Posh Also Makes Stuff

Illustration Friday: 'Journey'

2011-04-22T00:21:00.000+05:30

(click to enlarge)

Mixing up some Shakespeare and the Indian Railways :) For me, train travel beats everything else! I'm yet to meet a cute boy on a train though :P

Coco

2011-04-22T00:18:00.000+05:30

Illustration Friday: 'Bottled' 2

2011-04-15T01:29:00.000+05:30

This was the result of googling 'bottled' and coming up with the craziest hit.....the 'bottled' city of Kandor, apparently the capital city of Krypton. Superman trivia crash course :D And the idea of a bottled city! Too cool :) I tried to imagine a quaint Cinque Terre-like village inside it's own bottled world :)

Illustration Friday: 'Bottled'

2011-04-15T01:21:00.000+05:30

(all reference pics from Getty)

Just some quick sketches of bottles (perfume and otherwise) and glass jars, to experiment with two things: (i) painting glass, which I've never attempted because of some stupid artistic fear, and (ii) trying out watercolour pencils, which suprised me with their brilliance :)

Happy accidents all around. I'm loving the learning experience :) and my first time making two submissions for a single topic! Here's a start.

I NEED a dog. Soon.

2011-04-15T01:12:00.000+05:30

Illustration Friday: 'Duet'

2011-04-06T19:44:00.000+05:30

I had another idea for the topic, which I will do later, hopefully :) But Wall-E was playing on TV and I couldn't resist a very hastily-done scene :) CANNOT get enough of this movie. Period. :)

Transplendence

2011-04-06T19:40:00.000+05:30

The first time I heard a performance of Angela Ahn's was on the unplugged version of 18 til' I die...that video has some serious move-you-beyond-the-limit-of-music power! Then recently I came across an old performance she gave with her sisters (The Ahn Trio) at TEDWomen talks. I love how they move and get absorbed in the performance. Music like this makes me want to slap myself for not listening to as many classical peices as I'd like to.

P.S. A first attempt at flesh tones in watercolour...it's all about keeping the layers at a minimum, I'm coming to learn :) anyone's got tips on painting skin in watercolour? Would appreciate it!

Illustration Friday: 'Toy'

2011-03-30T14:36:00.000+05:30

I was more of a toy to Strawbella than she was to me. She beat out the competition from my crazy collection of 13 Barbies and consumed half my childhood as my favourite doll.

I think it had something to do with her scented dress and strawberry-shaped purse...or maybe it was the way she came into my life. The day before my 8th (or 9th?) birthday, I spotted her in the only big toy shop in Vellore (the now extinct Nataraj...sigh) and pleaded in vain with Mum to buy it. But no, my parents had already gotten me a dress...frilly pink! God knows how I wore pink in my youth! :)...so a doll was ruled out. I tried not to cry and ruin my day, but vivid dreams of this doll with a gorgeous red dress hardly helped with the sleep.

The next day I woke up teary-eyed to the traditional birthday breakfast table of cake and flowers. But in the midst of all the hibiscus from our graden, there she sat. Strawbella.

I nearly died of happiness. And have since loved my parents a little bit more hahaha :D

Illustration Friday: 'Cultivate'

2011-03-24T19:09:00.003+05:30

(click to make picture beeeg-er!)

The first thing I thought of was Totoro helping Satsuki and Mei magically cultivate those acorns! :D One of my favourite scenes from the movie... Studio Ghibli love all over again! :)

Happiness is a stencil effect

2011-02-24T22:26:00.000+05:30

I had to make someone pink, and Mr. Starr fit the bill :)

The travel bug! And Mr. Adams a.k.a. God

2011-02-24T22:22:00.000+05:30

My first encounter with 'proper' watercolour paper (after using handmade papers of varying thickness all this time, watercolour paper is like rain in the desert) had to be turned into a sketchbook, and the good book made its first few pages useful to document my Pune-Bombay trip!

