Indian illustrators have been making a global mark with their exceptional skills and free- spirited ideas. Audience is getting more open to stylised and individualistic visual styles. The illustration industry has been changing over years. More varieties are coming in and steriotypes are dying. This book presents the journey from doodling as a dreamer to illustrating for coumtry’stop ad agencies, publication houses and clients. It started with a scribble is a brief biography of some leading ladies who were simply born to illustrate.
It is in that moment of play that you discover things that you didn’t quite know were inside you.
KRITI MONGA Kriti Monga, the founder and director of Turmeric Design, a graphic design studio in Delhi which is known for thoughtful execution and quirky artistic sensibilities. As per the director, their constant intention is to find a perfect mix between functionality, expression and beauty. She considers herself lucky to have experienced an extremely vast variety of projects.
As a child, she was a dreamer and drifter who couldn’t focus on anything but her drawings. “When I drew I would feel alive.” Nothing else would matter to her in the moment. She recalls that could draw without water, food and sleep for hours. Her instinct of drawing for pleasure changed into the desire to draw brilliantly after her father said, “I don’t care if you become a shoe maker when you grow up, but become the best one in town.” The young girl with million dreams in her heart took it so seriously that she would draw day and night striving to improve more and more. During her tough times, she confided in her pens and sketchbooks. She would draw what she couldn’t say to anyone else. Slowly her drawings had become an indispensable part of her life. After schooling, she considered getting a design degree in order to give a professional direction to her art. She joined National Institute of Design to learn graphic design. She thoroughly enjoyed her college years; however, she always had a feeling that she is a little different from the other students. She could see students of two kinds- the artists who were imaginative and dreamy and the logical designers who would think of functionality and purpose. She couldn’t see herself fitting into any of these categories.
I don’t like doing half-hearted work. Freelancing is difficult but the reputation you have as a freelance artist is only of the last project you did in the market. So your work better be good.
After her graduation, she worked with a diverse set of studios, research scholars and corporate start-ups such as fish-eye, Fab India, Sacred world research labs, Gandhi Multimedia Museum, Olive Beach etc before opening up her own studio. She was utterly proud of what she did at that time. “I was doing the kind of graphic design which was happening that time. It was very functional and straight forward. It wasn’t considered great to bring out your personality in you design. It was very objective and to the point.” She adds that now feels it was damn boring and uninspiring. She feels that she had a secret life after work. A life where she drew whatever she felt like. A life where her work didn’t have to satisfy her bosses and clients. This was the life she was in love with. Slowly she started integrating her personal style into her professional work. She got a response she would never expect. One of the most memorable assignments that she cherishes as a life changer was the contest conducted by Converse shoes. The contest was organized in order to raise funds for AIDS patients by selling the designs by the winners. Kriti, knowing that there was no limit to the number of entries by one participant kept drawing without really worrying about the final output. She drew 100 street objects
from India trying to bring out how ignorant we are about little things in our own surroundings. Her design also spoke about AIDS being something that is around us but we choose to ignore its existence. “I often say that winning this competition changed my life. It was a shot in the dark but proved to be a big confidence booster or me”. Kriti was one of the 100 designers worldwide to have won this competition. “There is nothing more beautiful than being in the moment of play, authenticity, just doing intuitively what you feel like and getting loved and accepted for it. This day encouraged her to include more and more of her drawings into her work. She was glad as she didn’t have to live two lives anymore. She had stopped seeing it as “work” now. He work was far beyond the studios, clients and media - this time she was working for herself. Kriti also shares about her interest for writing. Seeing writing as a form of drawing was something she did as a child too. She never saw this as a talent until she posted her lettering on facebook. She had written and drew a song by Pink Floyd. It became so popular that people started ordering prints. Interestingly, one of the prints found its way to David Gilmour, the singer and composer of this song. Stunned and impressed by the beautiful expression,he
Throw yourself completely at what you enjoy without worrying too much about the final result. Allow yourself some silliness and celebrate your wildness. You will not discover your unique unless you do so.
