KOCHI: Even the most serious subjects become youthful and cutesy in a cartoonish way, under the watchful eyes and skilful hands of animation graduate Surya Gayathri A. The Thiruvananthapuram native recently released her line of stickers which got sold in no time
Twenty-one-year-old animation graduate Surya Gayathri A thinks artists, especially ones wanting to make their mark in the creative commercial arena, should be versatile with their style. The bio on her Behance profile stresses on her attempt to master different genres and styles of art while everyday experiences influence what she creates. Despite her many experiments, there is a discernible sprightly and peppy quality evident in her works. A Gen Zer herself, Surya understands that the kind of art that appeals to her ilk has to be immediately youthful and cutesy in a seemingly cartoonish and frivolous way even while dealing with serious subjects.
Surya’s characters are hip plant mothers or just bored women looking into the distance. Sometimes, they are just having a good time lying on the grass and strumming a guitar. On other occasions, they are social recluses, shutting themselves in the room and indulging in self-care. Given the many dispositions of young adult life Surya captures, it isn’t surprising that her friends wanted a piece of her art pretty early into her creative pursuit.
“I have always doodled and sketched since I was a kid. In Class VIII, I was awarded a central government scholarship by Centre for Cultural Resources and Training to study art. I trained with a master for few years. After joining college, I took it up seriously and started experimenting with digital art. Pretty soon, my friends started asking me for prints of my illustrations. This gave me the impetus to take up commissioned works. I have designed posters for a couple of short films as well,” says Surya who is a native of Thiruvananthapuram.
Calling herself as an impulsive artist, Surya says her melange of styles are often drawn from the mood she is in while creating an artwork. “If I am happy, my illustrations are vibrant and fun and they are the opposite when I am a little down. My personal life and daily encounters are heavily reflected in my art. The versatility in style is because I want to experiment with various practices and approaches. Also, the many artists I follow on social media influence me quite a bit,” says Surya.
Hoping to pursue her masters in animation at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Surya is simultaneously working on her recent art venture which is stickers and illustration prints.
”The idea for the venture took seed when I was in college and my friends suggested that I monetize my illustrations. I love stickers, I have the habit of collecting them and have amassed quite a collection over the years. I thought others would also be interested in purchasing my stickers. I released 20 designs and everything was sold out,” adds Surya who aspires to be a storyboard artist in the movie industry going ahead.
Find her on Instagram @_sunflawer_