What an awesome four-day whirlwind of pubs and Maharashtrian street food (so muuuuuuuch pav!), all sponsored by the beloved Brother :) And having it culminate in the first live concert of my sorry life: BRYAN ADAMS. Un.f-ing.believable. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven :)

Note to self - pat on back for starting to tolerate flying...more travelling on the cards! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Layer'

2011-02-22T19:46:00.000+05:30

No idea where this came from, but I think it has to do with me thinking about the 'layers' in rainbows, roses, and hair all at the same time. Made sense to put them together! Death is just the contrast, the inevitable foil :)

Illustration Friday: 'Sweater'

2011-02-16T20:32:00.000+05:30

Not that these guys would need sweaters in the climes that they live in! But I thought it would be fun to see them in each other's skins hehe :)

I wish someone would knit me a zebra print sweater! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Reverse'

2011-02-08T21:23:00.002+05:30

What if the paintings in galleries could break free of their canvasses and run riot on the walls?

A reverse situation that I would VERY much love to see :)

Click on the image to enlaaaaarge!

A Valentines's gift

2011-02-08T21:13:00.000+05:30

For Sheethal and Rohit :)

Ilustration Friday: 'Surrender'

2011-02-04T19:06:00.000+05:30

MACARONS!! I would surrender to them even if I was the cat in that window :) And to think I've not even tasted one yet...double sigh. But soon! :)

And here's the Laduree catalogue...just to fuel my macaron thirst :)

A hundred little balloons...

2011-02-04T18:57:00.000+05:30

What a great location this would be to have a picnic :) And this tree actually exists. Sigh.

Illustration Friday: 'Chicken'

2011-01-20T21:10:00.000+05:30

Does it show that ballet has been the only thing on my mind over the last week? :) This is what happens when you get blown away by Black Swan AND Tchaikovsky's music all at the same time! I'm currently obsessing over both, so what better way to illustrate 'Chicken' than a ballet theme :) If these girls were to prance on stage to Swan Lake, it would have to be called 'Hen Pond'. He he, bad joke. Enjoy the 'fowl' play :)

P.S. Drawing those skirts was the best fun I've ever had! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Deja Vu'

2011-01-09T21:40:00.001+05:30

'Hey, didn't I just push you off the page?'

Deja vu...what goes around comes around :)

May the force be with you

2011-01-09T21:34:00.001+05:30

My third portrait for The Hindu's Open Page! 'Big three' cheer :) This one was for a piece on scientist Satyendranath Bose, after whom those little 'force-carriers,' Bosons, are named :)

Illustration Friday: 'Resolutions'

2011-01-06T19:48:00.000+05:30

This is a more a life's resolution than a year's one (since a big pay-check isn't going to happen anytime soon!), nevertheless...I'm hoping to go to Cinque Terre someday! I mean, just look at it. A group of five villages clustered on a cliff on the Italian coast. What's not to lust after? It's unreal. I heard about the place last month and have been obsessing over it ever since. Nothing like a crazily whimsical place to fuel the wanderlust! More travelling on the cards this year :)

And here's marking my foray into Illustration Friday!! Every Friday a word-prompt goes up, and you get a week to illustrate it. Fun fun fun :) One of the big resolutions was to draw more this year and make the transition into full-time art, so this is step number one. Fingers crossed! :)

The Fighter

2010-12-20T00:49:00.000+05:30

My second illustration for The Hindu's Open Page, where readers get to contribute stories...this was a piece on dissent and democracy...8 hours, 3 mis-sketches and no food later, I managed to arrive at some semblance of Arundhati Roy :)

Need to keep at the portraits and get better! :)

For the story, here's the link.

(Telepathic plea to boss: Gimme more illustration assignments!! :))

Happy South Indian :)

2010-11-11T00:37:00.000+05:30

A friend had been meaning to check out Dakshin Chitra for ages, so off we went last month. I've been to this beautiful cultural showcase/artists' village/generally awesome place twice already...but the craft bazaar and the wonderfully eerie houses set up in the tradition of each of the four Southern States keep beckoning :) Not to mention some super fun activities (like pottery and glass-blowing) and things to buy...this time I returned with super noisy clay rattles and a bamboo bow and arrow set (coooooolness) :)

Stocked up on lots more thread-bangle goodness at the bangle stall :)

Gorgoeusly painted wooden baby cribs at the Tamil Nadu House.