sent her a letter of appreciation. Gradually, Kriti realized what she did in her secret dairy was well taken by the audience and it wasn’t the form or the visuals, it was the thought behind the work. When seeking inspiration she turns to absolutely everything- life, travel, whether, food, people. She has tons and tons of dairies that she fills with the memories of her journeys. She records “everyday happiness” from mundane everyday things, from her observations of colors, people, events, food and incidences. She also maintains event dairies where she draws and illustrates what she learns from conferences, meetings etc. “Dairies are a necessity for me as I do not think and draw but I draw to think.” Her dairies even got featured in UK’s famous design magazine Creative Review after the editor Patrick Vergoin saw her dairy in one of the conference. She doesn’t find sense in “postponing happiness”. Telling yourself that you’ll be happier tomorrow is just an escape”. She believes in finding happiness in every
moment. There is so much beauty in each person, each weather, and each situation has something unique to take away from. She calls herself a stubborn optimist who finds happiness in everything. She loves her life as she is not stuck in a 9 to 5 job waiting for weekends. Whether in the studio or outside, she is designing or drawing at all time. She doesn’t do it to make a living, she does it because it makes her happy. She incorporates design into things you and me can’t imagine. She does typography on her mehendi, she paints egg and balloons. She uses candies, fruits, lights, mirrors to create typography. In the end, she talks about throwing yourself completely at what you enjoy without worrying too much about the final result. Allow yourself some silliness and celebrate your wildness. You will not discover your unique unless you do so. She ends the interview by the quote ”If you hear a voice inside you that says you can’t paint, by all means you should paint”.
Don’t be a software expert, wbe a designer.
MIRA MALHOTRA Mira Malhotra is a Mumbai based graphic designer and illustrator with a special interest in music based projects. Founder of design house, Studio Kohl, Mira is mostly found illustrating. Fortunate enough, she was exposed to a variety of cultures as a child which is clearly visible in her work. Her work often talks about what is it like being an Indian with a twist of what Indianess would be to an outsider. Colorful, witty, humorous & charming, her work brings out her fascination for decorative items at local bazaars, Indian history and traditional crafts.
Third among the four siblings, Mira was born to a Punjabi father from Delhi and a Goan mother from Mumbai. The family initially stayed in Delhi, then in a desert in Saudi Arabia later in the capital Riyadh and finally moved to Mumbai after the gulf wars. She grew up with all the trappings of American culture – sitcoms, shopping malls, supermarkets, KFC and candy bars. There was a time, she started getting really attracted to the packaging of products like bubble gum, candy bars, cold drinks etc. She sees traces of them in her current work as well. She considered going to super markets as a visual treat and enjoyed her trips obsessively. As she grew up she started loving illustrations. “ I think it’s mainly because drawing can be unhinged from reality, so what cannot be represented in a photograph or even be conveyed via photorealism can be conveyed via drawing, which can be simplified and broken down, or made complex, at the artist’s/illustrator’s will. This ability that only illustration has, makes me fascinated towards it and prompted me to dabble in illustration.” Her family
supported her love for illustration throughout her journey as they appreciated the arts. “One of my sisters used to write, the other is a mythology buff, my brother is a very successful western classical musician, and my mom played the piano, sang, and loved the theatre.” Her parents were quiet interested in alternative fields but couldn’t make it probably because the opportunities or situations weren’t much in thier favour. Her father loves photography and is a typography enthusiast. She confesses that she understands that times were different then and things were hard especially for her dad who lost his parents at a young age and had to take the family responsibly. Her dad graduated as an electrical engineer from I.I.T. Also her mom who was interested in music and theatre ended up becoming a housewife. Her family appreciated her inclination toward art. In fact, her grandfather would often defend her messiness by claiming that she had the “artistic temperament. She always felt that they couldn’t connect much to what she did as a designer but enjoyed her work as an illustrator.
Being married to someone from the same fields fun because we really get each other. We like to talk about work and give each other inputs, and when we take holidays, we want to see the same places and things. We rarely argue about what music to listen to. I think creatives are more open to trying new things and experimenting, so that keeps things exciting.
