Weekend Brunches
Drawn to her grandparents’ house filled with knick-knacks as a child, illustrator and architect Surabhi Banerjee had an affinity for objects growing up. In her little head, badges, rocks, match boxes and bottle caps weren’t mundane items, they were treasures. These memories now form a very conscious part of her work as an illustrator. Surabhi’s childhood was a simultaneous mix of constantly drawing and building things, which eventually translated to her adulthood as well. On most days, she’s found with a crayon in one hand and Knex in the other. Architecture came to her as a safe haven at a time when those around her had limited options. A means to explore all her ideas physically and visually, the field revealed itself to her when she didn’t know if illustration could be a career option. ‘I began by giving myself no other alternative but to pursue only the art of building spaces,’ she adds.
We’re in conversation with the architect and artist, as she gives us insight into her work, process and more.
How do the worlds of art and architecture lend themselves to each other for you?
I would like to believe that architecture is the reason for my experimentation with different art styles, which led me to look at a career in illustrating. My work is heavily influenced by all that I have learned from my architecture school, wherein we were introduced to a widely diverse set of drawings each semester. The difference that exists between what I illustrate and my architectural drawings, lies in the fictional aspect I try to incorporate in former. In my artwork, I get to annihilate the rules of structure and physics, and get to focus more on the story.
I have been highly fortunate to have had teachers and mentors who have nudged me to challenge myself in the illustrative drawings for architectural juries, client meetings and competition entries. So much of what my architectural background has given me, seeps into my currently evolving illustrative style. I am less directly involved with architecture as a profession these days, but it strangely still feels more like my world than illustration. Maybe I’m satisfied by operating somewhere in the no man’s land between them.
How has interlacing art and architecture influenced your work?
My work is heavily influenced by all that I have taken from my architecture school and professional career. But I do focus more on the narrative bit rather than the nuts and bolts of getting it all perfectly right. I guess, in that sense, a shift from architecture gives me the comfort of not having to be precise in my drawing. There are also many visual tricks I use from my architectural practice in my illustrative work, although most of it is probably subconscious. The aesthetics is probably the least interesting bit, but there is quite a bit of representational style of drawing that comes from my architectural education, classic drawing setups like superimposing plans on elevations for example. Employing these techniques in my artwork has only helped my style grow in ways that I could not have imagined when I started out.
Your works are extraordinarily detailed. Can you deconstruct your creative process for us?
My illustrations are playful, nostalgic, colourful and narrative driven. I use Photoshop and Procreate for all my illustrations, so far. My early illustrations were made using solely Photoshop, which were visibly clumsy with their choppy edged shapes. This style evolved to more well-defined shapes and line-work, once I started working with Procreate. Before I start sketching, I spend some time formulating the narrative behind the artwork and proceed by researching and collecting images that complement the story.
Often, I already have some precedents in mind that I’ve seen before — a beautifully designed interior from a magazine or animal drawings in an old science book, et cetera. This is quickly followed by the line-work. I seem to always start with, what is to me, an interesting space, and then work out how to fill it — who would occupy the space and how. It is like imagining the personal interiors of each of my characters. Working digitally allows me to experiment with colour options quickly and effortlessly, without having to start over every time. In each drawing, my aim is to recreate what it feels like to take a walk through an undiscovered antique shop, full of trinkets and memorabilia.
What is your favourite medium of art?
I have been closely following digital artists for quite some time now. So much of my work is inspired by the comics I have read and the graphic novels I adore. While I think any artwork in itself — doesn’t really matter how it’s been produced — has the power to move you, I don’t necessarily allow the medium to distract me from the idea of the drawing. I love the Ligne Claire style started by Herge, mostly because it strips the image down to its bare form, with crisp line-work. I admire so many artists/cartoonists and their works, like Chris Ware’s Acme Novelty series and Building Stories. It amazes me how he chooses to represent deeply tragic themes with such vivid colour palettes. Richard McGuire’s Here is a pretty unique concept too. It is almost like a collage, with its use of a fixed view of a room but varying panel arrangements, with links back and forward in time and space.
What has it been like to create within the ambit of a pandemic? Has your relationship with your work changed in any way?
Truth be told, my professional career as an illustrator took off in the middle of the pandemic. I had been working as an architect for almost three years and I felt lost and almost fraudulent towards the end. It was deeply unhealthy. I had even enrolled into The Bartlett School for an Urban Design course during this time but both the pandemic and my absolute indecisiveness at the time, pushed me towards an alternate path. Returning to drawing was almost like an act of self-affirmation, and a pivotal lesson in the importance of being sincere with oneself in one’s art.
On a personal level, I feel like I am constantly looking inward rather than drawing or researching by being out in the world, so not being able to step out has not affected my work. In fact, there have been some positives of looking at the world through this narrower lens, working out the difference between what you want and what you need to live a full life.
According to you, what role does the artist occupy in society today?
As artists we translate experiences, and these act as a storehouse of a society's shared memory. This way, we can capture moments that fact or text-based records cannot. It is helpful to relive how it might have felt to exist in a particular place and time. So many artists around us today use their art to communicate their feelings, which are charged with personal views on society and can rouse emotions in people who struggle to collect their thoughts or even help form an opinion on particular matters of self, family, neighbourhood, environment or the country.
Lastly, what’s next for you?
I hope to be able to keep creating a believable and intriguing view of the world around us that the beholder wants to explore. More importantly, I look forward to having the choice of being able to give time to my personal projects. Also, in a broader sense, to lead a rich, varied life, and to be surrounded by loved ones, and to give back in meaningful ways.
Text Unnati Saini
Date 16-08-2021