A beautiful wooden spice cabinet in the Kerala House (eeriest of the lot...said friend swore that she 'saw something'...oooh) Spice cabinet, I COVET.

I couldn't stop staring at this balck-and-white photograph of some lovely girl from the past. Ghostly, but so so beautiful.

A ratha/chariot thing :)

Kitchen in Tamil Nadu House!! Nicely recreated...you can almost smell the imaginary dishes :)

A detail from the carved ratha...very intriguing lion/dragon-ish fellow whose likeness eluded the struggling artist. Must go back for closer look :)

And my favourite place...the Room of Dolls from the Karnataka (or was it Andhra?) House. Just a light-filled room full of handmade wooden dolls hanging from the ceiling in circles. Just hanging there. Oh well. I FELL IN LOVE :)

A view and some memories.

2010-11-11T00:04:00.000+05:30

The view from my loverly little terrace isn't exactly painting worthy, but this was one of the first few everyday sketches I began (drawn from camera phone pic taken while waiting for the noodles to cook...yes, I live in a hostel with a rooftop kitchen :))

Lately (that is, over the past few months and a slightly-more-productive-than-hitherto-wasted-life) I've been so inspired by The Urban Sketchers and a ton of drawing sites/books/awesomely creative people that I decided to keep a sketchbook propaaaly filled...in other words, just to keep drawing, drawing, drawing, even it means just a little bit everyday. It's paying off, in a way...I'm a lot happier, for some reason -geee- :)

Now I need to start doing on-location sketches to improve technique and skills in general...leisurely dabbling in glorious pools of watercolour while sketching from photos isn't exactly the same :)

And there was this squirrel...he really had attitude :)

This last one is one of the buildings in my old college (for you initiated Gits, I think it's the Fine Arts block :)) as seen from our much beloved and oft-remembered-in-teary-sessions hangout, Shirdi's.

Ahhhh, Shirdi. Where the Aloo Paratas contain the entire output of South America's annual potato crop. Where the Lassi is a gooey, creamy meal in itself. Where the Pav Bhaji has an entire Amul Butter packet floating in it. Sigh. Just isn't the same eating there now. Still...thanks for the memory :)

A sketchy future

2010-11-10T23:36:00.001+05:30

So much for all the talk about motivation elsewhere nearly a year ago. The creative spark finally decides that it's time to do something about lighting the fire (mind wandering to perverted territories...but now now, back to business) and I've decided to start a regular (haaahaha) update thingy of all the random sketching/creating I do.

To begin the festeeeevities, a random collection of motley hooligans! And fireworks! Tis' the season to be jooooolly people! :)

And a new banner (wheeeeeee!) inspired by The Exquisite Book!

And I start to complain when there's no raaaain..

2010-09-09T00:50:00.003+05:30

The things I do to my umbrella...ella...ella...

A Silver Anniversary, and a daughter who can't do faces.

2010-04-09T00:18:00.006+05:30

Reactions to above portrait, a late gift of lowe and affection for parents on their 25th anniversary:

*Mother: My nose is awful! And I'm not fatter than him!! (pointing to hapless Father). And we are not Caucasians!!! ...(afterthought) Thank you, what a beautiful gift!

*Father: Um, thanks. My hair is silver, not white. We are not Caucasians.

*Colleagues/mild critics: Improve the face-drawing love. (afterthought) What a naice gift!

*Not-so-mild critics: Duuuuuuuuude, you 't CAN'T draw faces!!

*Self: I know. Sigh. I'm getting there world :)

In my defence, it was the first attempt at a portrait AND a pastel painting. Hence the chalky bad colour-mixing :)

Post script: You put our picture on your blog???! Aaaaaaaarrrggggh my nooooooooooose!

Gasp! Water!! Water!! No wait...Coins, Gimme Coins!!

