Illustration Friday..... "Prehistoric"

 

This week's word "Prehistoric" was just right for the mood. Heard my son strumming the guitar and got wondering what a prehistoric music band would look like! No "bones" about it...They are having fun!

Illustration Friday..... "Savour"

Our national drink for sure..The roadside hot steaming cup of "chai" found at every nook and corner. Savour the fresh ginger tea loaded with sugar and served in small glasses. To be slurped noisely in the company of friends,standing by the corner of a crowded market place gossiping loudly about everything under the sun....it is an experience to cherish.

Extra Ordinary or Ordinary?

It is strange, sometimes there is a moment so ordinary that it could miss you all together or just linger as suddenly as it manifests.A few mornings ago, out in my garden, the sun seemed deliciously warm and I chanced to look up at the sky. Before me was a simply seamless expanse of deep blue. The green leaves of the champa tree stood out majestically against the deep blue as cotton white clouds floated by in silence.

It was so simple
It was so powerful
It left me breathless.

 Bringing out the form with the help of a strong background is what I find exciting. Here the blank whiteness takes form as I fill my background. Strong browns and soothing hues of green interact to frame the face, which I leave devoid of much detail...it feels poetic to me to let a few lines define the obvious.

Fun on a colored sheet.

The boldness of  brightly colored paper fascinates! Can't resist making a figure using a few color pencils and some quick strokes. A design starts to emerge. It seems compact and complete, I don't like leaving open ends of color. I'd love to print that on a T shirt, it would look 'cool' as my kids would say. May be I'll have fun this week just with my color pencils!
Looking again at the design, it reminds me strongly of the mythological tale of the birth of the River Ganga, which I remember reading years ago.Ganga emerges from the head of the god Shiva cascading to earth in all her glory. Well the drama of the event is missing in this quick sketch.

Illustration Friday..... "Acrobat"

Delhi Roads! Only an acrobat can navigate the pot holes, the craters, the simply bottomless pits we encounter on our city roads everyday!

images of the Buddha

A while ago I had done a series of Buddhas.

Here are 2 of my favorites.
Watercolour on paper, I enjoyed doing these.

Illustration Friday..... "Immovable"

Tantrums! Tantrums! Every parent's nightmare...try moving this kid without dislocating your arm or losing your balance! No way...he's immovable!

Illustration Friday..... "Star Gazing"

 

A princess and her friend gaze at the stars

The stars and celestial bodies are of great significance in Hindu mythology. The seven stars of the"big dipper" were known as the "Sapt Rishis" or the seven learned sages who rule the skies and were keepers of the divine laws. They guide all beings on earth spreading knowledge and make the sun rise and shine.

Indian  stories and folktales are all about gods and goddesses, kings and queens, princes hunting game, princesses dancing in tropical gardens to the singing of birds . As the night falls and the moon rises, a thousand oil lamps light the palaces and the royal gardens come alive to the sound of  fountains and streams.

Illustration Friday..... "Caged"

This week's word is "caged". The first thing that comes to mind is a helpless bird in a cage. Being caged is losing your freedom.One interesting instance where being caged is actually liberating and positive is turning into a butterfly,which I have illustrated here.

Illustration Friday..... "Breakfast"

Well, this is the"revenge of the breads"...you never know when the tables may turn on you...and you may be served for breakfast....only you may not be quite as appetizing!!

Illustration Friday..... "Diary"

I have missed a few weeks of Illustration Friday.
But here I am with "Diary"....The old fashioned little book of all that's a blog today...

What kind of a diary would you desire....choose it!

An Art Blast for the senses!

There is something that tugs at the pit of the stomach quite urgently when I do not follow my heart. I'm dying to paint but obviously not dying enough to make that my priority, so my progress has been dismal.
June however presented a great opportunity to experience the timeless art treasures of Italy. The awe inspiring Vatican museums, Uffizi Gallery of Florence and countless other treasures. It was a grand experience for me, and an inspiration too.
Venice had a little treasure of a gallery - The Peggy Guggenheim Collection. From Picasso to Pollock, Dali to Kandinsky, it was a treat! If a collection half as significant as this were to tour New Delhi there would be pandemonium! It would be talked about in every forum, art club, in every tea party.
And similarly if the rich art heritage of India was to tour other countries what an experience it would be for art lovers there. A win win situation either way.

Illustration Friday..... "Linked"

The "Kikli" ..A popular dance/game indian girls play,interlocking their hands and whirling round giggling as they go. As the world spins round they go faster and faster almost merging into each other.

The illustration outlines another concept, the lines of the girls' arms,their skirts and their feet link together to form the womb, the link to life.The beginning of life is en-capsuled in the womb, that is the irrefutable truth.

Illustration Friday....."Dip"

Scattered leaves

Like dreams

On the grass

As they float

Patterns so varied

Remind me of

Thoughts in Solitude

Illustration Friday - "Rescue!"

Yet again, The Queen rescued The King...

Illustration Friday - "Expired"

Illustration Friday

 

Subterranean....the topic set me thinking, visualizing all the monsters under the earth, waiting to dig their way out, but what if a very pleasant being sits below the surface, ethereal and luminous, creating the splendor we see. A quick illustration with ink and watercolor wash.

The next part

Blue ink magic.

I'm fascinated with the humble ball point pen. Years of college doodling has created a love for the look of blue on white-ink on paper. Other than that my compositions seem to be dominated by the human form. In some way or the other it creeps into the drawing and ends up dominating it. After a considerable time I'm letting my pen do the drawing and enjoying it. Here is how the drawing progresses.

Defining myself

I'm glad I'm not a surgeon or a space station navigator. It took me hours to design my blog site and I'm glad the no one died because of that! I'm a "Libran" and if I remember Linda Goodman's sun signs we Librans are very indecisive, so I agonized over colors for my text to fonts to size of letters. And not to mention the title, it had to be just right to fire my imagination and to make me feel quite "artistic". So I've just penned down close to a hundred would-be titles, and thankfully didn't have to wait a year to find the right one.
Over the course of this blog I'll be sharing my work and drawings with you, I hope you enjoy them.

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