Faking it!

We are having a course on Sound Design as a part of our course here at NID, and I never thought it would give me such a appreciation for things we hear!
Not to mention the realisation of how exactly the audio we hear in any moving picture is created.
I am not an audiophile, I love my music, but I hardly bother much about levels, and bass and all that jazz.. I just know when I like it or not and so on, I know the audio quality of my laptop is not that hot, and my phone just frankly sucks! but I didn't know how to appreciate a good pair of stereo speakers, and whole right nad left headphones things, and why Bose speakers are that hot!
Now there are positives and negatives to this new found knowledge..
One- I can put it to use in future, in terms of listening, the sounds I will record in the future for my film and so on,
but the downside?
I really know how badly my speakers suck, and too bad I just cannot afford any nice speakers etc right now!! Damn it! I have started wishing for all the things I used to mock before (citing others as audio/music snobs!) Well it looks like I'm about to become one myself..

Anyway.. this has made me realise a whole host of things, like how awesome that battle scene in Narnia really is, and how much the sound contributes there! Or how fake the film medium really is, considering that absolutely everything is recreated in a sound studio, and even if it is a sweet romantic scene with a soft little sigh and kiss at the end, and audio effects are all recreated artificially in a studio later!
How does that make me feel? A little sick, to think we get fooled into believeing that artificial world that has been created, that we actually fall for some of these characters, empathise with them, cry with them or laugh with them.
It brings to life how cynical and disillusioned the producers of those sounds and effects must be, or infact anyone in the glamorous world of film-making.They, who are involved in the business, would be the worst off in the end.. we still watch the end product, and love it and appreciate it.. but no matter how beautiful the end product, those creating the sounds itself would never be able to disassociate themselves sufficiently to forget how it came about, and thus remain, in a sense, the losers, just with heavier pockets.
And yet, it is this unreal magic which captivates us and keeps us spellbound, day after day, year after year, for the past so many decades! This same thing for which we shell out so much money every Friday or weekend, or even once a month! to be introduced into not just a fake story in a fake world, but also somehow be trapped into believing everything not just purely on visuals, but that sound.. which creeps upon us unsuspectingly, whihc introduces that realism, and makes us believe...

Entangled

Entangled by the twists and turns life often throws at you, its easy to get so caught up you don't even realize that you are trapped till you are hanging by a thread somewhere in mid-air.

Rough sketch for this week's Illustration Friday topic.

Daily doodle!

A group assignment this week, and we have been divided into 2 groups of 5 each.

After endless calls, we finally met to discuss, and work.. ofcourse not accomplishing anything really!

2 hours of not doing much, we dispersed again to have garam chai!

Some sketches from the time we were supposed to be thinking of each person's individual contribution to the assignment.

Jazz is the Sax!

There was a Jazz concert on Sunday night at the NID Riverfront. Riverfront, as we discovered much to our amusement later, refers to the Backfields of the campus! That certainly got a laugh from all of us, as many had spent a good part of two days trying to figure out what Riverfront referred to!
The performer? Saskia Laroo.. evidently she is a big thing where she comes from, which would be Holland.
Well she was... amazing! Never heard Jazz before, and never knew why it was so awesome or whatever, but that night made a convert of me!
Such music, it invigorated me, made me head bang! me! I'm the one who usually feels sleepy listening to loud music and with flashing lights! Yes, I have slept even in a disco, with music and dance on full blare all around me!
But anyway, getting back to the point, I loved it! Loved!
Now if only I could find her albums online somewhere to download!
I also tried to be the overachiever and tried to draw/sketch there. Went fully prepared with my trusty pens and small doodle book, but didn't account for the fact that the stage would be lit up and the rest of the place in comparitive darkness.. so I couldnt really see much to draw.. tried anyway, and came up with some of my most crappy doodles, add darkness to really jazzy music, impatience, foot tapping and pulsating crowd.. not exactly the ambience to draw patiently and in one continuous line!

The results... Fun, late hurried dinner, some sketches, and no sleep as had to then sit and complete the assignment I had been putting off for four days!

People sitting on the grass and listening...

The Director sitting and enjoying the show as well.

A photographer who kept coming in front of Saskia, and the bass guitarist.

Daily doodle!

Didn't manage to complete my set target of 30 posts of good work by the end of the month, and cheated as well with the old work demonstration! :( Its already 20 minutes into 1st December..

Very little drawing done this weekend! though it was a 4-day weekend! Watched movies, fooled around, somehow managed to waste a hell lot of time! and not managed any work!

Just 2 measly drawings done! One for Saturday and one for Sunday!

I'm getting very impatient these days, don't have that patience I had with the one line drawing, and then I scribble and ruin it. The strength of this lies, in my opinion, in recognizing the main contours, and knowing where to lead the line. If I were to just scratch around all over the place, then I'm sure anyone could draw without lifting their pencil or pen off the page!

Need to be more patient, and not draw in a hurry.. just not going to happen that way!

There are some examples of impatience coming up soon! Really terrible work sometimes!

Once again at the BMW

Had a drawing session with all the young kids on campus for a X'mas display! They are cute enough, till they start shouting, screaming for more chocolates, or just don't want to draw! I donot have my mother's patience for dealing with them! Managed to complete just one page after many starts, when either the subject moved away, or more likely, I was beckoned by one of the kids.

Well it wasn't as bad as I'm making out, somewhat fun to listen to their conversations, and see what they come up with!

Group pic!

A sketch I had made eons ago for my friends..sadly it went into the never ending pile of 'personal projects that never got done!'

Forgive me if you are unrecognizable!

My caricature/portrait skills are iffy at best! (Thats why there are names! :P)

Reminiscence..

Talking to a lot of old friends today made me realise a lot of things.
Firstly- I got so busy talking on skype with 2 people while simultaneously talking to 3 other people in 3 differnt messengers, that i did not do any work at all! :P
2ndly- That sometimes friends hold much more value than we give them credit for. Especially old friends! these are the people who knew you for years, who studied with you everyday, who got to know you even when you didn't want to be known. After all the times, trying as well as the good ones, it is quite a friendship that has resulted. These friends, who despite you being a lazy ass, make the effort to call and talk at least once a week, who make the effort to get to know the new friends you have made at this new place.. these are the friends worth having.  And these are the friends who grow closer with distance, and yes absence makes the heart grow fonder, just as it makes the heart sometimes forget easier.
I really need to be less of a lazy bum and write more, call more, make a leetle bit of an effort and be a better friend!
Miss you all back in Bombay!

Crossing Chickens!

A board game developed for the same illustration project..
Based on Snakes and Ladders, with a little difference!
the chicken crosses the bridge to go UP, and slides down a slide, when it comes Down!

(BTW it can be actually played, just get some dice and playing pieces!)

Why did the Chicken Cross the Road???

One of Life's unanswered questions that continues to plague mankind... one that has thousands of answers yet not one single one that can be termed as the right one..

My attempt at answering this age-old question with a few illustrations..

This was my Final Year Illustration project, a book titled 'Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?' with as many answers as I could find from the various sources, online or otherwise.

Some of the pages follow..

 I hate it when the Title gives away the Plot!

To cross or not to cross, That is the question.

And God came down from the heavens, and said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road" and the waters parted and the chicken crossed the road.

She was reacting to a traumatic incident in her childhood which she will now share with us in detail.

Newton- For that one chicken crossing there is an equal and opposite crossing happening simultaneously.

Did the chicken cross the road,

Did he cross it with a toad?

Yes the chicken crossed the road,

But why he crossed I've not been told.

Donot concern yourself with the chicken that crossed the road, the answer lies with the chicken that did not cross the road.

To go boldly where no chicken has gone before.

I came, I saw, I crossed!

That's all for this time around folks!

This and that..

Human nature is so funny.. no wait, it can't be called funny, maybe interesting is a better word. You really have no idea what to expect sometimes.. not from others, not from yourself.
HUmans themselves are such fickle creatures, they change like a chameleon's colours, and often what is on the surface is exactly what is not real!
Everyday throws something unexpected at you, and sometimes, even if you had planned for it in some long ago time, you don't react they way you expected to. Sometimes its difficult to even explain your reaction. Are you happy? sad? confused? that is a word I seem to rely on a lot. nowadays. When its difficult to explain, even to yourself what exactly you feel like that particular day.. happy, sad, depressed, irritated? What when it is all that, and yet none exactly?
And when someone inspires some strong emotion in you.. be it love, hate, anger.. expressing it sometimes is not an option, for whatever reasons..whether it is for your own reasons, for someone who is close to you, or just because its not the right thing to do.
Life seems to be filled with such moments daily.. and there are always endless more thought provoking sessions.

Daily doodle!

In the BMW once more.. I really need to get out somewhere else!! :P

People

That famous green NID bus in its usual spot! I love the colour!

Supah-Man!

Yes! I confess! I like Superman! The movies, the comics.. I watch Smallville too!

A sketch inspired by a question in my class on why I actually like Superman.. maybe its just that lock of hair which falls so beautifully on his forehead? (yes, it does look quite nice, especially in the movies!)

Happy Birthday Sonali!

A birthday comes and the first thought that crosses the mind is, 'What do I give her?'
Well I had to scratch the grey cells for this one, but finally inspiration came from the subject herself, and her love for sleeping!
Sonali will nap even if she gets 5 minutes free, and she is a pain to awaken, as she never actually awakens when u try to wake her!
A comedic take on a surprise b'day party gone awry. Imagine if she never woke and realized that you had come to wish her? And thus this mini-comic was born...
Hand drawn in a notebook, then photocopied and watercolored before the tearing out and sticking on colored paper and shaped into a book.

Sarkhej sketches

The doodling done when at Sarkhej for the Heritage week celebration.

Waiting for the performances to begin...

Study of the Architecture...

Finally they begin.. Introductory speeches!

The performance begins..

Parvati Baul

Jodhpur musicians

Sikh musicians

Random doodles

Some sketches at the BMW, Mess during dinner, and a few from class...

Sketching at dinner...

In class once again:

Heritage Week celebration

Sarkhej at night, such a beautiful sight I didn't expect to see.
Lit up by lights galore, some electric and others with a rosy glow,
Music to soothe the spirit or lift you up in the moment,
and the chilly night, sprinkled with twinkling stars,
'twas a night to remember.

World heritage week being celebrated in Ahemdabad as well led to us managing a trip to Sarkhej to attend a concert with Sikh musicians, Baul singers and Rajasthani songs.
A cold night with pigeons providing background score to the music, with good company, and a sketchbook, was a wonderful experience! A future concert has been announced for next month 18th and 19th, and I'm all ready for it already!

A few photos, and sketches to be scanned will follow..

The lamps all over the place, floating candles in a chai glass, kept on rose petals!

Flood lights illuminating the structure, and the pigeons!

Old comic: Markandeya

Since we are discussing so many comics, and am going to be involved with making some more for another 5 weeks, I thought this would be a good time to review the comic I had made last year as an assignment in JJ for illustration class.
It was a comic on Markandeya. and had a lot more text than visuals, and communicated purely with the words rather than the image.
Anyway I thought it was a good idea to look at it to see how much I have improved! :)

(Yes there are many goofs in it, was a very last minute colouring job, and Yamraj is quite hilarious! And the many shortcuts I have taken are also visible, the repeated Markandeya's, the lousy panels, lack of gutter space etc.)