My First Stall

So last weekend I put up my very first stall at Kitsch Mandi in Bangalore. I'd been mulling over the thought for a while and had also done a small 'live-painting' stint at the previous event (which was the major deciding factor) so I thought I'd better do this.

A few weeks of planning and lots of visits to the printer ensued. There were moments of panic (where I thought no one would buy my products) and moments of extreme joy (when I had the printed stuff in my hands) ! Slowly the D-day arrived and I had these butterflies in my tummy the night before, wondering what exactly would happen. Also, the weather was a terror. After 3 days of sunshine, I wake up on the morning of the event to see dark clouds looming overhead. I just kept hoping and praying that it wouldn't rain. Thankfully someone up there was listening.

The event was quite a success. After a lot of apprehension, the first customer came along and then another and another. Business was slightly slow but quite steady. It was great to see people appreciate my work and at the end of the day I was quite tired but very happy :)

This is a link to view all the images from the event: Sunny Skies Starry Eyes

Here are some of the products that were on sale and if you happen to want to buy any, just leave a message.

A6 Diaries with blank, ruled or colourful neon pages to choose from

Bookmarks

Fridge magnets 

Postcards for sale

I got a fresh batch of my truck-art postcards printed with the 'Sunny Skies Starry Eyes' branding :) 

They are all ready to be shipped so drop me a message if you would like to buy one!

Here is a closer look at all the available prints so that you can choose easily :)

Sunny Skies and Starry Eyes

After much contemplation and brain storming, I finally have my very own FB page, which showcases my daily drawings and art. I am quite thrilled about it, as this has been in the pipeline for at least two months now. Go take a look and any feedback is appreciated :) 

SUNNY SKIES AND STARRY EYES

I'm a Creatyst

So I have been featured as a Creatyst on their website and I'm quite kicked about it :) 

Creatyst a platform for giving voice and presence to what you love to do!

Read more HERE.

Vector Letters

So I stumbled upon @36daysoftype on Instagram and I knew I had to be a part of it. 

Vector illustration scares me, a little less now but it still does and I thought this would be a good opportunity to give it a try. I started with U and was quite pleased with myself, so this has now become a daily routine. I've realized that it is quite challenging but also great fun !

Here are my illustrated letters:

U is for Us

V is for Voracious reading in the park

W is for Walking your dogs

X is for x-hausted after a long day of work

Can't wait to do more of this !

The 100 Day Project

The 100 Day Project is a really cool initiative by The Great Discontent and a San Francisco based artist, designer, and writer, Elle Luna. It’s a celebration of process that encourages everyone to participate in 100 days of making. The great surrender is the process; showing up day after day is the goal. Read more about the project and participate HERE.

I came across this great project on my latest addiction - Instagram :) and instantly decided to be a part of it. I had a bunch of topics that I wanted to choose for the project but then a friend helped me decide on the perfect one - 100 days of painting doors. Since I was going to be travelling for some part of the project, it was suitable, as each city has such a wonderful collection of doors to offer. 

It is now week two of the project and I am so inspired and motivated each day to complete my door painting. It is a wonderful feeling. I started off with painting them by hand, tried a few vector doors for a bit and now am back to hand-painting. 

You can view the entire project here - #100daysofpaintingdoors 

Here are some of favorites till date:

Can't wait to see the entire collection after a 100 days ! 

Time flies

It's been a long hiatus from blogging and I'm back. It has been a crazy few months and 2015 has begun with a lot of promise and happy feelings. I hope it stays this way :)

I recently got selected for a fellowship, a first for me, and I'm really thrilled to be a part of this. I am off to a village in Karnataka to study and help preserve their culture and heritage. 

More about that soon ! 

2015 also began with a lot of travelling all around Bengal and a little bit of Sikkim. 

Here are some illustrations from our travels:

These illustrations were also part of the #6framestorychallenge by Pratham books. 

Here is what Pratham had to say about my story.

Commissioned Illustration

A long lost friend got in touch with me on FB a few weeks ago. She had seen my illustrations somewhere and was wondering if I could make her a blog header. The blog is about her tryst with baking and I was quite excited to work on this, after all it involved my favorite city - Paris.

I got started right away, doodling and sketching out different options for the illustration. She liked one direction and we spoke about details to include etc. It turned out really well :)

These were the first few rough sketches:

We decided to go with option 2 and then I reworked the illustration once more.

Once she gave me the go ahead on this, I digitized it and here is what the final illustration looks like.

You can have a look at the illustration on her blog - My Tryst with Baking ! 

