IndieFolio interviews Alicia Souza, a Bengaluru based freelance illustrator, dog lover and creator of the most lovable illustrations online!

I was trained as a graphic designer but the last day of university, when they were reviewing portfolios, I got my first job to do an illustration and I was hooked.

What are you working on at the moment?

A children’s book for a client, an online campaign drawing, a screencasting experiment, a bunch of drawings for an article and a few Diwali products.

As a freelancer, what’s your ‘that one client’ experience and what did you learn from it?

All my clients so far, touchwood, have been downright lovely. I think it may be because I work as an independent artist but so far, all good! The strangest experience so far was that a client paid me more than the estimate and invoice and didn’t want the money returned. I was kind of baffled!

If you could claim that any one comic was drawn by you, what would it be?

Peanuts, hands down.

Could you tell us about your own store on your website?

Last year we opened the online store and I planned to keep it open only till Feb (i.e., for the season) but we just had such a good response that it’s now open indefinitely. I’m so grateful that everyone has been so supportive and all my darling customers have been so lovely in showing me their goodies after they buy them. Though it sometimes feels like a second job, it also feels like another blessing.

If the IndieFolio team were to spend a Saturday night with you, what’d we be doing?

There’s a big chance I would be at a friend’s place or hosting some friends over for a cosy dinner. If it’s just me and my fellow, it would be a big dinner, with dessert and a movie cuddled on the couch.

Have you tried out a completely different creative field? How did that turn out?

Oh I was trained as a graphic designer but the last day of university, when they were reviewing portfolios, I got my first job to do an illustration and I was hooked. So, I guess my ‘other’ creative field was nipped in the bud, though of course, my training comes in handy as I work with designers all the time.

We asked Alicia Souza if she could make a one minute sketch for us: