Have you ever read a story which instantly captured your attention and conjured a striking visual in your mind. Ever since I read this story, the visual of the limitless shard was stuck in my mind. The cover image is an adaptation of the initial sketch I had made after reading this story.

Mythological stories are filled with meaning and lessons that have influenced many cultures and religions. They are a reminder that even Gods are flawed and have qualities that can be positively adopted into our lives. Listening to such stories and experiences narrated by my grandmother stirred my imaginations during my childhood.

Story

As part of the larger scheme of the cosmos, each deity is associated with a specific task that are repeated in a regenrative cyclical pattern of the universe. Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva as the Destructor. Together, they are referred as Trimurti- the Holy Trinity.

The story presented here is from one of the myriad folklores about Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh which I have based my illustrations upon. The story may or may not align with some beliefs; however, the moral of the story is the essence is of such cultural stories.

Without giving away any spoilers the basic gist of the story is as follows:

Brahma and Vishnu fight to prove themselves mightier than the other. A mysterious light appears to disrupt their fight. They agree to find the ends of the pillar. Whoever finds it will be deemed the greater being. Little did they know, that this competition was also a test of their characters.

Experiment to Execution

The thing isn't that it takes more time, it is about learning and exploring a 'process' of illustration that you have never done before. What happens is that you end up discovering a style that you never expected to encounter. This is as close, and whole, a summary of the elective I can give. 

For the final illustrated book, I wanted to mix traditional methods with the digital, explore a new process and visual language. I agree it has been difficult to break away from the comic-sketchy style that I am comfortable with; however, the 'experiment' also extended into story telling. 

To show the scale and impact of the Shard that separates Brahma and Vishnu, the panels needed to transition from landscape to portrait. This transition was achieved by tilting the visual horizontal reference of the panel. Because the Pillar of Fire is also said to cross multiple realms, it only made sense to continue the transition such that reader ends up flipping the book itself. This was a cool realisation. 

I understand the experience is not the same when seen on a screen. I hope to print book in the near future for you to experience this transitional experiment.

Scope of Applications

Light lamp- I initially misunderstood the purpose of creating a product mock up for the book. I thought the idea was to practically apply the graphics to a usable functional product. However, what I missed out on was the product should also be a marketing medium to creatively sell the book. 

Therefore, I only thought of a stand alone lamp. 

Inspired by the modular street lamps I have seen on the campus, it would be cool, and a direct application of the story, to have a lamp with revolving figures that seem to never reach the top. 

The lamp could be an installation in a public space or a small corner in a room. This could be a corner where various products of cultural relevance could be presented, inviting people to indulge in it.

Learnings and Conclusions

In the elective, I got the opportunity to learn and revisit certain basics, mediums and techniques of illustration that I had lost touch with.

As the title of the elective suggests, I also experimented a lot, especially with creating textures, motifs and patterns which are used throughout the book. The textures were created keeping in mind that the story is based in a cosmic-spatial setting. I created certain elements such as ground, meteors, planets, clouds. I experimented creating a brush as well and mixing the texture with existing brushes in Procreate.

I also learnt layering with watercolour and gouache, various hatching methods and using pencil to create a sketchy under-layer for the illustrations. I also tried paper stitching for the first time.

Creating salt textures was something that fascinated me and as you shall see, I have used a variety of manually created textures in my book.

I discovered an illustration style which was new and something that could be explored further in future projects. 

Thank you so much Mauro for the knowledge. It was a fun elective and I, especially, used to look forward to a new cake or cookies for every other class :D I like how you are so dramatic (almost a drama queen) approachable and open to discussing new ideas. :) thank you.

PS

The book is still a work in progress. 

Please access the book compilation via the link in Project Data. 

As mentioned, the rotation and flipping of the book is meant to be experienced physically. Page 30 onwards, the narrative is from right to left (similar to a manga) 

I hope you enjoy the visuals and the story.

Ciao