. When and how did you choose to be an illustrator?
At some point as I was growing up it become more and more clearer to me that I didn't want to go for standard academics route. I wanted to explore a working lifestyle in arts i.e. drawing and painting.
My parents were quite open minded and encouraged me to do an aptitude test which confirmed that I should focus on further studies in arts. Guided by my father I joined Abhinav Art College in Pune, Maharashtra for a 5 year intensive course in Applied Art (advertising and designing), which introduced me to the world of graphic design and illustration. During this five years I realized I was more interested illustrations versus graphic design and have not looked back since.
2. What is the role and scope of work for an illustrator?
Wikipedia says ‘An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video games and films.’ And I think this pretty much covers the role and scope of work for an illustrator.
3. Which are some of the tools & software that a graphic designer or an illustrator must be aware of?
I think in today’s digital world, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe illustrator are the two primary software for graphic design and digital illustrations. Even traditional illustrators who work primarily on paper have to convert their work to digital print / web ready files using these kind of software. I personally use Adobe Photoshop on my desktop with Wacom pen tablet and Procreate + Adobe Fresco on my iPad with Apple Pencil.
4. How in your opinion has this profession changed over the years?
I think the world as we know is rapidly transitioning to a global online village and has improved access to opportunities from all over the world. In early days I used to work with few clients primarily in Pune with restricted project scopes but now I work with clients from all over the world using email, project management apps, video calls (if required) to communicate and work almost in real time.
Another brilliant aspect of being a freelance professional in today's world is that I can work from anywhere in the world; while drinking tea in Lucky café, Panchgani, India OR flying over the Atlantic OR sitting in a sea-side café in Split, Croatia OR living in the shadow of a live Volcano in Chile. As long as I have my iPad + Apple Pencil and access to Internet connection I can do meet my work commitments.
5. Do you often have to keep upskilling yourself?
Definitely! The illustration world is constantly growing with rest of digital world. New apps, gadgets and terminologies keep evolving with new possibilities for creating art. It also creates a learning curve which is exciting and fun! An example is the recent sudden demand for NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) artists to create generative art. I had to do a rapid crash course to learn the what, how and why etc.
For those who don’t know, NFTs are digital assets representing real world media like art, music, videos with and are bought / sold with cryptocurrencies via dedicated market places. In fact I just dropped (that's a new term I have learnt) my first NFT couple of days back at Boho space girl .
6. How can one develop a keen sense for design and aesthetics?
Look around you… see which people, buildings, machines, animals, trees, mountains attract your eye and try to understand why. See references, see other artists / designers work, see their demos / live sessions and practice, practice, practice. Look for images, artworks, illustrations in google, Pinterest and build your visual library. You don’t have to remember or copy, but it will come to you like magic while illustrating.
7. Your favorite book and why?
As an illustrator my favorite books are ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ and 'Asterix & Obelix’. I love visual fun stories….and these comic books have the whole package.
8. What inspires you to keep creating?
Other artist’s works! There are so many amazing illustrators and artists in the world, living and dead. Their work constantly inspires me to keep creating, making myself better.
Interviewed By - Devyani Roy
Bio
I am a freelance illustrator, practicing professionally for 10+ years and specializing in character designing. I have worked on projects across the board designing characters and illustrating for publications (children books etc), comics, graphic novels, animation, infographics, game design and much more. I love traveling to old cities, dancing, pottery and trying out street food. I currently reside in Chile, South America.
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