:( + :)

Ok, a customary note of apology before I start a new post. Hence the sad smiley on the post title. I've been lazy. Unusually lazy+mildly depressed. Yes, making an animation film can be neurotic. It sure is fun, but not just that. More updates on that very very soon!

I'm going to post a few things that aren't really related to each other but that's what I've been upto lately. Any form of distraction that allows me to escape into a space away from my film is an immediate friend. And what better friend than 'graphiccompetitions dot com'. Sigh. Hence the smiling smiley on the post title.

An entry for the Hugo Visual Mixtape Contest. The brief was to get inspired by a set of given songs and create a visual for them in this format, with the Hugo Man bottle being central to the idea. The songs were very Disco+Techno. Hence the visual. Illustrator+Photoshop love.

These are my entries for the ONE condoms wrapper design contest. It was a lot of fun making cheeky entries for this incorporating the logo in the design with a caption! And before you do ANYTHING else, VOTE for my entries. I mean, RATE them. I mean, give them a good RATING. The best one available! I will love you if you do that:D

HERE be the link to all my entries.

The idea of an 'Ever Running Comic' isn't new. So a few enthu college people decided to get together and work on our own version of it! Two pages per person added every week to ourDeviant Art profiles. I was the second one to continue; so I worked on pages 3 & 4! Awesome fun! Here are the pages ONE & TWO. My two pages included some humor, some drama and some Alexander McQueen shoes, (on page 4;) . A silent tribute.

Ha. All feedback appreciated:)

The Spirit Channel

Ok, this is a bit late but I logged onto DeviantArt recently to realize the site header was purple; a surprising break from the ugly green-grey that they have, I thought to myself. I HAD to find out what it was for. It was then that I stumbled upon the DeviantArt CEO, Angelo informing me about SPIRIT DAY, which was on 20th October; and I made this.

I call this 'The Spirit Channel'.

Channel as in between the two faces facing each other. The 'two' faces. The negative space in the hair on the left, ... right? Get it?!?

Ah. Nevermind:/

Anyway, Happy anti-bullying and have a lovely day!

Do leave feedback!

Vector Art Monster!

This was my entry for the Wacom 4th Anime/Manga Character Design Contest.

The topic: Monster! Yes, it was just that.

Took me a while to do; this is the most detail I've added in vector art. But it was fun to do:)

Name: Gogundaria

About the monster: Ferocious. Hot pink in color. Six inches in height. Has a soft corner for girls and all things cute.

Loves: His purple boxing gloves and bunny slippers.

I didn't win but I don't regret it because the entries that won were just plain awesome!

Lots to get inspired from.

More to come on this sadly updated blog!

Please do keep visiting.

All feedback welcome:)

Building Relationships

Ok. That is probably the worst title I could come up with for a post! Apologies:P

These were some very, very quick sketches done at the Airtel Relationship Centre, Bengaluru, India. I pulled out my sketchbook and started off. Even made a 'fan', who asked me to do a quick portrait! As boring as the place was, the sketching was good fun & I realise living without a brush pen is plain impossible. sigh! Here are some of the sketches

Feedback of all sorts appreciated:)

Illustration Friday - Dessert

Ok. This is the longest I've stayed away from Illustration Friday. Sometimes I don't like the topic, sometimes I like it but can't work on it & sometimes I just don't know what the topic is.

However, this is a topic hardly anyone can resist. So off I go! I again had the fortune to go to the most GODLY dessert place I have ever, EVER come across! It's in Mumbai, India and is rightly called 'Theobroma'. Sigh.

The illustration has all that I hogged on; from L to R:

Chocolate Overload Brownie: Crusty on the outside, dangerously gooey on the inside, with a heavenly butter-brown sugar base.

New York Baked Cheesecake: Will make you want to RUN to NYC without a doubt. I wouldn't say more:)

Ambrosio: A dessert so pretty you wouldn't want to eat it, but you will. Dark chocolate with a layer of thick raspberry jam-jelly in between. A bit of white chocolate on top, to make life better.

Custard filled cupcake: Least sinful of all, a squidgy, soft sugar coated cupcake with a horibbly soft, custard filled centre, perfect after a light lunch. sigh.

And then, eventually, there's me;)

All the dessert lovers, MUST leave feedback+their dessert stories:D

Gaga OohLala.

It all started one day when I was trying to look up for some Lady Gaga fanart and could hardly find anything that looked creative or original. Most of what I found was painstakingly done realistic portraits of her existing pictures.

So I sketched this out and finished it on Adobe Illustrator CS3. Took me a while to figure the software but it was good fun:)

(P.S. - The images look reaaally small in the thumbnail so please click on it to see the enlarged version)

Above (from L to R): The initial sketch, the traced outline, the filled in version, the filled in version with variation.

Once I finished this I guess I just got a bit carried away and did this tessellation with the form.

I think I'm becoming a sucker for vector art. Though nothing replaces my pencil and my brush pen:}

All feedback appreciated:D

Have a lovely day!

