Pop goes the easel!

The world is never a dull place for artistes, who seem to make the most of all opportunities that come their way! The Internet is an oyster, for these budding artistes around the city who have started selling their artwork on various platforms.

Posters, postcards, original paintings and even adorable, customised notebooks created by a young, upcoming breed of artistes in the city are fast gaining popularity on the Internet!

For Reshmi Chandrashekhar, of Curiosity Kills the Cat, the idea sprouted in the form of a break. “I have always been drawn to the field of arts, but once I started architecture, my love for drawing grew.

After I finished studying, I realised I didn’t want to be stuck at a nine to five job and also wanted a break from architecture,” says Reshmi, who sells fan art, posters, and customised artwork on requests.

“The only tough part is to reach the right target audience, which is so widespread on the Internet. But, I try to stand out by adding a tiny cat in every artwork. That’s my signature,” the artist reveals about her work, which has already caused quite a buzz among art lovers! Her artworks starts at Rs 200 and are available on her website and Facebook page.

For others, the love of art was only rekindled after some unfortunate events. “I used to love painting and drawing when I was younger but during an art session In school, my teacher told me I couldn’t draw because I wasn’t able to replicate a flower. I lost interest then, only to have it rekindled in college during a mandatory course on design,” quips Sonaksha Iyengar, who has not looked back ever since.

But the young artist doesn’t think of other artist online as competition! “The Internet is a great way to display our creations and people in the art community have always been very encouraging of each other.

We share each other’s works on our pages in order to get a larger audience, which really helps,” adds Sonaksha, who not only customises postcards and fan art, but has even started getting orders for ‘save the dates’! Sonsksha’s artwork starts from only Rs 50, and is available on Cupick.

Creativity and an initial love for the arts, seems to stem as the common factor for most artists in the city. For Mounica Tata of DoodleoDrama, the journey was unexpected. “I never thought I’d take up art full time, but have been successful at it for over a year now,” says the ex-Christite, who previously worked as an editor for an online college magazine.

“Currently, there is a niche for fan art and pop culture in the market I try to keep my work different by creating relatable day-today life scenarios,” says Mounica about the cartoons and caricatures she creates.

“It all started with my friends who encouraged me and loved my work as I created stuff they related to, too! But I try not to think too much of what the audience wants as such, because it really stresses me out and then I can’t perform,” says the illustrator who sells her artwork through her personal website. Mounica’s work starts at Rs 250 and is available on Cupick and Postergully.