Saumya Shukla is a student at NIFT, Mumbai. She illustrates, she designs and she has learnt a lot on her way. She continues to evolve as an artist. She recently created some striking art for Inktober as well that you should see on her portfolio at the end of this article. Let’s learn about her past, her thoughts about the present and what she desires for the future.
I used to participate in a number of painting competitions and winning some of them kept me going.
Tell us about your journey from discovering your craft to acquiring the skill you have now.
I have been painting ever since I could hold a pencil. As a kid, I used to participate in a number of painting competitions and winning some of them kept me going. After spending my childhood drawing and sketching all the time, what I did became a part of me I couldn’t possibly live without. I had to choose between Fine Arts and Communication Design out of which I picked the latter, but am trying my best to make the former a part of what I do now.
And it shows in her work too.
After dealing with various demands from clients and/or bosses, what’s that one experience that you learned the most from?
While doing freelance work so far, I’ve had numerous experiences, most of which collectively taught me the greatest lesson of all time: To say “NO” to free sampling, “NO” to working only for exposure, “NO” to endless corrections, and “NO” to working for less than what the work should be paid for.
But she says, “Yes” to making insightful work.
Whose work as an artist/ illustrator do you admire the most in the world? What do you appreciate about their work?
It’s difficult to name one out of the many that I admire. So, I’d pick two: Alan Fletcher for his strong and colourful visual language and Stefan Sagmeister for his bold and unapologetic work.
What do people not realize about your work?
I have a painterly approach in what I do and I like combining hand drawn elements with work done on software. Also, if a design takes five minutes to be created, that’s only the first part one can see. The thought process could be a day, a month, or who knows, a year long. That, I think, is the case with all designers.
She blends her work so well and this piece makes us remember childhood memories.
Which project of yours are you particularly proud of? Could you tell us a little more about it?
Our moods and thoughts resound in our works
I think it has to be the last one I did called Leave that Baggage Behind. It’s a series of five hand-drawn illustrations accompanied by words. It wasn’t an elaborate one at all, and was something I did while doodling. But, I like it because the idea behind it was something I’d been trying to execute in some way for quite some time. It’s kind of the closest description of what I’m going through right now, and what everyone faces at some point in their lives. I’m always a little more attached to the most recent of my works than the older ones as they give a better sense of belonging. Our moods and thoughts resound in our works, so yes, this one is the one I’m most happy about, if not proud, regardless of what it is about.
It’s a beautiful piece of expression.
Give us a piece of advice that really helps you with your own workflow.
Work, I deem, should be done in such a way that if one stops at any point during the process, the product looks complete. To the viewer, it should look like a finished piece of art or design.
By the sound of it, it looks like she starts and finishes in one go.
What are you working on now?
A few things. One of them is travel illustrations from my recent visit to Kerala which is more like a personal project. Another one involves Calendar illustrations for Aarushi, which would be combined with lines by Gulzar sir as a response to the artworks.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
As of now, I see myself starting and owning a Design Studio (I’m crossing my fingers for it to happen). I leave the rest to the future.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for her too.
Have you tried out a completely different creative field? How did that turn out?
I write occasionally. That again is something I’m close to, so it works well for me. Sometimes, I like supporting my artworks with words.
If you had to start afresh in the industry today, what path would you choose?
I don’t think I’ve come far enough on the path I’ve chosen to be able to think about being on another.
If you could claim that any one person’s work in the world was yours, what would it be?
I’m mad about Paula Scher’s Typographic Maps.
Now that you’re getting a firm foothold in the creative world, what would you like to say to ‘all the haters’?
I’ll make sure my work does all the talking on my behalf.
And it speaks volumes once you listen.
Favourite font?
Favourite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
A book everybody should read?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (I recently finished it).
Your quick tip to all designers and illustrators?
Don’t work for recognition. If done right, your work will get the recognition it deserves.
Could you make something exclusive for us in the next 5 minutes?
It’s great, Saumya. Makes us wonder if she could be the next Andy Warhol.
Apart from appearing on our blog, she has a blog of her own that you can visit here. However, if you want to stay on our blog and read an interview or two more with artists and designers? We have them here. You just have to click the buttons below.