It’s not often that you get to draw your favourite character and he gushes about it in person. But when it happens, oh boy, what a glorious day indeed! Bengaluru artist, Marina D’Vaz (27) was in for a treat at the Middle East Film and Comics Convention in Dubai where she was presenting her digital art that has clientele across the world. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (yes, Jamie Lannister from the uber popular Game of Thrones) was a guest at the event and his exact words on seeing it were, and we quote, ‘I LOVE this.’
“I’m the biggest fan of the show there is and he is my favourite character. When I knew he was coming, I simply had to make a poster of him,” says the artist. “A lot of customers bought it and had it autographed by him. It was very exciting for me since I had never before had one of the celebrities I’ve drawn, see my work,” she says, adding that the other personality who reacted to her work was David Bellamy of the country music Bellamy Brothers, who not just shared it on social media but liked her page too.
Marina tells us that she has been drawing for as long as she remembers how to hold a pencil – thanks to her aunt and older cousins who were all artists before her. “There are so many artists that inspire me – Maybe Andy Warhol, just a tiny bit. My other favourites are Norman Rockwell, Thomas Kinkade and a little known Canadian artist named Genevieve Godbout, although my work is very different from theirs,” she shares.
Marina prefers to digitally hand-draw and colour using a pen tablet. Under the banner Picadoodledoo, she has been at it for over two years now, spreading cheer through her art. If you are a television or movie junkie, you’re sure to relate to it too.
“I have always been the biggest pop culture nerd, so all my paintings are of different characters and icons from pop culture. I usually draw people that I’m a fan of and my brother Mario and I sometimes ask our customers questions based on the characters and if they get it right, give them a discount too!” says Marina.
You’ll find the familiar face of Sheldon Cooper, Sherlock, Pink Floyd, Barney Stinson and characters from Harry Potter and Game of Thrones in her ever growing inventory that has earlier been exhibited across Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
“I would like to explore a few different styles of art, and I would really enjoy illustrating for a children's book. I plan on taking my firm to a few more cities in India and around the world,” says the local belle, letting us in on her artsy plans. The world is her palette indeed!
