New York-based illustrator Shreya Gupta first took to drawing as a way of documenting her environment. Originally from India, as a child, she enjoyed taking photographs but was told that she was “too young” to carry around a camera. So instead, she started drawing the places and things she wanted to remember. That was how she was introduced to art.
According to Gupta, her passion for drawing and illustration brought her to the United States, where she pursued an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts, NY. But her creative voice took much longer to develop. “When I first started drawing, I didn’t like my work much,” she admitted in an interview with Graphic Competitions. “Then I realized that I need to understand why I like certain artwork and perhaps incorporate those elements in my work.” She soon realized that she’s drawn to pencil textures, limited color palette, patterns, and lines. “For some odd reason I love drawing lines and love to look at patterns of lines too,” says Gupta. “So I experimented with those elements and developed my current way of drawing.”
Each piece begins with a pencil and a piece of paper. “I draw with pencil and then ink with pens,” she describes her creative process. “After that I scan the finished sketch and color digitally on Photoshop.” She also has a collection of hand-drawn textures and patterns made with graphite and watercolor that she uses to give her work a more traditional appeal.
“One of the most important skills I learnt is to understand what the clients expectations are and at the same time keeping my aesthetic,” says Gupta. “A client may have a certain idea or vision about a project which may or may not match with mine. However, I always consider the clients ideas and at the same time present my own communicating why a certain idea may work better. So communicating the right way is very important.”
Her selected clients include Google, The New York Times, and the New Republic. Scroll down to see a collection of her work:
