My brain works...

The Freedom, captured!!

I was too young for this idea :).
It started in 10th standard. My father always supported me and he always used to say "You are free to do whatever you want". I had a great wish to become a cricketer I had even achieved a quite a good reputation in local leagues and zonals. But, my dad clearly said "NO" to this wish. I started feeling I'm a free bird but within the frames, frames of my dad's vision. Good that I got a good medium to vent out my anger. The picture is out of my own imagination. The pigeon represents the freedom and the frame of the picture represents its boundary. I left the painting half done in 10th and finally finished it in the final year of engineering (almost 6 years after it started).
As I said, I was too young for this idea and today, I completely agree my dad's decision.

The pride

"Diversity in University" Yeah!! if its college fest every group has their own T-shirt representing their own culture. This painting actually started as a T-shirt design which transformed to a painting, and then transformed back to T-shirt design. If the class is not interesting I would open the last page of my book and start scribbling this. I'm proud be one from Udupi and Yakshagana was the right theme to represent Udupi's culture. The design is out of my own imagination and its done on a A1 size sheet with water colour as the medium.

Trivia: Only there members wore this T-shirt (Prads, Deepak and OK G HAS THE ANSWER).

Don't bring it down to finger count

June 4th 2009, my colleague came to me and said we plan to display some good messages for world environment day in office so please come up with some art work to office tomorrow. I would have been happy if I were allowed to go home early for that reason. I left office at 9 pm and reached home around 9.45. Still, I wanted to do something for the cause. This is the idea I got.

The ambigram

It all stated after watching the movie angles and demons. Till then I had no idea that someone could play around with alphabets to that extent. From the moment I saw it in the movie my brain was on work to implement my name in ambigram. I came home started working on it immediately. Morning I was ready with my version of ambigram.

Ambigram in kannada

I wanted to improvise this time with the ambigram. I thought how bout an ambigram in kannada. Yes I managed to create on in kannada and probably the first one in kannada. Not sure though. I will continue to believe it to be the first till someone tells me its actually not.

Painting it the other way

I was looking for something to draw and I was not able to finalize on a picture. Somehow, I found a picture and got a print out in the office. I went to collect the print out. When I was back, my colleague who was on leave for over a week was in office and the crowd was aroud her. She was distributing here "Ranga Pravesha" invitation. She gave me one. The moment I saw it I said to myself "forget the print out this is going to be your next work". The painting was done on a black A4 size sheet using white and gray shades using poster colours as the medium. The challenging part was, being familiar with charcoal colours I'm used to identify and draw the darker shades of picture. But here I had to identify the highlights of the picture and paint them.

Generally, when we are drawing or painting we draw the shades and not the highlights. This painting is done the other way.

The speaking eyes....

The Ustad

My first portrait attempt. Done using normal HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils. Took almost(should I say just :P) 4 hours to finish the work.

Bliss

First work after I started working in IT industry. It was almost 2 years after my previous work. Done using HB, 2B, 4B, 6B pencils. A small portion(Eye balls and hairs) is done using Charcoal pencils. My first use of charcoal pencils.

Cute

First complete charcoal work(charcoal pencils). This is the picture where I got to know the limitations of charcoal pencils.

Disappointed

Fusion of charcoal pencils and regular HB, 2B, 4B and 6B. Fusion doesn't work quite well because graphite is slippery and it doesn't allow the charcoal to the surface of the paper.

Johnny Depp

There's something special about Johnny's eyes!!. Majority portion was done using graphite pencils. Small amount of HB and 2B pencils is used in it.

The Stare

My first very satisfying work with the new medium. I was searching for my next work on the internet. I saw her, she kept staring at and so did I. I love her stare!!
98% charcoal pencils and 2% HB.

It's her...

Done using charcoal pencils. No graphite pencils used. The best compliment I got for this work was when I was searching for my next picture on the net and this picture's original photo was listed in the search result. My friend saw that and said "Your charcoal painting is listed in the result". Man!! I was glad :).

The innocence

My first charcoal work, not the charcoal pencils but the compressed charcoal. Compared to pencils they are smooth as butter.

Anxious

Again, done using compressed charcoal (99%) 1% graphite pencils used.

Caught you!!

This work was  as an order but I never give it to the person who ordered this. 

Happy and Free 

 After my first art exhibition I felt the need to go big. This is a charcoal on 33"x23" paper. Big things demand everything big, first patience then concentration and then time. It took 14 days to finish it and at the end of it I was relieved not because it came out good but I had finished it. It is hard to identify the flaws in larger than life pictures. I had to take picture at every milestone and analyze the smaller image.

.... and then she speaks

Charcoal on 26"x16" paper. Many asked me if I take order. I said yes to few but, I don't know if it was an honest response. I don't think I'm good to go as a profession. I'm too choosy in picking the work. I had shortlisted at least 20 pics after my previous work. But the moment I saw this I knew the search has ended. I went home and started working on it.

Thanks to my new set of charcoal pencils(cretacolor), damn, they are so amazing!!! I realized why I shouldn't be using camlin products.

 The unspoken words..... Spoken!!

 

 Charcoal on on 26"X16" paper. There has been serious drive within me to go pro off-late . I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. For now, I shall eye "Chitra Santhe - 2014".

Certain things are best said when they are expressed through eyes. Neither do you need any words nor actions.... and the message is delivered. Of course, it takes an equally sophisticated person to interpret it as intended.....
One thing she taught this time was patience. It took 46 days for me to finish it. Ok, it doesn't mean that I worked each day on it but it is the days between the start day and the end day. For a person traveling at least 4-5 hours a day, and 6-8 hours in office it is not possible to spend any time on it on a weekday. I could have just rushed in scratch some charcoal and finish it in 10-15 days. I held my nerves to pay attention to details like the design on the veil, eyes, hairs, lips, highlight on the lips & below the eyes, eye brows, nails.

I'm still waiting

I'm still waiting...... Yes, I was waiting for my next work. The subject was shortlisted but was incubating in my cupboard for the right moment to arrive. It took about 3 months to finish this work. I must admit she challenged my patience while doing this work. Like they say "Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet". 
Medium: Pencil & charcoal on paper
Dimension: 23" X33"

New life.... New love.... New hope....

 
To the mother of my child 😄.  I thought it was an apt gift to my pregnant wife. With her date due in less than a month I was working on this without her knowledge. I spent hours in the night working late to finish this in time. I had never felt the pressure of finishing an artwork before. The expectation was high from myself.
Medium: Charcoal on paper
Dimension: 34"X23"