Got featured in Creative 'GAGA' Magazine

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.