Portraits| 2018-2019
I've found that gifting a portrait to someone often feels a lot more rewarding than buying them something, and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes from getting someone's likeness just right.
The best part, of course, is the reaction. My favourite so far, has been my grandfather's, and I was very pleased to see my drawing of him (signed, at his insistence) on the family photo wall the last time I visited him.
A sunshine girl, all smiles, but hidden sadness. She's shown me parts of the city I'd never have thought of visiting, and knows all the college dogs by name. She's gifted me the experience of the best bun-muska I've eaten, a rose hairclip, and a portrait of me (the day after I met her for the first time). I have never met someone who seems so very good.
A boy who drinks too much chai (he would claim that there is no such thing), who will spend three days sitting with you to help you select a new laptop to buy, who has a mouth of sharp wit hidden behind a seemingly unassuming exterior, and a soft spot for yellow-cream biscuits (apparently it's because no one else likes them, which means he wouldn't have to share).
Unapologetically herself throughout the five years she kept me company as my roommate during my undergrad, she managed to be wise beyond her years (we called her 'Grandma'), and also somehow land herself in nearly unbelievably awkward situations from time to time. Always the best dressed, and bravest when it came to experimenting with her looks during a time of change and growth.
Tech-savvy and constantly curious, furiously always trying to prove that he's still capable (though none of us would dare doubt it), and maybe just a tad too efficient. Visits to the family home over the summer aren't complete without poring over his single-handed accomplishment of compiling ALL the family photos (eight families, at least thirty two albums) into an archive that was initially physical, but which evolved to CDs (once he learnt to burn them) and now Hard Drives (he thinks they're absolutely magic, but doesn't trust them one bit. What if one crashes? Would he lose all his photos?).
The ultimate mom-friend (I seem to make a lot of these. Or maybe I just bring out the maternal instinct in people?), organised to a fault (considering her overthinking tendencies), and a serial gum-chewer. Nobody I know owns that many personal belongings in that particular shade of sea-foam green, or is so easy to strong-arm into joining social plans they didn't want to be a part of.
A quick portrait of Hanif Qureshi, done during his talk at NID where he spoke about Start India, what they do and why. I tried to make it seem as graffiti-like as possible, as homage to the work done by St+Art India.
