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9 Questions with a Designer Who Loves Spending Hours at her Desk

9 Questions with a Designer Who Loves Spending Hours at her Desk

A riveting conversation with Manvi Vakharia, an illustrator, artist and designer based between Mumbai and Bangalore. The designer of “Cherry Bombs Burst In My Heart When I See You” talks about what inspires her work, from nature to culture and travel. This passionate artist that we had the opportunity to work with is the happiest when she is at her desk, breaking her back, trying to create the most detailed piece of art that she possibly can or when she is out and about exploring new places and new cities.

A mind that is always ideating the next piece of work, or lost in staring at the sky or trees for an unnaturally long amount of time, Manvi breaks down her artistic journey.

Cherry Bombs Burst In My Heart When I See You

Can you recall a specific moment or event that inspired you and sparked your decision to become an illustrator? 

I think the event that sparked my decision to become an illustrator was when I was about 15 or 16 years old, and I showed my sketchbook to a few seniors who were already working in the design industry. That was the first time I was introduced to illustration as a career, and I discovered that I could actually make a living for myself through it. I have been drawing and creating since I was a child, so it was sort of a no-brainer for me to move in this direction.


What was the very first thing you remember drawing, and how does it compare to your latest masterpiece? 

I don't remember the very first thing that I drew or created because I've been making art since I was about two years old, but I do remember this massive project that I undertook as a six-year-old and created about 30 paintings of Disney characters, which I then proceeded to cut out separately and stick magnets behind each one of them to display them all over my cupboard. 

I guess the similarity between my work now and then is that my work is still very heavily informed by observing the work around me, which, back then, was just the movies and books. And I also still enjoy taking up the most painstakingly detailed projects that I can. 


What's your go-to remedy for overcoming creative blocks? Any bizarre rituals or techniques? 

Honestly, I'm still looking for an answer to dealing with creative blocks myself. But for now, what works for me is to not put too much pressure on myself to create when I'm in that zone, and instead turn to my sketchbook, get back to basics and draw just for fun without overthinking the outcome. It could be the most hideous drawing I've ever made, but the idea is just to start enjoying it again. Or I take a walk in the park and spend some time around nature, which usually ends up doing the trick for me, at least as a short-term solution.


If you could go back in time and give your beginner self one piece of advice, what would it be? 

If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice, it would be to eliminate self-doubt from my vocabulary. Making any kind of art is an extremely vulnerable process. And then turning around and sharing that with the rest of the world can be very daunting. But the faster you get over it, the better it will be for you, because your work always deserves to be seen and recognised. Or I would tell myself to let go of perfectionism and try every single idea that comes to my mind. If it fails, then try again until you can bring forth what you've visualised in your head because the process of actually doing it is what will get you the most satisfaction.


What's your go-to snack or drink while working on illustrations/tattooing?

My go-to snack or drink while working on my illustrations is honestly whatever my mother brings to my desk every two hours and forces me to eat because I usually get so engrossed in work that I forget to eat.


Share a guilty pleasure when it comes to art supplies or tools.

My guilty pleasure when it comes to art supplies is that I am the biggest hoarder. I like to visit art stores everywhere I go, and I end up buying at least one sketchbook from each place, which means by now, I have a huge collection of sketchbooks that keeps on growing, and unfortunately, more than 60% of them are still unused.

I have art supplies I bought back in the eighth grade because I found them fascinating, and they're still lying in my cupboard because I always kept looking for a special occasion to use them, which never ended up arriving.


 If you could collaborate with any artist or illustrator/tattoo artist, living or dead, who would it be?

Recently, I've been reading a lot about Margaret Mee, who was a botanical illustrator in the 1970s and who brought a lot of attention to the destruction and exploitation of the Amazon forest at the time, and what that would mean for the environment and the natural world. She started her career as a botanical illustrator only at the age of 47, and for the next 30 years, she took about 15 expeditions into the Amazon forest, documenting different plant species through her paintings.

She actually documented nine species of plants that weren't known to science before, and now are named after her. She also preferred drawing from life, which means she was in the Amazon forest during midnight, holding a torch and trying to capture flowers that only bloomed during the nighttime through drawing, which, according to me, is pretty badass. 


If your art supplies rebelled against you, what do you think they would protest about?

If my art supplies rebelled against me, they would definitely protest about being manhandled because, as shameful as it is to admit this, I don’t take care of them well.


What's a common misconception about being an illustrator/tattoo artist that you'd like to dispel?

A common misconception about being an illustrator is that people think you're only drawing and painting, and enjoying yourself all the time, but no one realises that art is just not created out of thin air. There is an entire process behind it that includes extensive research, conceptualisation, ideation, and iterations that go into creating every piece of work. Even though I love what I do and feel extremely grateful that I'm able to do it, it still is my job and it comes with its own pressures and stressors.



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