Thanks to Creative GAGA Magazine for featuring my work in their July-Aug 2014 Edition. Special Thanks to the awesome Ruturaj Arolkar and his amazing house of talent - Animation and Art School Goa!
I'm posting the rest of the interview here below:
Q. Your designs have a raw texture. Is it mainly your
hands? How do you use technology/software to enhance the look of your character
sketches, if at all you do?
Ans. I love paper and pencil. Nothing beats
the experience of getting my fingers dirty on graphite or conte. I do draw
digitally on a Cintiq if a project needs to be cleaned up, mainly on Autodesk
Sketchbook Pro. It is easier to make changes digitally, but for me, it takes
away the satisfaction of making something that I can actually feel and touch.
Q. You define form and shape using lines and shade.
How do you arrive at a subject? From what angles do you look at it to arrive at
the final outcome?
Ans. Before starting to draw, I note down
the design requirements that I can refer to throughout the design process. I
start with an idea in my head and for the first couple of minutes (or sometimes
hours) I keep drawing anything that comes into my head. Usually this is the
time when I exhaust my habitual shapes and patterns. Once I start seeing fresh
designs, I start cross-checking with the requirements to slowly drift into that
direction making sure I hit all of them. I'm constantly looking for strong
silhouette value and making sure there are no tangents or twinning.
Q. You design characters. What sparks your imagination?
How do you exaggerate certain features?
Ans. My inspiration for designing characters
comes mainly from studying animals and the people I know. I spend a lot of time
watching how my friends react to different situations. It is very interesting
to study how people's actions differ from their thoughts. Cafe sketching is
also a great way to find unique personalities. Once I truly understand the
personality, I play around with shapes to enhance the visual statement, always
keeping the story in mind.
Q. Any reason, why you choose not to use colors and
work in grey scale?
Ans. I usually work with pencils, ink or
brushpens. They allow me to do rapid drawings that I do one after the other in
succession to keep myself focussed on what I'm after. Usually I'm too excited
during this stage to pause sketching and color them, but I try to keep the
values working. I go into color only after the design has been finalized.
