‘There are a lot of career opportunities in the field of illustration today’

Pune-based graphic novelist Tejas Modak, an alumnus of the reputed Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, has two graphic novels to his credit. He has been working for Phoebus, an animation company based in Pune and also works as a freelance illustrator for literary and lifestyle magazines. Tejas speaks with DNA about illustration as a potential career option.

How are graphic novels different from fictional story books?
A graphic novel or a comic book falls in the category of sequential art. It means that the artwork in a graphic novel forms a continuous thread of narration that takes the story forward. Whereas a story book has only certain important points of the story illustrated, while the actual storytelling is done entirely through text. The onus of telling the story in a graphic novel is divided equally between the artwork and the text.

What is the role of an illustrator in publication houses? Can it be a full-time career?
The illustrator has a very important role to play if the publication house is into image-driven content. The first thing, that makes an impression in case of an illustrated book, is the artwork and is often the factor that sways a potential reader towards or away from it. Hence, illustrators play a crucial role and have now started to get the recognition they have long deserved.

Illustration today has multifarious avenues and applications because print, web and other media are increasingly focusing on visual appeal to woo more subscribers. So yes, it can become a
full-time career.

What course should one take up in graduation if one wants to make a career as an illustrator?
Unfortunately, we don’t yet have courses concentrating solely on illustration. However, students have the option of taking up either applied art or fine art and then specialising in illustration. Like most forms of art, illustration is an individual pursuit and it’s the individual’s time, effort and practice that will make him / her a good illustrator.

Do illustrations serve as a basis for design and animation?
They do for animation to a great extent, but the word design is an all encompassing term. It is an umbrella under which several forms of art can be included for which illustration may or may not serve as a basis.

The ability to sketch out an idea would be an asset almost anywhere and facilitate the design process. Basically, an illustrator mirrors his world on paper or the computer screen and hence, develops inquisitiveness and an eye for detail that would serve him well in most visual art forms.

Could you share your experience of working on two graphic novels and also tell us about your next big project with Penguin Books?
I began writing my first graphic novel, Private-eye Anonymous, while in the last year of college and did the artwork after graduating. It was an engrossing process. I was very lucky to have no trouble finding a publisher and the book was published in 2008 by Westland Books.

My second book, Animal Palette, that was published recently by Akruti Books, was a collaborative project with author Chetan Joshi. It is a collection of four animal fables that I have illustrated in four different styles that suit the genre of each story. It was amazing to experiment and evolve four different styles of illustration for the book. I am currently working on a graphic novel titled, Chilli, for
Penguin Books.

Does being an artist give you an edge over other illustrators or graphic designers in the industry?
Having taken to painting over the last couple of years has been a huge learning curve. Painting has helped me become more fluent in the use of colours and understand composition better.

In my paintings I explore form, line and composition at a micro level without worrying about adherence to identifiable objects. It has helped me shape my work and I am aware of the fact that both my passions feed off each other and help me grow as an artist.