A Step Into Adulthood & Another Birthday

So, my birthday just passed on the 14th and I turn a tender 21. I am officially an adult and can officially get married. It kind of creeps me out a bit.

People sent wonderful wishes and I spent most of my birthday (and the day after that) replying to all of them:) However, it was checking my mail inbox that I found the most precious wish of them all and could not help but share.

I couldn't thank you more.

Also, I think this is the first time I've drawn myself with my lovely locks open and flowing:D

Have a lovely day!

Eye Am Watching You - Layouts and more

I feel horrid because I haven't updated in a while. Work on my film is progressing at a snail's pace, or worse actually. However these are some of the situations the character is in. The layouts are sketchy just so I can figure out the space in the scene.

Let me know what you think:)

Ooh. Vectors!

Now I've known vectors for a few years now. I recently started using Illustrator and COULD JUST NOT get over the fact that no matter how much I zoom in, I don't see pixels. It is fascinating. It makes me so happy, my eyes water. Vectors are awesome. I love them. And I have been looking at a lot of HOT vector art. One evening I just got kicked and started off directly with the pen tool and my mouse. I would have ideally traced out a rough sketch, but this was just random.

Turns out I love doing this and Illustrator doesn't hate me too much either.

This is what I managed.

I HAD to do this character from my first (and sadly only, yet) comic book.

More of this character, 3D : Here.

Comic : Here.

Let me know what you think. Also if there is some nice vector art link you want to share, go ahead.

Have a happy day:D

Eye Am Watching You - Rough Stills

Rough sketches for my to-be first animation film. Sounds scary, doesn't it?

The story is about a 7 year old girl, Reema. She is all a 7 year old is, only with a little more mischief. The story is about her realization and coming to terms with her conscience, who as told by her convent principal, is always watching her. At first, she is terrified at the very thought of it. The first time she sees it, she is in shock. It seems to NEVER let go. But over a number of events, she acknowledges its presence, not as something else, but her own. Not just that, she starts spreading the noble message as well.

Well, here's the three sketches.

I will try to keep posting more as I proceed:)

Do leave feedback!

Tee O Tee.

I shall start with a sigh. Haven't updated in ages!

*sigh*

During the course of my internship, I learnt a lot of illustrator. I'm quite glad because I've been wanting to for a while now. Got back to college two weeks back. Took me a while to get used to the horrid weather, set up my room and then I got down to designing t'shirt prints for the intra-college fest t'shirts for this year.

Fest name: Monsoon Fiesta.

Print requirements: 3 colors, including the base color.

After all the entries are received, a voting happens. Let's hope atleast one of my designs get printed!

Here they are!

Ze front of the first design,

the back,

and the placement on the t-shirt.

And here's the second print. An ode to Bollywood and Raveena Tondon rain dancing and managing to get a whole generation of men glued to the screen in the legendary 'Tip Tip Barsa Pani'.

the back,

and the placement.

This is my first time making a print for a tee. So DO leave feedback!

Have a great day:)

Portrait is a Funny Word.

Ok. So I've been working hard on quick portraiture. I think I really need to work on it. So alongside my internship, if I can get time, I sit and try to make faces look like people; Or the other way round, erm.. I'm not sure

I start humbly by attempting my sister's portrait, which I have NEVER been able to draw. I show it to her and she blurts out,' I DON't look like this!'

I agree.

So sketching her while she sleeps is just easier. I'm happy, so is she.

Some super quick ones.

And some sketches:)

Joy. I love life, again.

Sketchbook courtesy: Tenzin Yeshi

Another Trip: Amritsar and More

I went to Amritsar a while back. I kind of have fallen in love with my brush pen, and think the feeling, inspite of a few mood swings, is pretty mutual. These sketches are what I did sitting at home and some in Amritsar. I'm trying to get myself to work on my live portrait skills, because I think they've been neglected for too long and I've been reasonably horrible at it. So here it all is!

Some more portraits to follow soon:)

My Dad and his Ray-bans

Do leave feedback:)

It's Another BlogBirthday!

Wow. It has been TWO WHOLE YEARS since I started this blog; Not just that, this happens to be my blog's 100th post as well.
I never though I'd get so much feedback and get to see such amazing work coming from such wonderfully talented people all over the world. It's a journey surely worth continuing and learning as I go along. A big, big thank you to all the people who took out the time and commented/ browsed through the blog. I shall try to be more regular with my posting in the coming years.
So cheers to the two that passed by and many more to come:D

Haven't been able to update the blog on time because my evil office where I'm interning blocks blogging:P

Illustration Friday- Ahead/ Lady Gaga Begins.

An illustration I finished re-hee-cently that gets recycled for Illustration Friday:D

I'm in love with Lady Gaga and think she really is currently ahead of all in pop music for now; and has stepped it up. This is my first proper-proper illustration of her; inspired by her 'Paparazzi' video and her MTV VMA 2009 performance.

It is more like an act where she is lying on the ground with a pool of blood next to her.

I'm not tooooo happy with the way the background came out because I had something different in mind. Let me know what you think.

Top to Bottom: Final to outline to roughs.

Feedback, welcome:)