Covered and Compiled

Comix India Volume 4 - The Real stuff is ready to come out. The concept for the cover comes from what non - fiction is supposed to be - writing the truth.

I also had to do a 2 page editorial comic. These are the images taken while I was at it. For now the issue has been compiled and will soon hit the sales. Keep a track of it on - comix india

Koshy's and friends

This is from November when I went to Koshy's for the first time. The place has a comforting vibe. It doesn't require you to be something else to fit in the chairs. I guess nostalgia plays as a factor too. But, the one thing that really made me love the place is the tea. Order a tea pot and just sit and pour yourself cups after cups. If you manage to get a window seat, even better.

And a few pics and sketches of Miss PG.

Christmas chocolates

Bhaiya has come down from Germany for Christmas holidays with abundant supplies of chocolate and stationery :)

Exhibitions

Last month, I went for two exhibitions. One of it was in Max Mueller Bhawan about German Graphic design. The work had rich variety with its playfulness and crisp expertise on the varied field of Graphic design. One thing that caught the attention most was the display of work. There were set of panels of eight put together as drawers and set of two as opening chambers. A very mobile and compact way of putting up work and traveling with it.

The second exhibition was the handmade collective by a hundred hands. It featured handicraft from different regions and you could shop around. Here, the work that was new to me was of Ram Soni, National Award winner who belongs to the Sanjhi Art of Paper cutting. With a thin pair of scissors and elegant movement of his fingers, he creates intricate shapes in papers. You can visit their site here and contribute as an artist too - ahundredhands

Graphic Literature in India

One of the spreads from my book has been featured in this thorough article written by Margot Cohen on the Graphic novel scene in India. You can read the article here - Graphic Literature in India

This article has been written for Art & the City section, Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, India.

Cats n cats

I am back to my manual slr days. So, photo updates come a bit delayed. Last week of November, I visited the Magazine store, Church street, Bangalore. The place is a shelter for many cats, sleeping and whispering around. You could see them taking a nap at the doorstep, having cat fight sessions in the alley and at times hiding under the thick logs of old magazines. Also, cats remind me of a line from my friend Girish - 'Muffin cat needs love too.'

Almost there

After many months of rendering and staring at the computer screen, I printed the final dummy of the book. It looks good and needs a few corrections. Thats why I am in Delhi, editing for the final print file. Its freezing here but winters are always welcome. The work and few sessions of illness has kept me off from uploading new sketches and photographs. But, this month is full of travel and uploads will follow soon. By the way, the hand model in the picture is my friend Jyoti Somani.

The Vintage Maugham

Last week, I got hold of two old hardbound books of Maugham. I found 'The complete short stories' in red cloth cover with embossed golden letters, in the back of the Blossoms book store. 'The moon and six pence' was gifted to me by Aditi. Both books compliment the writing of Maugham. Holding an old book to read has its homely charm and the smell is of wise dust gathered over the years. The illustrations in the second book carry a simplicity and skill in abundance. Its soothing to see these illustrations as many artworks these days have become loud and go over the ledge with their play of mediums. The illustrations are by Ralph Brown.

In the silence

The wind is brewing,

the splinters of yesterday's dreams are warm.

The clouds have come dark and forlorn,

a thunder will soon break the calm.

Come you all and break this dawn.

Colour it red and welcome the harm.

But, let me mourn.

No. Not with a frown.

Just let me sleep in silence

before the storm.

I am not a poet and not very fluent with the poetic devices. I just scribble these short moments of a thought swirling in my head. It generally comes in small structures and fewer lines. Last night, after I was done with my quota of work, I had put these few lines in my notebook.

Render farm

68 spreads = 136 pages rendered. The last 34 pages need to be digitised now. Then some correction, editing and the book will be ready for print :) My digital slr is not with me anymore so, forgive the quality of pictures.