Slumbers of Summer

"Slumbers of Summer" is my latest artwork from the 'Rumi & Me' Series.

This time, I have tried to capture the process of creation, using not just my creative voice, but my own physical voice as well.

My most enjoyable part is filling in the gouache paint after the final inking of the sketch.

The initial sketch idea on the tracing paper is seen towards the end, which was actually the beginning and it shows how the idea is improvised along the journey as I realized, the tail and the hair should merge! 

:: Slumbers of Summer :: 

“Stop playing for the crowd.
Create to fulfil your inner thirst.
Create, to tell your story…
At first, to amuse,
then, to amaze yourself.

Minimalist art means 

clean lines, sharp strokes.
Less noise, says more.
Stop, when it's just enough.
Your heart knows when it's done.”


Words, Voice, Art: Natasha Nair @quiethappinesstasha

:: Inked Sketch ::

:: Filling in the red gouache paint :: 

:: Idea Sketch on tracing paper :: 

Rumaira

 "Rumaira", my latest artwork, features the loving relationship between my boys and our lost cat Rumi... She would have turned four this June. Happy 4th birthday dear Rumi, wherever you are!

On a very sad note, last year after Diwali, Rumi wandered off a bit too far and never came back... We are still waiting for her with open arms...

Every Eid Al Adha, we used to celebrate her birthday, as she was a rescued kitten and we did not know her actual birthday. She came to our lives in the Eid holidays of 2021 and filled in the much needed colour and freshness, like the favourite red hibiscus she has borrowed from Amaira, in this artwork!

Rumi and Amaira are like my two ethereal daughters, symbolizing love and strength. This illustration brings together all my children in one frame! This is the first time my boys have been part of my illustrations. 

My artwork always starts with a first rough sketch on a tracing, like back in Architecture college days.  After the final tracing with ink, I fill in the thicker lines with black gouache paint. Thick red gouache paint is used to fill in the hibiscus. Once the ink and paint are dry, the sketch is brought into the digital medium for fine tuning of some linework. This is the process I have followed for all my illustrations showcased in my poetry book, AMAIRA, the little woman, creating my own Amaira signature style. 

I hope to express many more emotions along the way, through the same medium. 

#amairasignaturestyle #minimalistart #rumaira #paintandink #myboysandgirls #amairaart 

Travel Light

When Death came
knocking at her front door…
“You’ll live a hundred years, she said,
I was just thinking about You”

Surprised, yet calm,
He replied,
Go pack your bags.
We leave soon.

I’m ready, she committed.
No excess baggage.
Home is left far behind.
I carry a fulfilled life.

No tears, regrets none.
Now there’s no looking back.
Into my last journey,
I travel LIGHT…

#fouryearssince  #rememberingourmother #alwaysinourhearts #theflowerlady #whensheleft 

AMAIRA Inspiration

My Amaira-Style of illustrations find their roots in the festivals of India and some childhood stories! Why does the leading lady, Amaira, in my poetry book, wear a red hibiscus? There was a girl in my class who used to wear a red hibiscus on her "fountain hairstyle" around the Ganesha Festival Season because it's HIS favourite flower ! When I drew my first sketch of Amaira, I remembered this. Thus, the deep red hibiscus worn on wild wavy hair became Amaira’s signature style! The minimalist abstract forms are used to convey maximum meaning in fewer lines, minimum colours and in the limited me-time that I used to have when my boys were younger! 

Each illustration starts as a rough pencil drawing in my sketchbook. Then, becomes a final ink sketch on a tracing paper. The thick lines and colour are filled in with gouache paint. Finally, the illustration gets scanned and then fine tuned for lineworks in a digital medium. 

#amairathelittlewoman #amairainspirations #abstractart #ganeshaart #minimaliststyle #Amairasignaturestyle #naturelove #landscapedesign #flowerswelove #hibiscusrosasinensis

Determined

Pluck my leaves

on one side

and I shall sprout

a new branch

on the other...

:: This poem is another attempt to extend strength and a fighting spirit to my dearest loved one , this Pinktober. 'Determined' refers to the undying spirit of the fighter in gathering her inner courage ::

#thinkpink #breastcancerawareness #keepupthespirit #bloomfromwithin

Little Woman

:: The girl who wants to be a woman :: 

:: The woman who lets herself be the girl she was :: 

Ocean Dreams