Cities in India are full of character, each with its own unique ambience. Yet, how often do we observe the interesting patterns of everyday life in a place, the people living there, the built architecture when we travel? We found 5 illustrators who have taken these everyday commonplace themes and turned them into arresting or quirky art pieces that capture the mood and essence of a place.
Paul Fernandes
Identifying himself as a humourist and cartoonist, Paul Fernandes has given a quirky and fun angle to all his city sketches. Mumbai has been a huge part of all his work as he captures the cacophony of the city at its best. The bustling mandis, busy coastlines, the iconic Gateway of India, Chor Bazar, people flocking at the local tea stalls and even daily activities, all find a unique and vibrant look in his sketches and illustrations. He has made a very unique series of illustrations based on the beautiful western coastline where he covers not only Mumbai but also Bangalore, Goa, Mangalore and others. Check out his website and carry a slice of these cities with you through a print of his work. You can also choose from a range of coasters, bags, wall art, and more.
Pari Purohit
The city of dreams has several unnoticed avenues that have become the theme for Pari Purohit’s body of work. Several iconic buildings in Mumbai like the Elphinstone building, David Sassoon Library and many others find place in her vibrant and brightly coloured sketches. Even houses and chawls do not escape her creative touches. She has also done sketches from many other places in India - like Uttarakhand, Bangalore, Rajasthan and others. Observing people and their activities have been a major source of inspiration for her work, she likes to sketch women and men engaged in daily activities. Purohit is also the founder and creative director of Studio Gylph, a multidisciplinary creative design company.
Check out her work here.
KR Santhana Krishnan
Krishnan lives in Chennai and has found his muse in one of the most overlooked motifs of a city, its doorways. Brightly coloured doors with tulsi thara, or locked doors with faded paint and tattered posters on the walls, every doorway have a story to tell. And Krishnan's work captures that. With a Masters in Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts in Chennai, Krishnan takes inspiration from mostly rural homes. “By recreating a strong tactile feel of the old withered or dirty plastered walls, and its surface painted with imagery derived from popular culture as film posters of the 70s, the ubiquitous images of the goddesses from Ravi Verma’s calendar art ...just to bring the memories of those childhood days.”
Head to his website to view his work.
Upamanyu Bhattacharya
For this Kolkata boy, the plethora of activities that define a typical street in his hometown is the inspiration. A graduate from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and an animator, Bhattacharya has been living in Kolkata for a large part of his life, and took to sketching since over a decade. The city has turned out to be his muse and its people the central characters in his sketches. His works have also reflected ongoing social issues. Check out his work on his Instagram page where he uploads them using #HumansofKolkata
Taarika John
Observing life unravels amusing themes and characters which can be transformed into art is what Taarika believes. She did a stint at Bengaluru'sSrishti School of Art Design and Technology where she specialised in Visual Communication. She has worked briefly in the advertising industry, and for a few magazines too. She grew up in the coastal town of Kochi, and her observations of the culture around is reflected through her work. One of her initial works was based on drawings sketches of Malayali characters based on each alphabet which she later transformed into a full-fledged series of poster art. Head to her instagram page or visit her website to get quirky colourful coasters, bags, wall arts and many others replete with her art.
