Art is cathartic but also like a reflection of the world, from the world. The way individuals take it upon themselves to draw on a sheet a perceived reality from their naked eyes is beautiful. The capability that humans hold to transfer a flash of memory and communicate through painting to make it more accessible is an act of praise. Presenting artists who are masters of their craft and the way they choose to portray it through various styles.

Manu Saluja

Saluja art serves the purpose to keep the essence of the muse visible but also discharges what she wants to see in the world. The watercolour painting shown on her Instagram page is completely ethereal and so detailed they delineate the purpose of representation. The woman she paints with the mixtures of colours and different strokes and the diversity in those portraits leaves you awestruck. With the gravity they hold to show different narratives, Sauja’s art becomes an alternate window that focuses on shedding representation of various cloaked identities. Saluja art represents the dream that dissociates from a corrupt world but also keeps your grounded.

Manjiri More

Painting seems to capture, they captivate an individual in their most raw form forever within a frame. Manijiri’s page, showcases a variety of portraits in different contexts just still and it’s fascinating how still and still alive in time they appear. Manjiri as an artist manages to put tangibility to canvases making the emotions emotive. The colour gradient, the several precise lines and especially the wrinkles on people’s faces depict so much more than words ever could. The beauty oozing out through canvases is a delight and deserves utmost appreciation. A collection of oil portraits with various scenic beauties captured through Majiri’s eyes and hands are meticulously done.

Rakesh Suryawanshi

Rakesh shows a variety of art in form of sketches, oil, charcoal, and watercolour in various locations enclosing people and space in their stillness. The depiction of art shows the skills and effort put into every stroke and line of the sketch. A clear distinction between reality and art is visible and makes it more meaningful that entirely captivates the viewer. Suryawanshi’s page shows the scenic piece as well as the process of getting it down on paper. The way process of art creation is shown is intriguing and insightful at the same time. The alternation an artist can bring in reality and convert into a different one is provoking.

Prabal Mallick

The scenic beauty just simply elevates with the way Prabal plays with colours. The way a particular scene transcends into a gradient dreamy scene one of a kind and unreal is a sheer pleasure to human eyes. The mixture of colours and the way his work remains concise at the same time, a frame taken out from reality and presented for you to cherish. The skies, farms, beaches and flowers are exceptionally done with so much authenticity yet the essence of reality. Mallick’s page, is definitely a place to check out if you keep interested in curating art.

Gurmukh Singh

Gurmukh’s work seizes a piece of real-world on the sheet. His page shows a diverse range of work, showing a lot of potential that he holds in communicating through art. The use of colour is unique and detailed to an extent where they resonate so well with actual tangible subjects. The scenic beauty comprises a range of intricacies almost getting everything into account which turns out to be so artsy and conveys a different range of emotions. The watercolour seems as though drawn from a memory somewhere that remains embedded in everyone’s head.

Art is one of the most serene ways of channelising one’s energy and emotion. Paintings and portraits are a language capturing the likeness and character of humans, animals, ideas, places and the entire world. Art has different forms ranging from paintings, sketches, portraits and the like. Portraits have been a significant style of art since their inception and today, we bring to you the choicest artists with hands carving great marvels.

Paintings by Anoop Anu

Hailing from God’s own country Kerala, Anoop Anu is an amazing artist. Generally focusing on creating human portraits, Anoop has a noteworthy audience on Instagram and other social media platforms. Basically, he specifically specializes in pencil portrait art. His pen is mighty enough to bring out the actual expression of humans. 

Watercolor Paintings by Rakesh Suryavanshi

A watercolor art practitioner, Rakesh Suryavanshi is painting and portraying humans, objects and ideas exceptionally. Playing with different hues, he is successfully blending watercolor paintings with modern art techniques. He brings beauty, emotion, and meaning to the world through his unique expressions. His depiction of human expressions in his sketches is a work of brilliance and precision.

Portraits by Sri Priyatham

A freelance illustrator, artist and visual development instructor, Sri Priyatham is a truly remarkable individual. His portraits are a perfect depiction of the characters of people and places. His work renders human emotions bold and bare. Also a TEDx speaker, Sri is an inspiration for young generation artists.

Watercolor Paintings by Nakshdeep Singh

A confluentia of talent, Nakshdeep Singh is a photographer, watercolor artist, traveler and PhD scholar. From minutely painted monuments and mountains to conceptually made streets and markets, he has a hand to die for. He has the power to capture the essence of humanity and distill it into something tangible and lasting.

Traditional Art by Vipul Haldankar

Putting forward a beautiful blend of traditional art and modern digital techniques, Vipul Haldankar is capturing the charm of Indian mythology. His paintings possess the texture of miniature paintings and the essence of ancient Indian culture. One can surely swear by the intricate patterns drawn by him.

Rangoli Art by Soumya RN Bisoi

Hailing from the land of Lord Jagannath – Odisha, Soumya is a self taught rangoli artist. Practicing the art since the last fifteen years, he has developed a proficiency to make complex designs. From making temples to the map of Odisha, he can play with rangoli colors to create flawless pieces of wonder.

