KOCHI: Illustrator Samji’s sketches abundantly feature the female form. Intersperse the silhouette in her cosmos, animatedly painting, playing with a feline, summering or just letting herself be, with flamboyant and loud colours, and you have the illustrator’s signature pieces. “I have always found illustrating female figures both complex and aesthetically pleasing. I’m also fond of bringing mannerisms into figure illustrations. These can be reflected better in female characters. Initially, I would stay away from employing loud colours until one day I challenged myself to leave my comfort zone. It worked in my favour,” says the Thiruvananthapuram native who has partnered with several brands.
Once Samji realised that art could provide a livelihood in itself, there was no turning back. But his artistic sensibilities and design ethos were tested before he embarked upon a career as a freelance illustrator. “I started studying animation but it turned out to be a disaster. Upon completion, I did odd jobs that were far from what I studied. After a few years, I got into a fine arts college.
But that stint was short-lived, as I had to drop out owing to some personal issues. Freelancing was my only option. Even then I was designing, which I realised, was not my cup of tea. Eventually, I chose illustration,” says Samji who currently resides in South America.
Like most artists, Samji began with traditional sketching but turned over a new leaf and began visualising digitally. “What I’ve figured out from being in the field so far is that there are multitudes of possibilities in digital illustration that can be experimented with and explored,” he says. Needless to say, hue and saturation is a prominent characteristic in his work, along with the omnipresent highlights.
The illustrator’s deep-seated enthusiasm for human behaviour and mannerisms play an important aspect in choosing projects. “My most special project is of course my very first one, which made me realise that you can’t be a good illustrator just because you draw well. Another recent project that I found interesting was for a European aerospace company called Ariane Group,” he adds.
Check out his work on Instagram@samji_illustrator