Considering her cousin’s suggestion to opt for design as a career, Meera enrolled herself for the Foundation art in Sophia Polytechnic. It gave her an immensely productive and rigorous year, but she found the atmosphere stifling after an intoxicating, possibility-filled two years at St. Xavier’s College. One of her faculties suggested her to do illustration in the first week itself. She left her college after the first year itself she continued her education in Rachana Sansad where she did BFA (bachelor of fine arts) in illustration. “While these colleges gave me a great skill set, I wanted more in terms of thought process and conceptual understanding.” After working for few years, she decided to take admission in NID for her post-graduationd degree in graphic design. “This is where I got my bearings and shed my shyness. Admittedly, I’ve gotten here pretty late, but I think that’s what happens when you’re carving your own career path and figuring out where you belong.” Her first job was with Seventeen Mangazine, for which she designed layouts, illustrations and even wrote some articles. Her second job was at Yes Yes Why Not?, where she was heavily involved with advertising and design in the hospitality sector. Her most recent office job was at Sony Music’s Day 1 label. She worked on freelance projects on the side even when she had full-time jobs. It was only in 2013 that she started freelancing full-time. After her post-graduation, she got married to classmate Yorick from NID and here’s what she has to say about having a partner from the same field “Being married to Yorick is fun because we really get each other. We like to talk about work and give each other inputs, and when we take holidays, we want to see the same places and things. We rarely argue about what music to listen to. I think creatives are more open to trying new things and experimenting, so that keeps things exciting”
Coming to her work, she has a general order she likes to follow for any design project. She believes in leaving her own style and ego behind and really focusing on what her client wants. “Most clients, I’ve found, don’t communicate their needs very well at the beginning. Rather than start work and turn them off with options that don’t fit, I take my time to interview them, send out feelers, and see how they are received. I have a rigorous briefing process, usually a questionnaire, and if the person doesn’t want to fill it out, I meet with them and discuss the project over several phone calls. Clients often don’t understand that we can devise a million ways to tackle their problems and that they need to offer limits. ‘Open’ briefs literally make me shudder, and projects which involve them always seem to end with unhappy clients.” For her personal work, she tries to use what she sees around and reinterpret it. It always starts with sketching, though sometimes going at it on the computer first works. She dislikes being limited by a grid while she’s sketching — polishing it up on the computer later is easy. Mira mentions that the industry
has changed since she started, when getting a job meant doing ‘layouts’, which forcibly put people off illustration in the first place. Recently the industry has become more favourable toward illustration in many ways, like comics are now published, and more advertising illustration is seen now. As there are more diversification of products and people have more choice, more avenues for different kinds of illustrators and visual artists will follow. “If you want to survive and live well, always be street-smart. Learn a money-making skill you won’t mind doing, in the visual world itself hopefully, and become really good at it, so you can always rely on that. Then do illustration to fill the gaps of time you have. One day, I hope most of us can do the old switcheroo, where illustration pays us more, though I really don’t see that happening very soon. But by all means don’t give up on Illustration. Just be smart about it and sustain your passion.” She also warns young designers from working for clients who expect a low quality of work. This reduces a designer to a D.T.P operator and undermines the whole profession. “Don’t be a software expert, be a designer.”
Do not work for clients who expect a low quality of work. This reduces a designer to a D.T.P operator and undermines the whole profession.
If you really like something, just go for it. Everything else will follow.
ALICIA SOUZA
Alicia Souza who was a co-founder of Chumbak - India’s trendiest home grown souvenir company says that she finds the entire world is my source of inspiration. A year and half later, she set out on her career as a freelancer. She illustrated for some brilliant publishers, ad agencies and clients before starting her solo venture. Alicia Souza created her presence felt on social media with her peculiar and distinct illustration art.