Paintings by Dhruba Mazumdar

With an Instagram bio saying ‘Painting the Romanian landscape in different seasons.’, Dhruba Mazumdar is a brilliant artist. His canvas paintings portray the allure of seasons at their best. Coloring the snow white and the dried autumn leaves the apt yellow, his paintings bring out the virtue of seasons in its full appeal. Certainly you wouldn’t have seen the sky look prettier anywhere than his paintings.

Traditional Art by Iruvan Karunakaran

Bringing out the true soul and spirit of Indian culture and architecture Iruvan Karunakaran is a fabulous artist. His ability to render his creativity on the canvas can leave one in awe of his imagination. He extraordinarily unleashes the energy and beauty of Indian ghats and temples. The depiction of festivals in his creations is a thing beyond human fascination.

Illustrations are visual representations that are used to amplify or clarify a concept, idea, or message. They can take many different forms, including drawings, paintings, photographs, diagrams, charts, graphs, and maps. They can be purely decorative or serve a functional purpose, such as providing instructions or showing the relationships between different pieces of information. The style and complexity of illustrations can vary widely depending on the intended audience and the purpose of the illustration. Today, we present to you some celebrated illustrators and cartoonists.

Illustrations by Rhea Singh

Rhea Singh is an illustrator who is passionately in love with flowers, lines and landscapes. Basically, she uses a plethora of hues in her illustrations and brings out the best in her work. Her Instagram page is a rainbow of colors. There wouldn’t be any flower that Rhea didn’t illustrate in its true essence. The landscapes one imagines are drawn and intensified enchantingly by her. She is a complete nature enthusiast portraying all its antics.

Cartoons by Phani Tetali

An academician, dean at UPES Dehradun, an illustrator, a cartoonist, a storyteller – this is what describes Phani Tetali as a whole. His cartoons majorly hold a sarcasm or satire on the world and his latest creations touch the growing fame of artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGpt. The cartoons put forward ironic situations to create light humor. His creations for sure established him as a great storyteller.

Illustrations by Vijaya Aswani

Vijaya Aswani is a growing illustrator and self made business woman drawing and dancing through life. She creates free spirited illustrations. Her work has a hidden story to narrate. Blending modern concepts with traditional culture, she renders fabulous pieces. She is known for creating personalized gifts like calendars and caricatures. Her creations can surely make one smile while conveying a message to the masses.

Illustrations by Shaivalini Kumar

The co-founder of Supernova Design Studio, Shaivalini Kumar is an art director and illustrator. Currently residing in Copenhagen, Denmark she is known for creating top notch wallpapers and illustrations. Her work is a perfect mix of bright tints and cool concepts. Patterns accompanied with the alphabet form a major part of her creations.

Illustrations by Maria Rose

Hailing from the Silicon Valley of India, Maria Rose is an artist and illustrator. Her illustrations particularly draw inspiration from plants and snippets of life around. She loves to develop intricate designs in human figures and present their emotions evidently. Most of her work revolves around humans and animals. Fairy tales, sitcoms and cosmic objects also form a part of her imagination.

Cartoons by Upmanyu Bhattacharya

An artist and animator from Calcutta, Upmanyu Bhattacharya is an emerging young generation talent. His illustrations are generally based on sceneries, landscapes, temples, markets and the like. The use of radiant tinctures in his work escalates the fascination of the viewer. The cartoons he creates are majorly a depiction of humans in their world. Certainly, one can’t afford to miss his woodwork and sculpting art. 

Illustrations by Sharanya Kunnath

An alumnus of Arts University Bournemouth, Sharanya Kunnath is an illustrator and designer. She is a gifted artist who designs and illustrates book covers. Her illustrations are an evidence of her thoughts and imagination. She also designs the English alphabet into a world of wonder. Her drawings of Maa Saraswati with a tinge of modern art are commendable. She also creates Mandala Art with detailed designs.

Illustrations by Juhi Mehta

Hailing from Bangalore, Juhi Mehta believes in illustrating what inspires her. From models and dresses to food and flowers, she has it all. She also specializes in creating customized wedding invitations. Her illustrations are a depiction of anything and everything one can see around oneself. The cool colors used by her are a cherry on the cake.

Globalisation started with the aim of making the world a global village. Since its inception, it has taken the world by storm. It made goods and services accessible to a totally new section of society that was left untouched previously. It has managed to bridge many gaps that existed before. Since its arrival in India in 1991, it opened many doors for India to go global. But along with many wide open doors of opportunities, a host of new windows of challenges also opened up.

Globalisation: The Saviour

Given India’s colonial past, India’s hesitation towards opening its doors to the global market doesn’t sound alarming at all. So, when it did open itself up towards the global market the results were very rewarding and not so rewarding at the same time. India’s soul lies in its traditions. And its handicrafts and handlooms are the most tangible form of its traditions. Given how important traditions are to India, one can only imagine how invaluable these pieces of handicrafts and handlooms must be for India. It’s India’s most tremendous pride and greatest asset.

