​Balaji is the​ ​Founder​ ​of​ ​Atma​ ​Studios​​ ​which​ ​is​ ​a​ ​full-services​ ​branding​ ​studio​ ​that
practices​ ​Artistic​ ​Branding​©​.​ ​He is​ ​also​ ​the​ ​person​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​famous​ ​Quirky​ ​Invites​,​ ​an​ ​ever
growing​ ​collection​ ​of​ ​quirky​ ​wedding​ ​invites​ ​which​ ​are​ ​a​ ​fusion​ ​of​ ​Indian​ ​art​ ​forms​ ​and​ ​modern
day​ ​creativity.

​Why​ ​are​ ​you​ ​an​ ​Illustrator?
I​ ​love​ ​doing​ ​new​ ​things​ ​everyday.​ ​I​ ​would​ ​never​ ​lead​ ​a​ ​life​ ​in​ ​which​ ​I​ ​do​ ​the​ ​same​ ​things
everyday.​ ​So​ ​being​ ​an​ ​illustrator​ ​gives​ ​me​ ​an​ ​opportunity​ ​to​ ​do​ ​things​ ​differently​ ​every​ ​day.

​Did​ ​you​ ​attend​ ​school​ ​for​ ​Fine​ ​Arts​ ​or​ ​Design?
I​ ​am​ ​a​ ​self-taught​ ​illustrator​ ​and​ ​I​ ​learnt​ ​by​ ​doing​ ​and​ ​out​ ​of​ ​interest.

You​ ​have​ ​a​ ​distinct​ ​style​ ​of​ ​illustration.​ ​How​ ​long​ ​did​ ​it​ ​take​ ​you​ ​to​ ​develop​ ​your​ ​style?
My​ ​interest​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​native​ ​Indian​ ​and​ ​International​ ​art​ ​forms​ ​led​ ​me​ ​into​ ​a​ ​journey​ ​of
self-learning​ ​and​ ​experimentation.​ ​That​ ​is​ ​evident​ ​from​ ​our​ ​design​ ​works.

(more…)

Airphish was founded by Smriti Choudhary for the love of nature, for the love of art and for the love of beautiful things. Her inspiration comes from everything aquatic & aerial and her obsession with detail. She loves to make birds swim and fish take flight. She uses pen on paper to create surreal visual experience that takes one on a journey through tranquil scenes of nature.

At Airphish, art travels from paper to beautiful handcrafted products that people can touch, hold and even eat on; art and products that become part of people’s homes. All designs start with hand-drawn illustrations that are hand-transferred on unique products, so each item is slightly different and has a lovely handmade feel.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I am an illustrator because drawing makes me happy. I have always loved to draw, ever since i was a little girl. Though when i was in school i wasn’t much aware about the career choices in this field. My world changed and things got clearer when I joined National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in the year 2000. After one year of foundation at NID, i knew i wanted to explore more in the field of visual design and chose graphic design as my specialisation. Soon after my graduation i started working as a freelancer and worked on all kinds of graphic design projects. During the initial years my primary tool was my laptop. Even the illustrations i created were mostly digital. It wasn’t until 2010 when i was pregnant that i started to draw on paper again and reconnected with my love for nature through illustrations. After that i knew i wanted to concentrate more on creating art and since then.
(more…)

Jasjyot Singh Hans is an illustrator unendingly inspired by an explosive neon mix of fashion, music and pop culture. He has a constant regard for things past and a voracity for all that is current. He studied animation film design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and has an MFA in Illustration Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore.

His work chronicles around themes of body image, sexuality and self love.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I’ve always loved to draw, so it was only natural for me to gravitate towards a profession that was close to me.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I studied at animation National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, then MFA in Illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art. Illustration and animation surely employ art, but are essentially design led fields.

(more…)

Shikha Nambiar is an illustrator/artist based out of Pune and Bangalore. She started her career as a corporate lawyer, before she answered her inner calling of pursuing art and design. She is passionate about illustration, hand-lettering, typography and snail-mail. She loves to make postcards and send them to people around the world. Her work is inspired by her travels, culinary exploits and everyday experiences. In 2015, she started Sunny Skies Starry Eyes as a humble attempt to keep snail mail alive through postcards and it has now developed into a range of illustrated products that provide doses of happiness and wisdom.
She considers herself to be fortunate to wake up each day and do what she loves doing – creating art. Through her art, she hopes to touch people’s lives in different ways by making them pause and reflect, inspiring a few and most importantly, making them smile.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I don’t think I cold see myself as anything else. I’ve always loved to draw and I’m so fortunate to have been able to make a living from it. I feel grateful that drawing is my job and sometimes it really feels too good to be true. Also, Illustration is my favourite medium to communicate anything and everything I feel.

(more…)