She grew up in Abu Dhabi, i.e. capital of UAE. . Youngest of all the 3 siblings, Alicia calls herself the lucky mistake. Highly eager to experiment and discover; she once pulled off the coif of the nun who taught her in kindergarten hoping to see her brain inside. “I was terribly disappointed when I couldn’t find one.” She laughs. She would design Dictionaries, Skateboard Trolleys, Puzzle Books purely out of interest and curiosity. Her dad always encouraged her to pick her passion as profession. She loved sketching since her early days. However, she never thought that it can make a great choice in near future. Her art teacher, though, didn’t feel the same. In a recent Interview with Alicia Souza said “When the time came to leave the nest and pick a field, my art teacher told me that I would be wasting my life if I didn’t pick art because she saw how intrigued I was with the subject even if I didn’t want to get involved then.” After schooling, she took up communication design as a career. “I think a lot of things that happened in my life happened by chance and for the good. I never had anything to do with art and always wanted to be a vet but in the tenth grade as I was good
with Maths I wanted to be in a 9 to 5 job that sounded perfect then. It wasn’t before my tenth grade I realized I could draw and I really am accountable to my art teacher for this because I wasn’t good I was mediocre. A lot of support from my parents and I made it to design school in Melbourne. I enrolled with a set plan that if I don’t do well in my first year, I’ll quit and do something in math because I’m still young” she said. She went to Melbourne to study for 5 years. “When I left college, I realised that the jobs involving illustration were primarily contract-based. Since I was starting out and supporting myself entirely, I took up got a job at a bank and illustrated part-time. But there came a time when I had to choose between the two and I obviously picked the latter,” she says. A major turning point in her life came when she Co-founded Chumbak. In a recent Interview she elaborated it as “I was working in a bank in Melbourne when Chumbak happened. We were initially selling magnets, before growing into selling more than 20 products.” She handled the design part at Chumbak. Slowly she was so much in love with the venture that she considered shifting to India.
I don’t like doing half-hearted work. Freelancing is difficult but the reputation you have as a freelance artist is only of the last project you did in the market. So your work better be good.
Shifting the base wasn’t easy, having being born and bought up at different country. She was scared to come in India initially. “I had no family and friend in India” she says. However, she dared to quit her cozy job for her love of illustrations. She decided to take the dive and confesses that the journey had given her a lot of insights about life in India. She started to explore various places and discover new aspects of life in India. Interestingly, many of her illustrations for Chumbak were done when she was in Melbourne. However, this engagement ended abruptly. Not knowing where to go, she decided to freelance. She adds “I faced many concerns when I decided to leave Chumbak and began freelancing. I did not know any other illustrator and had no idea about whether I will find work. I even questioned myself but decided to stick with my choices. I took a gamble and have been lucky that people have
liked my work. It has been one of the greatest journeys of my life. It was a tough job but I am happy I pulled through.” She feels it was a great learning experience for her. “It was all about overcoming my fears. Initially, when I had just started freelancing I was too scared of meeting people and showing them my work, I could do everything possible and leave no stone unturned to skip a meeting (which does sound funny now). I started becoming more confident of my work with time and then it became just normal.” She confesses that freelancing is indeed much harder than a 9 to 5 job. I’m very logical about certain things in my life. If there’s a project I like and brings in good money and I think I can do a good job on it, I’ll take it. But if I think I can’t do justice to it, there isn’t a point working on it, even if I get the money. I don’t like doing half-hearted work. Freelancing is difficult but the reputation you have as a freelance
artist is only of the last project you did in the market. So it better be really good. After chumbak, she began illustrating children’s books, editorials, comics and adult coloring books which were well received by everyone. Where she had worked for Google, Yahoo!, Air India and other corporate honchos, she thinks her big break as an illustrator is yet to come. “There was never ‘that-one-project’ that changed the game. It was a series of continuous, ongoing work,” she says .Along with this; she would sell self-illustrated home décor and gifting products. She calls her style of illustrations ‘the impatient style,’ because she really does not have time for a more stylised approach and in this simplicity of her work lies its appeal. “Every time I have sold at exhibitions, I usually find people smiling, which is very satisfying. I do not have to spend much time and money marketing my products.
That was probably one of the hardest times in my life but it taught me a whole lot and I cannot be more grateful that it happened, no matter how much of a struggle it was.