When it opened itself up to the world during globalisation, India needed something unique to help make it stand out from the crowd. And thus, came into the global picture, Indian handicrafts and handlooms. The potential that Indian handicrafts held in the global market were observed when their export crossed Rs 1220 crores in 1990-91 from merely 10 crores in the mid-fifties. These handicrafts and handlooms ignited interest in the western world to know more about this Asian section of their global village. Thus, leading to a boom in India’s tourism industry. It looks like everyone is benefitting from it, but are they?

Globalisation: The Hidden Side

Globalisation did give India its fair share of global credit for its outstanding craftsmanship, but what about the true artisans? With an increase in their audience, one would expect them to thrive but sadly the reality is not the same. Given the rise in middlemen and trade entrepreneurs, the majority of the profit ends up in their lap. And the true artist is left to collect the scraps. This further leads to them hoping for their kids to have a better future than them. This means they wish for them to have a different occupation. Thus, the new generation either doesn’t always end up learning the age-old craft from their parents. Or if they do they don’t always end up practising it, and thus, the craft dies with it.

Given the lack of organisation and formal education, many local artisans end up working in highly exploitative environments which will make even a true craft lover turn their eyes away with tears. Along with increased audience globalisation also brings with it an increase in competition. A highly competitive environment means the cheapest product wins the bet. 

But sadly the amount that goes into the making of these exquisite pieces of handicrafts and handlooms is not cheap and hence, the end value is always expensive. Plus, the traditional way of making these handicrafts and handlooms also takes a lot of time. In order to meet the increased demand cheap knockoffs started circulating the market. Using machinery rather than artisans cuts the production cost and the time taken to produce it by half. Plus it meets the global demand. But with all the profits the one who suffers the most is the true artist.

Afterword

Globalisation indeed helped uplift India’s local artisans by increasing their employment rate. But sadly this trend did not follow for long. With the arrival of middlemen and an increase in the demand for these handicrafts and handlooms, cheaper knockoff versions entered the market. This led to a loss of uniqueness and craftsmanship as goods were now produced by machines and a loss of tradition in general. The aim of globalisation is to create a global village but you cannot build a village with a profit-making mentality that only benefits you in the long run. The government has taken several steps to help artisans get their fair share of profit but a lot still needs to be done. And most of it starts with us becoming more aware consumers.

Teju Jangid, born and brought up in Jodhpur, Rajasthan is a digital artist. With an immense fanbase on Instagram, he is a self-taught digital artist. Currently working as a full-time freelancer, Teju Jangid is proficient in digital illustration, book cover design, concept art and the likes. Here’s a sneak peek into the inspiring journey of Teju Jangid becoming a digital artist despite all the odds in his life.

Since childhood Teju Jangid loved to experiment with colors and come out with some exceptional pieces of work. Recalling the first drawing he made, he says, “The first time I painted was when I was a sixth grader. I made a drawing of Lord Hanuman and took it to school. My friends and teachers appreciated the effort a lot. This gave me a solemn affirmation and I started improving my art skills.” In the initial phase he did not receive much support from his family. Coming from a farming background, Teju Jangid’s father wanted him to join the same and continue the legacy. Paying heed to his father’s advice, he started a job in the sales domain in the main city area of Jodhpur. But the moment he started working, he realized this wasn’t something he wanted to do. He quit the job and came back to his village and started helping his father on the farm. He worked in the fields in the day and practiced art whenever he got a chance. 

Teju Jangid kickstarted his career as a professional digital artist around five years back in the year 2018. He started with making pencil sketches of celebrities and sharing them on Instagram. His journey of success began when the renowned YouTuber Amit Bhadana posted his sketch made by Teju Jangid on his Instagram story. While recollecting some significant instances from his story Teju Jangid says, “I remember I made a sketch of Akshay Kumar’s character as Prithviraj Chauhan before the release of the movie. Akshay Kumar had commented on the post and to this day that whole thing remains inscribed on my mind and heart.” 

Teju Jangid idolizes the great artist Raja Ravi Verma and draws inspiration from him. Though he has never made one, he adores oil paintings to the fullest. He generally finds solace in painting portraits of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, characters from Indian mythological stories and folktales and the mighty rulers of Indian history. He takes pride in being attached to his roots and portraying the same in his art. He says, “In my early days, I used to paint and sketch on paper. The gradual shift from traditional tools of art to modern equipment was a challenging aspect. I learned and thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.” Now he feels like he has got detached from traditional art but wishes to explore it all over again.

Teju Jangid feels that social media, especially Instagram played a key role in shaping his career as a digital artist. Talking about the essence of art in rural India, he believes that rural India possesses a huge respect for art and artists but it is still not considered as a profession there. Being asked about his take on the upcoming generation of artists, Teju Jangid says, “Just two things for the budding artists – DON’T RUSH AND DON’T COMPARE! Don’t chase popularity and money, just focus on polishing your skills, fame, name and money will follow with joy. And don’t compare the first page of your story to the tenth page of someone else’s story. Compete with yourself, look back at your own versions and feel proud of how far you came!”

Teju Jangid considers artificial intelligence to be both a bane and a boon for artists. He concludes with a strong statement that AI can never replace humans, it can only accompany and facilitate them. He aspires to grow and develop his own self in the field of digital art and accomplish new horizons.