अस्थि शेष

आज कौन सा दिवस मनाऊं 

किस याद को आश्रय बनाऊं

कुछ गीत धरोहर रह गए 

अस्थि शेष ये बन गए

यहीं मेरे करुण द्वार

इसी चौखट मिलना उस पार

+1 up!

Yesterday, I finished another book for 'Going to School'. This book has a mixed use of mediums - pencils, acrylics and photographs. Earlier, I was quite skeptical of playing with different mediums in one graphic novel, but it turned out better than I expected.  Here is a sneak peek on what I did in this book. 

The cover and chapter openers borrow its inspirations from the Bollywood posters to highlight the dramatic tension in between characters. Apart from working with varied mediums cohesively, I enjoyed doing the hand drawn type for the titles. It feels good to be analogous with the rendering process of the letters and appreciating the human error. 

Here is a little souvenir - the tissue paper on which I wiped my brushes clean while colouring the pages.

There are more things to come on the blog but for now this +1 up on my to do list is a relief. 

बाबा रामदेव

हर हर महादेव

आयें बाबा रामदेव

केसरिया रंग बांधे

केश धारी तन साधे 

अनुलोम विलोम काजे

असंतुलित नयन बाजे

सांसों से करते दंगल

शनि हो या या हो मंगल

योग से हरते हर रोग 

एड्स सिद्ध प्राणायम प्रयोग

बाबा रामदेव दूरदर्शी
आसन मांगे अब कुर्सी
अन्ना थे बिना अन्न
प्रजातन्त्र का न्यू फैशन

रामलीला में खुली दूकान
धुनी शर्तों की अंधी जुबान
भ्रष्टाचार का बेचा अचार
सबने चखा और लिया चटकार

पर जब पड़ी लाठी की भनक
माथा गया और ठनक
कौन अब भूखे पेट लात खाए
प्रिय भक्तजनों आप आगे आयें

बस चंद दिनों के ब्रेकिंग न्यूज़
जब तक इनकी सच्चाई महफूज़

प्रजातंत्र नहीं एक भूख की गुलाम 

जहां अरबों के पेट में भूखी हर शाम

- ख़ुफ़िया कातिल का बाबा रामदेव के प्रति स्नेहपूर्ण आक्रोश

Brainwave. Issue 07. Snakes.

It has been quite some time since I uploaded any new work. A lot of freelance work is in the pipeline and should be done in the next 15 days. Apart from that I am now the designer and illustrator for Brainwave magazine (Science magazine for kids, published by Amar Chitra Katha). I joined in May and did some work for the seventh issue which is based on Snakes and Rain forests. Here are a few spreads on which I worked on -

Working in a Magazine is all about being quick and good. You can't afford to sit and ponder for long as the deadlines are tight. This is something that can make you good with being more confident and assured with your ideas and keeping the execution water tight. Another observation that came through when working on layout meant for kids is to let go off the clean Swiss look that we idealize so much. I do love the Swiss but there is something more challenging about getting down to the playful level. I hope to be more at ease with this non-Helvetica zone. The next issue is on robotics/intelligent machines, this suits my love for grids and the mechanical drawings. Although, I am working in a range of styles and the coming issue will give a sense of satisfaction to my exploratory side as a Designer. I have realised that I am more of a graphic designer than an Illustrator. I choose the style of the drawing according to the content and then work with it. It may not establish me as an illustrator who can be identified for the look and feel of his work but it strengthens me as a graphic designer.
I am waiting for the next issue to come on stands but lots has to be done before that. More updates soon. And here is something my Bhai gave me. Sadly, the amount of work this month has kept me off my running shoes.