We are living our lives as time ticks by.
Just as we are unconscious to the existence of air in our daily lives, our senses are dulled to the passing of time.
Our March’s HOF, @kiran artist, is showcasing artwork that leads us to reflect on ‘time’.
This is because the speed of time is captured in these pictures.
The artist mainly shows sketches done in quick brush strokes.
Sketching is a technique where an actual object is drawn into a rough likeness.
Because the subject needs to be drawn quickly, that moment in the flow of time needs to be captured.
We can feel those moments in time being captured through this artist’s pictures.
The movement of the sleek and dynamic lines captures the main focus of the subject, which gives a feeling of movement.
So, let’s begin our interview with our artist. : )
Q1. @PENUP
Hello, Artist @kiran!
We are from the PENUP team.
You have been chosen as our March HOF artist.
Congratulations!
Please give us your thoughts on being chosen.
How do you feel?
A1. @kiran
Thank you for choosing me as PENUP’s March HOF.
I was quite surprised!
I am a 38 year old software-architect with no training ever received in art.
In 2018, I set a modest personal objective ‘to post 100 artworks, by year end’ so that I could assess the skill improvement attained through practice.
Along the way I was so fascinated by artist Vlad’s unique style and learned a lot observing his works.
Having explained the modest art background, hope I made it clear to anyone the amount of surprise I had with the PENUP entry and the excitement it brings in.
Q2. @PENUP
You have been mainly showing us sketches drawn with sleek and dynamic lines.
Do you enjoy sketching?
If so, could you tell us the attractive qualities of sketching?
A2. @kiran
Yes, I do enjoy sketching a lot.
Often times, I don’t use any reference image/photo and the mood of that moment or imagination is what I try to represent.
Sketching is a tireless way to do it.
More than the outcome of my effort, I usually enjoy those moments I am indulged in the process.
At a personal level it is very meditative.
In a very few works where I used a reference image, I did not have to represent the photo as it is -because sketching gives that freedom – No one expect it to be so original or real world like.
Somehow representing the abstract qualities of that reference image is what I aimed for through quick lines and unnatural colors.
Q3. @PENUP
There were quite a few pictures of modes of transportation such as helicopters, ships, and cars.
Means of transportation often portray fast movement, and so your style of using sleek lines falls nicely with these as subjects of your artwork.
Do you have any special reasons for incorporating them into your artwork?
A3. @kiran
This can just be a coincidence, but it is true that I love machines and vehicles as my art subjects.
Also, I am living in a city where traffic jams are quite frequent and maybe I have an inner longing for easy smooth commutes and grace in movements, with vehicles running at their normal speeds without obstacles.
Q4. @PENUP
There weren’t many, but you also have a few portraits.
You have drawn Karl Marx and Pablo Neruda.
Perhaps these are people that you admire.
Do you have any future plans to draw more portraits?
If so, who would you like to draw?
A4. @kiran
Yes, that’s right- I admire philosophers like Marx, Russel, and Nietzsche.
What I found is that I am not really good with portraits despite the fact that human face and anatomy inspires me a lot as an artist.
Also, I love portrait works from other artists.
I guess I need to upgrade my skills to be any decent portrait artist.
Einstein, Gabriel Garcia Marcus, Pandit Nehru, O.V. Vijayan, Angela Merkel & Jeremy Corbyn are there in my immediate portrait list.
Q5. @PENUP
The pictures of the forests are eye catching.
And they are usually scenes with figures passing through the forests.
The expression of bold colors and dynamic lines makes quite an impressive atmosphere.
Through these scenes, what did you want to communicate?
A5. @kiran
I admire your observation.
The beautiful Indian city ‘Bangalore’ also known as the ‘Garden city of India’ where I live now is slowly losing its old charm, driven by human greed that is backed by relentless private capital with little care given to nature or human decency.
The newly formed urban areas are overcrowded and thoroughly unplanned with little greenery left to see.
The pain to see gentrification along with the same city’s beautiful old parts invokes mixed emotions in me.
This along with the nostalgic memories of my childhood in a southern Indian state ‘Kerala’ known for its serene back waters and thick forests sometimes makes me dreamy and lost-Those sketches are my modest quick attempts to capture such emotions.
For me, they are my very personal longing for solitude and silence being in harmony with nature.
Q6. @PENUP
There are some objet d’art pieces of cameras, food, glass bottles, and other items which can be easily found in everyday life.
When do you feel a conviction of “I’ve got to draw this”?
A6. @kiran
The way certain objects are designed intrigues me.
Simple objects such as fountain pens, bottle openers etc. catches my attention and sometimes inspires to draw them.
The food image was sketched imagining the prospect eating delicious chicken soon after I left it in the rotisserie oven and was done during the 40 minutes it took to get cooked: P
Q7. @PENUP
What device do you use when you are drawing?
We are curious about which drawing application you use.
Also, could you tell us the pros and cons of the drawing device and the application you are using?
A7. @kiran
I have a ‘Samsung galaxy Note 8’ Phone which was used to draw all images here.
I have a ‘Cintiq 13 HD’ tab as well; but only used for making software architecture diagrams, some vector graphics etc.
Galaxy Note 8 Phone is my natural choice as it gives me the freedom to draw anywhere without needing setup time.
The platform is nice and decent enough for my needs now.
When I really need a larger screen w.r.t diagrams for presentation etc, I go for cintiq tab, which is an excellent device too.
The applications I use are SketchBook & ArtRage.
Both are excellent apps with their own strong areas that I sometimes use both of them to process a single artwork.
Q8. @PENUP
As smartphones are becoming commonplace, more and more people are enjoying drawing on a screen rather than on paper.
In your opinion, what is appealing about digital drawing?
A8. @kiran
Digital drawing is great for people who want to quickly improve their aesthetic sense get trained in techniques because it is quicker to ‘Undo’ and retry.
Also the platform cuts down the time required for a piece of artwork one has in mind.
The ‘studies’ can be done in digital platform before applied on conventional medium for productivity and cost effectiveness reasons.
Q9. @PENUP
What is your future work plan?
A9. @kiran
Till now, I was just doodling to test my skills and for training myself.
With almost all my past works I can see imperfections now- This means that I am slowly improving.
I will be focusing more on techniques- shades, colors, perspective etc.
I slowly want to move on to abstract/ surrealist works of art.
Also I am in the process of figuring out my own style and sticking to it!
Q10. @PENUP
This is our last official question.
Do you have any expectations from our PENUP management team?
PENPLE’s valuable opinions improve PENUP. : )
A10. @kiran
PENUP already is a vibrant art community with many talented artists, a great user base and quality material.
As exceptional artists like Vlad, Hanne and Abex, along with many others continue to excite and inspire people, PENUP surely is destined to grow.
While PENUP app has an elegant UI, there is a need for improvement on its website/browser counterpart, is a feeling I have.
In my opinion PENUP can think to start a ‘Discussion-Forum’ section in the app so that PENPLE’s can freely discuss ideas, concerns, little gossips etc.
Thanks to PENUP and PENPLE’s- It is a great honor to be in PENUP’s HOF!
Thank you!
In a baseball game when the pitcher throws the ball, he has to relax his shoulders.
Rather than pitching with all his strength, relaxing his shoulders results in higher ball control and speed.
The principle to living our lives is perhaps, similar to a pitcher pitching a ball.
In love, work, and relationships…
Have you been using too much strength?
Also, when you draw on PENUP, do you try too hard?
When we loosen up and enjoy our everyday life, our lives overflow with joy and from that joy creativity towards our artwork will also blossom.
Fun, Express, Share!
PENUP - Share your drawings!
https://www.penup.com
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