Priya Deb is a computer science graduate from BITS Pilani, turned full time illustrator. She is self taught and is currently working with Chumbak as a designer. She has a very eclectic style and loves to experiment with different media. Her works demonstrate varied subjects and can be labelled sometimes as surreal and sometimes even comical and witty.

Why are you an Illustrator?
I have been an introvert almost all my life and it is really easy for me to express through my art. The most beautiful thing about art is that it doesn’t require a language to communicate your emotions to the audience. It almost feels very powerful to be able to spread an idea or message, be it for a social cause or something plain and simple that makes you smile. I feel being an artist it gives me the power to make a subtle difference to people’s lives and perceptions. And in the world of today’s technology, I feel art gives the much needed “human touch” to the society.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
No, I am self taught.

You have a distinct style of illustration. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I never think about developing or limiting myself to a specific style. Whatever I illustrate probably falls naturally in a similar style. I keep experimenting and working with different media and creating mixed media pieces. I feel personal style is something that evolves with time for every artist.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
There are so many artists that have inspired me that it would probably be difficult to name them all. But to name a few, Kim Jung Gi, Aaron Blaise, Simon Prades, Pernille Orum, Malika Favre, Jake Parker, Nacho Diaz Arjona, Genevieve Godbout and Anna Daviscourt are some of the artists whose works I have followed and absolutely love.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Illustrations?
Danica Sills is an YouTuber who has been very influential for me. I started watching her watercolor speed-paint videos for art therapy but ended up picking a lot of tips and tricks of the trade. Watercolor is my favorite medium for working and that’s where I started, so I consider her to be the most influential artist for me.

What made you decide to become a freelance illustrator? When did you start freelancing? Do you illustrate for advertising?
What I love about freelance projects is that I get to pick the projects that stimulate my intellect and creativity and match my style. But off-late, since I started working at Chumbak full-time, I don’t get much time for taking up other work unless a really challenging project comes along.
Unfortunately I haven’t illustrated for advertisements yet but I would love to do that because I feel that advertisements are a very fast and easy way to connect to the audience and requires a lot of creativity to put forward your idea in a simple yet smart way.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit Illustrations?
Never! In fact there were times when I wanted to quit everything else and illustrate. Art has been my escape route for a very long time. I could easily just forget the world and all my troubles and be immersed in a world of my own and create my illustrations.

Have you considered turning your illustrations into toys?
One of my goals as an artist is character design. Even as an illustrator I want to be able to create interesting and relatable characters. And when I get good at doing that, I’d love to turn them into toys.

Any other Indian Illustrators who you admire?
Of course! There are so many amazing Indian illustrators whose works I follow and Parvati Pillai, Pragun Agarwal, Vijaya Aswani, Lavanya Naidu, Shalini Roy and Mounica Tata are my favourite ones.

You have such a wide experience as a top working professional. What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on Illustration as a career option? Is it paying well enough?
Something that I have learnt being an illustrator is you can never stop practicing. Working or not, in order to be a good artist eventually, you need to draw something daily. Doesn’t have to be big or complicated just has to be something.
Just like any other field of work this also requires a lot of hard-work and patience. There are days when it gets very frustrating and difficult because if you are selling your art, at the end of the day, you are running a business. Creativity and hard-work are major factors that would contribute to your success but at the same time you need to be smart enough to be able to monetize your work. If you want to be an artist and expect to make a lot of money in a short span of time that won’t happen. But if you are passionate and work hard and smart, it would work out just fine.

Whats your dream project?
My dream project is to create an artist community comprising of rural Indian folk artists. It is so unfortunate that there are so many talented and brilliant artists that are living in poverty, not being able to make ends meet and are encouraging their next generations to not continue their profession, that it is heartbreaking. Ruas India is doing a fabulous job with the tribal women of Gujarat. I would want to be able to work on a similar project of my own with the folk illustrators of India. There are so many folk art-forms that have died out due to the lack of opportunities in India. Despite that there are certain artists who are still going strong and making patachitra, madhubani, miniature paintings, Tanjore paintings etc. And I strongly feel that this community needs to be supported to preserve our roots as well as to give the due respect that these artists deserve.

Mac or PC?
Mac

​​Whats your Twitter Handle?
I am not active on Twitter but my Instagram handle is @priya.creates and you can find my portfolio at https://priyadeb.myportfolio.com/’