Creating Character Illustrations with Whimsy and Chaos!

It was the year 2018, Sirjana Kaur was studying at the Srishti School of Art and Design and had to illustrate an entire children’s book for her pre-thesis. This launched her into the world of illustration, with all of its exciting possibilities. There was no turning back after that!

Sirjana is an army kid and for a shy and quiet child like her, amongst constant moves, art was her escape. She was always buried in a book or scribbling in sketchbooks. She recalls fondly writing and illustrating her first picture book in first grade! She made a cosy little scene on one of her room’s walls every time she moved to give her comfort wherever she went Art has always helped her get through difficult times, allowing her to express herself and understand her place in the world.

As she grew, her perspective on design evolved and changed, and her time at design school has been crucial in this. One of her most important design lessons has been how to use composition, shape size, colour, and placement to lead the eye. She makes no claims to be an expert, but each piece she creates brings her closer to becoming one.

Her first professional job in illustration came in 2021, and she has since worked with many major publishers and an animation studio. When discussing her very unique and eccentric character, she says that she understands her character before putting the first lines on paper.

She starts with her five Ws, then develops a story and adds details to convey their personality and backstory. The characters become more credible as a result of the research. When creating environments or characters, she usually consults a large number of books Books on costume design, composition, landscape photography, poses and gestures, and encyclopaedias, all are her go-to! Having complete freedom to bring the characters to life, essentially designing the absolute first look could also be a bit daunting but she always sticks to her process.

Her favourite creation to date is Keen Krumble, a personal project. She liked using shapes to add contrast. It’s a character with a lot of potentials, and she intends to expand on it and her story in the coming years!

When designing for children, wicked characters cannot appear too wicked, and intense expressions cannot be too intense. She enjoys letting the story define her style for children’s books, adding a touch of whimsy and chaos. Colours play an important role in making character designs rich, using bright colours for characters who are very vibrant and high-energy, while also making sure to add a good amount of contrast to guide the audience’s attention to the right areas.

She is an animal lover, growing up with many animals, she learned a great deal from them. She believes that animals should not be eaten, worn, or used as a source of entertainment. She also enjoys reading thrillers, baking vegan cupcakes while humming California Dreamin’, playing board games, and spending time with her dog Noorie. Adding to her ever-expanding list of talents, she also wishes to learn Spanish, play the violin and in her own words, “Make friends far better than me so that I can hopefully learn all of the above from them!”