2009-08-26T22:23:00.004+05:30

One gold (digger) fish money purse for Radhika, who lost hers to MTC pick-pocket: CHECK

Patent for cute purse design: COMING SOOOOON :P

His loopy smile was the hardest to stitch :)

The Fall

2009-08-26T21:24:00.016+05:30

Above: " Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" (1558) by Pieter Breugel the Elder.

Above: A sad attempt at paying homage to a truly great painting :)

Also my first oil pastel painting. I became obsessed with Breugel's canvas following gnothi seauton's lead, and Auden's poem inspired by the scene forms the perfect verbal accompaniment to the visual.

Did I mention I LOVE oil pastels? :) Such a beautiful, tactile medium. Feels like smearing paint directly onto the surface. More to come soon...hopefully :)

Musee des Beaux Arts

- W.H. Auden

About suffering they were never wrong,

The Old Masters; how well, they understood

Its human position; how it takes place

While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;

How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting

For the miraculous birth, there always must be

Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating

On a pond at the edge of the wood:

They never forgot

That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course

Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot

Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse

Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away

Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may

Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,

But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone

As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green

Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen

Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,

had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

-Warning-

2009-06-17T18:14:00.005+05:30

You DO NOT want to mess with Pu-Cha, the Ninja Cat. Really.

Those needles and roll of thread are quite the weapons!!

And what powers of stealth!! The Dark Knight didn't know what he was talking about!!

I'm a bookie now!! Place your bets!

2009-06-17T17:31:00.011+05:30

The result of experimental forays into hand-making a book!! :)

It may be small, but you can guarantee bright ideas will be inspired!! - the light bulb, if you hadn't noticed :) -

Everyone agrees that hand-made books are good for you. Even Theo! :)

Reading is one thing, but there's something so much more satisfying in making your own book.

P.S. This one went to a certain future Booker-winner :)

Self-obsessed work in progress...

2009-06-17T17:27:00.004+05:30

I'm hoping this will evolve into something vaguely like a laptop cover or a piece of embroidery I can use on an old bag...butterflies and bubbles in the background waiting to come to life :)

A very belated Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-30T20:13:00.006+05:30

As is evident from the crookedness of stitches, I am a beginner to the chain stitch :)

Salvation for the Love-lorn

2009-05-30T19:43:00.005+05:30

Jean-Paul...the new man in my life...I've been waiting forever, where O where have you been my lowe!!! Sigh :)

Too tiny to be stuffed, so he had to settle for being my bookmark :)

Note...big smile, big heart, BIG ears :) Just like the owner :P

Things that have kept me busy...and Yappy!! :)

2009-05-02T13:10:00.002+05:30

[An old post I dredged up...fits on this blog, not elsewhere :) ]

Presenting... C.T.!! Coorg Tiger that is...Quite a cutie eh? Presented to Mrs. Bennet on her birthday last week. My first successfully-not-too-lumpy-looking stuffed toy :)

Pattern from Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls.

And this is Paolo!! My first foray into independent stuffed bear design...and panda-making :) Quite the intellectual he is...what with snout buried in owner's future employer-newspaper and the dictionary. Also featured with his big-brother-for-a day Theo. Presented to Chithira on her birthday :)

- Pattern: Moi!!! (with cool blue tie for added panda-attitude)Coming up...your wish!! I've embarked on an obsessive toy-making spree...so let me know if there's an animal or character you like, and yours truly will take it up as a challenge to make!! :)

That creative side of me...

2007-04-27T02:28:00.002+05:30

So I've been drawing, painting, and randomly reveling in all things handmade - making gifts/cards for friends, stuffed animals, embroidery, etc etc - all my life, but only recently has this urge to make, make, make struck the self so violently. So I figured the only way to balance a henceforth hectic existence (assuming my first job will be at least a little demanding!) is to start indulging in some all-out creativity. And what better way to force myself to do that than to dedicate a blog to my crafty-ness! (ha ha, yeah right...this coming from a lazy blogger!)

But anyway, I hope all the goodies I've made till date will inspire me to make more and better ones...ha ha, yeah right again! Hey, but one can hope :)

Enjoy all that is to follow! :)