Starting a solo venture was one of the biggest challenges Alicia has faced till date. “That was probably one of the hardest times in my life but it taught me a whole lot and I cannot be more grateful that it happened, no matter how much of a struggle it was,” she says. Her online store www.aliciasouza.com was never a part of the plan when she had begun. This was probably a result of her Soul Sante exhibition in Bangalore. She saw people giggling after seeing her illustrations which were the main intention behind her cartoons. She got an exceptional response from the exhibition. In fact people started posting on her social media suggesting her to have an online selling portal. She loved the idea and started with it’s execution in the full swing. When she started her own website, she was nearly broke. The amazing work changed her financial condition in less than 6 months and within one year she introduced her own range of products which are sold on her website. She started with making small illustrated objects she could afford and were easy to manufacture. Today she has innumerable investors wanting to try their luck, but she prefers to go solo. She tries to limit her venture to a scale she can successfully manage all by herself. Yet, she has a lot of do. She is the only one managing everything from marketing to logistics. “It’s terrible and fantastic” is how she describes her busy state.I didn’t realise how much
work it would be but it’s been insane! I have a lovely partner who takes care of the merchandise and production while I try and keep the pictures pretty and showcased. Because I still freelance and move about a lot more, it’s been a bit overwhelming but I think in a few months, I should be used to it”. . This illustrator has fan following of 47,000 plus followers just on Facebook. Interestingly, the popular lady was initially very shy and under confident about her work. She kept worrying about accepting and was thus reluctant to upload her work online. So she showed her work to close friends and tried hard to convince them to upload it for her. “I was never really accustomed with a page or an art with my name attached to it initially. When it did happen, people were very supportive and started suggesting things. I started noticing what people liked and it happened beautifully. I do a lot of cartoons on my dogs and daily chores”. She also mentions that there was a stage when she felt like quitting illustrations “Yes, I did feel that when I just started. It’s hard making something you love, a job too. But I didn’t have a choice and had to make it work and now I love it excessively.” She stresses on following what your heart and says that is what has made her what she is today. “The best part of doing what I do is that it does not feel like a job. It is a lifestyle. It is great when you hold something you have made.”
Be patient. Do not stop midway. You’ll only get better with each day.
PRIYA KURIYAN
Priya Kuriyan, an illustrator and animator is known for her exceptional brilliant expression and eye for details, sense of color and a quirky sense of humor. She does comic book illustrations, children’s books, book covers, animated ad commercials and film making. Among all the work she does, picture books are something she has a soft corner for.
Born in an army family, Priya kept changing cities. While moving from one region to the other, drawing was something she kept constant through her life. Considering her interest, her parents enrolled her into National Institute of design for her under- grad course. She learnt animation for 4 years in NID. She is glad that this happened to her and calls those four years the life changing time for her. “For the first time I was exposed to so many wonderful books and films. I also got opportunities to interact with some great teachers from all over the world.” She cherishes the wonderful memories of studying with like-minded people. “The exposure helped me realize how important it is to understand and be concerned of the people you are designing for”. She adds that each day was a new learning experience and she owes a lot to the time spent there. She also mentions that formal education in a good design institute really broadens your mind and exposes you to many things at a young age. “As a student of animation, I had realized that this stage of filmmaking I enjoyed the most. This was the point where I was free to use various illustration techniques to ideate without having to worry about the practicalities of how to make those drawings move,’ she explained. ‘I think my interest in illustration was really an outcome of that.”
I don’t like doing half-hearted work. Freelancing is difficult but the reputation you have as a freelance artist is only of the last project you did in the market. So your work better be good.
She sent her portfolio to Tulika Publications while still working at NID. She finds herself fortunate enough that they found time to look at her work. They liked it and asked her if she world like to illustrate Radhika Chadha’s - I’m so sleepy, a book about an elephant who forgets to sleep. After her graduation, she worked in an animation studio for some years. However, she felt that she couldn’t pursue her love for illustration with a full time job. After this courageous move, she had no stop. Delivering phenomenal results, she kept taking up interesting projects one after the other. The first animation project I did was a short film for the children’s film society of India. I then worked at the ‘Famous house of Animation’ in Mumbai, where I worked with a team of very talented animators and got the opportunity to be closely involved in a number of animated ad films for clients like spice telecom, Diamond trading co-operation (DTC), Levi’s, Sony PIX TV etc. I’ve also directed short educational films for the Sesame street show in India (Galli Galli Sim Sim). Apart from that,I’ve worked on social communication films made for NACO (National Aids control
organization ) and have worked on promos for discovery networks. My last animation project was a 30 sec promo for Discovery (Tamil ) celebrating the Tamil New Year. Most of my illustration work has been for children’s books . I started with a series of books for Tulika books ,now known as the ‘Baby Bahadur series’ (Bahadur being the name of a baby elephant around which the stories are based) I’ve done a number of books after that but my favourite projects have been the fried frog – a book of nonsense verse written by Sampurna Chattarji ,Whispers in the classroom voices on the field and anthology of school stories published by wisdom tree,When Ali became Bajrangbali published by Tulika publishers and also the 2012 calendar for Pratham books.” Although she does a variety of work, she enjoys working for children the most. “Becoming a children’s book illustrator was never a conscious decision; it just happened. Children are smart and are quick to catch on if there are any inconsistencies between the text and pictures. And so, I make sure I read the whole book before I start picturing the text.”
