Jack of all Trades (Styles) of Art
Art is not just meant to be beautiful. It's meant to make you feel something. It can spark the imagination even of the viewer and capture stories that connect us. Ananya Srinivasan is an illustrator and visual artist whose art focuses on exactly those emotions and storytelling, catching universal emotions and truths.
Fluke or Meant to Be?
Like many artists, the seeds of creativity were sown young in Ananya. She was interested in art since as long as she can remember, spending her time doodling away in her sketchbooks. She aspired to pursue architecture, which for her was the best of both worlds, where one gets to learn and practice art but is also a lucrative path. However, life had other plans. She didn’t get into a college of her choosing and eventually ended up doing a 4 years course on visual arts.
Discovering Her Niche
When she went to college, self-admittedly she wasn’t fully invested. She wasn't ready for fine arts. Only near the end of her third year of college, through a paper on children's illustration, did she discover her niche. Her interest in illustration really got started at that point. She formed an art account, began learning about further artists, and eventually discovered visual development.
Jack of All Trades
A good artist, in Ananya's opinion, should always experiment with various styles, especially in the field of visual development and animation. One must be able to, or at the very least ready to, experiment with many styles. A potential employer won't be intrigued by your work till then.
However, it's also beneficial to have your own style when it comes to your own art. In short - When it comes to your personal art, it's good to have your own style but for the industry, it's best to broaden your horizons.
Stories Before Art
Her first step for creating begins with inspiration, internet, books, real life, the sky is the limit. She consistently asks herself, "How does it make me feel?" when seeking references. She always searches for narratives in those images. When it comes to anatomy something that really interests her are the gestures. Through each gesture, through body language, she’s able to tell a story, like she knows it personally. As a result, when she examines a reference or image of a person, she tends to focus on their most distinctive qualities and accentuate them. And lo and behold! Her portraits come to life.
The Art of Identity
Talking about a very special and close project to her, the “Panju Mittai Club”, Ananya says it was something that she really wanted to talk about for a long time, and I wanted to share it with people. speaking from your personal experience is after all, the best way right to create an impact. She had a story to tell people, and some information to tell share with others. Something that comes from heart always touches people. That was it. She knew it was a story to be told.
Going Back to Her Roots
Most of Ananya's inspiration comes from her own experiences and narratives. But what is it that currently has her interest and influences her work? She recently hit a creative wall and wanted to try something totally different. She went back to her early years when she was a devoted Hindu, even though she is now atheist. She recalled how a certain Gods had affected her or how engrossed she had become in their tales. She therefore used that as motivation and ran with it.
Words of Wisdom
Her biggest piece of advice artist-to-artist? “Have a sketchbook and draw without caring about the outcome. If you find something to do that really makes you happy, keep going back to that. The feeling of what art makes you feel and staying true to your your voice is of utmost importance. That’s when you would capture more.”
