KOCHI: Carbon, scientifically, is known for its ability to bond. A BTech graduate from CET College, Sourav Sudhakaran definitely did not think an amorphous carbon would be able to translate his thoughts to beautiful artworks. The self-taught artist has engineered many portraits using his favourite medium charcoal, thereby proving to the entire world that art is something that lies beyond passion.
Sourav had a creative bone in him, since his childhood. “My artworks usually revolve around themes which convey dark images. These, from the beginning, received a good response from others,” he says. All of his paintings are inspired by people he encounters in his day-to-day life.
Having started with pencil portraits, Sourav used to employ charcoal for the detailing. It was only later that he began using charcoal entirely for a work. But, he says it is not easy to work with charcoal. “When you work with a pencil, each stroke stays within your control but it is not the same with charcoal,” he says. Never shying away from experimenting, this artist finds charcoal art thrilling and realistic.
Sourav was inspired after seeing the artworks by his creative seniors who specialised in different media. What makes his charcoal portraits unique from the lot is the detailing and how he makes the paintings look realistic. “It takes a lot of time and patience,” he says.
Sourav, initially, started with the portraits of celebrities but his artworks have now converged into a series of his favourite film characters. Some of his charcoal paintings include characters from The Black Mamba and Logan.
“The artwork on the character from the film ‘The Black Mamba’ is my personal favourite,” he says.
Besides doing charcoal paintings, Sourav also does wall art. “As wall art is not popular in the state, I watched a lot of YouTube videos and learned the art. My friends and I have done a couple of wall art in different cafes across the city,” he says.