I try layering the illustrations with visual metaphors whenever it’s possible so that the picture can be read in different ways depending on what stage in life one is in. Such books have greater staying power which is why some of the best illustrated children’s books are those that are loved by adults too.
Another interesting part of her work is that she stays far from stereotypes. She believes that books shape a child’s mentality. Eliminating stereotypes in children’s books increase the chances of the child growing as an open minded individual. She demonstrates this in her projects like ‘Princess Easy Pleasy’, where the queen and princess are not the typical pretty touch-me-not kind of women. She consciously made the wife taller than the husband. She also introduced different skin colors. She tries to add humor to her pictures and enjoys making drawings that include subtle layers of information. This makes a child want to revisit the story. She says ‘While working on a book, I usually read the book from cover to cover quite carefully. Children can be demanding and very fussy when it comes to their favourite fairytale. I never underestimate them. I also try layering the illustrations with visual metaphors whenever it’s possible so that the picture can be read in different ways depending on what stage in life one is in. Such books have greater staying power which is why some of the best illustrated children’s books are those that are loved by adults too.” She finds it really helpful to have a direct interaction with the audience. This is another reason why she takes workshops for kids once a while and really enjoys them. Also meeting kids from dif
Best ideas come when kids talk to you and with each other. Also, children are really uninhibited when they want to express themselves so it’s always great fun to be around them and get their opinion on various aspects of their life. Also observing various quirks in each child helps me for my character development.
ferent backgrounds bring constant inspiration for her characters. Overtime, she has realized that the best ideas come when kids talk to you and with each other. Also, children are really uninhibited when they want to express themselves so it’s always great fun to be around them and get their opinion on various aspects of their life. She says that she’s been to lots of schools in India, and therefore have met many quirky characters. They might not have been exactly as I’ve depicted them , but they were all definitely inspirations. For example, In most schools there would be that one really old teacher with spectacles and sleeveless blouses. The picture I’ve made might have been an amalgamation of all those teachers. She is very observant by nature. She always carries a notebook with her, the interesting characters and situations she meets and encounters later weaving their way into her illustrations. On where asked about the artists who inspire her, she says “I love the wok of Quentin Blake. I have always loved Mario Miranda’s work. Tim Burton’s concept drawings for all his films are a treat to go through. I also love the work of graphic novelists like Niel Gaimen and Marjane Satrapi. I absolutely adore the work of Piet Grobler. Also, with the help of the internet,
there is so much more exposure to what is going on around the world. It is really amazing how many talented contemporary artists there are in obscure corners of the world whose work I have stumbled upon work trawling the web . Its wonderful that one can actually access the work of these artists and actually personally get in touch with them through their blogs . I recently happened to meet Atanu Roy a very senior Indian illustrator. Apart from the fabulous work that he shared with us , it was wonderful to see the his passion and complete dedication to the art . I also have a niece who is a wonderful source of inspiration. She’s really funny and sometimes says very grown up things when it comes to my work.” She says she would like to attempt more of writing and come up with books for children that have been written as well as illustrated by her. She also says that she likes to work for a variety of projects in order to constantly challenge herself. She also stresses on the value of patience. “Don’t stop doing whatever it is you are doing. You’ll only get better. Be patient with yourself and never compare yourself to another artist. As far as possible, leave the comfort of your home after school. It’s easier to become your own person after that. Draw something every day!”