This was one of the most fun assignments I've done in a long time. I look forward to doing more :)

Work space featured on Sir Magazine website

I am so excited about this. I had sent them this illustration of my work space, as they were featuring work spaces of different illustrators from around the world. Thrilled that they finally featured it. 

Here is a screenshot of the website. Go check out the entire write-up HERE.

Finds of the week

I've been over-dosing on pretty design and craft blogs. Time to share the wonderful stuff I've found !

1. This beautiful fabric jelly fish installation.

2. This home is so quirky and cool. I totally love it !

3. Read this lovely, inspiring article on Should vs. Must.

4. Surely going to try this egg-shell project soon :)

5. And this song is simply stuck in my head since the last few days. Ah, can't wait for the album.
4 more days of torture.

New prints

Whenever I get some time off between work, I chose one of my quotes (I have a huge quote bank thanks to my board on Pinterest) and sit illustrating or lettering it out. It is a real stress-buster !

Summer

It's getting way too hot in Bangalore. I know it won't last too long but while it does, it is unbearable. 

The only way to beat this is to wear loose, flowy cotton dresses, skirts and tops. 

Drink a whole lot of juices, liquids and fresh fruit !

Look up interesting summer recipes to cook up, like this interesting salad !

And just dream about escaping to the mountains !

 The Dhauladhars

(pictures from our trip to Mcleodganj last year)

Any tips to share?

(This post is part of the art adventure at A Sunny Yellow Window)

Tyler Knott Gregson

If you are on Pinterest, you would have surely come across words by Tyler Knott Gregson, in a very typical typewritten form. The words, beautifully thought out, connect to me somewhere. It's as if some are written specially for me. So I chose one today and tried to illustrate it. 

"Find my hand in the darkness and if we cannot find the light, we will always create our own."

There may be more to come because I adore his short poems and I just discovered his website ^__^

TYLER KNOTT GREGSON

Additions

I am simply and completely enjoying this new illustration series. I can't get enough of it. I just choose a song, pick up my pen, put it to paper and it just takes me away. I think I'll be done with their entire album soon ! 

I'm using this technique of making polka dots with the rubber back of a pencil. I never knew it would open up something in my head and take me down roads I've never visited before. 

This one is called - The Weight of My Words"

This one is titled "Failure"

Hand lettering can be so fulfilling !

Ghosting

Sometimes I come across lyrics of songs that don't make complete sense but the words just sound so beautiful strung together and it makes me want to illustrate them. This is one of those. 

Ghosting by Freelance Whales

Arty March

I think I went crazy doodling in March. It was like this burst of creative energy and I think some days I did even 5-6 doodles. It was super fun. I bought a set of watercolours to try and I love them. 

Here are March's doodles:

You can view all the doodles/illustrations on my Instagram feed (link in the right bar)

I also started a mini-series of "What I Wore"

It was quite fun. Maybe I'll continue it in April, maybe I'll move on :)

And then one fine day, I got super bored of looking at my dull soap dispenser and decided to give it a whole new look - blue and white.

Like I said, March was great fun !

My workspace

As a designer I constantly need inspiration and motivation. Apart from browsing lovely websites I also keep my workspace decorated with bright, cheery things to keep me going. I recently added colorful bunting and I love it :) My pin board has postcards that I receive via Postcrossing, my art work, gifts from friends and other pretty things. Just once in a while (in a blue moon), I need to de-clutter and tidy it up.

Here it is:

This of course is just after a recent tidy-up session. I love to sit at my desk (my mini-studio) all day n night long, scribbling and doodling away in my sketchbook.

This post is also part of this lovely art adventure I've become a part of. Read more about it here -
A Sunny Yellow Window

February Doodle-a-Day

So I joined this doodle-a-day on Instagram. It was great fun. I was doodling in the middle of a wedding to meet the deadline !! I pushed myself to doodle every single day and it was a whole lot of fun. You must follow @ellolovely on Instagram. She started this and it is on every month. 

You can check my Instagram feed for all my doodles. Click the link on the right !

Here are some of my favorites from February:

March is looking even better :) Wait for updates !

Surround yourself with things you love

..and see life's magic unfold :)

I have been feeling extra creative these days. I cleaned up my desk, dug out old stationery and art supplies and I feel all set for the coming weeks :) 

NEXT: I'm planning to make a vision board for the year !

Recipe cards

The project at my exchange school just got interesting. We are in the final stage and get to do all nice graphic identity stuff. We have to make to set of recipe cards to go into the gift box we designed (my partner and I) so here is what we have. Can't decide what to go with, so confusing. Help much?

Le Petit beurre is a simple yet delicious french biscuit made famous by a factory right here in the city of Nantes. The first three are in the shape of the biscuit itself, which is why that outline. Feel free to try out the recipe.