INKTOBER: 2018 - Flowers of Bangalore

Inktober is a month long art challenge started by Utah based illustrator Jake Parker, wherein every day for the month of October, a participating artist creates an ink drawing and posts it online. This year, I'm doing a series on the flowers of Bangalore wherein I draw 31 different flowers found (not necessarily native) in Bangalore, in my own stylized way. This blog post serves to be an archive for all those 31 drawings.

Each drawing is accompanied by a short description and some key vitals written by Mr. Karthikeyan Srinivasan[1]. They’re being taken, with permission, from his blog, www.wildwanderers.com

Here goes...

Day 01. Frangipani



Common name: Frangipani, temple tree, pagoda tree
Vernacular name: Kaadusampige
Origin: West Indies, Mexico
Flowering season: February to October

There are 2 species of temple trees that are met with often. The red frangipani plumeria rubra which is a somewhat odd-looking tree while the white frangipani plumeria alba is the more handsome. Both are of small stature; the former being deciduous and the latter evergreen. They both have leaves that are thick. The leaves and the stem exude a white milky substance when injured. Both, the red and the white frangipanis, bear fragrant flowers in clusters at the tips of their branches. These trees are planted in gardens and parks and often used in landscaping. Frangipani is known to possess a poisonous, milky sap, rather similar to that of the Euphorbia.



Day 02. Water lily


Common name: Water lily
Vernacular name: -
Origin: -
Flowering season: -


Day 03. Flame of the forest


Common name: Flame of the forest
Vernacular name: Muttuga
Origin: India, Burma
Flowering season: January to March

This tree when in bloom is indeed a sight to behold, particularly so when the forest around it is dry and most trees bereft of leaves. The flame of the forest too, like many other trees that share the habitat sheds most of its leaves before putting forth the bright, yet pleasing, orange flowers arranged that are placed in clusters on its branches. The flowers are visited by a host of organisms – birds and butterflies. An early morning birding session in the vicinity of this tree during its flowering season is rarely disappointing. It can be propagated from seeds. In Bangalore there are very few of these trees including a couple in Lalbagh.



Day 04. Common bur-flower



Common name : Common bur-flower
Vernacular name: Kadamba
Origin: India, China, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam
Flowering season: October to July

This tree has large leaves arranged loosely and therefore not forming a dense canopy. The tree grows large with spreading branches and is unfit for planting in small spaces. However, it is ideally suited for large parks, gardens and campuses. The flowers somewhat resemble the badminton ball tree. This tree has been planted as an avenue tree in some parts of Bangalore. The commander limenitis procris butterfly uses this as their larval host plant.


Day 05. Red silk cotton


   
Common name: Red silk cotton
Vernacular Name: Booruga
Origin: India and Malaya
Flowering season: January to March

The tree is a blaze of colour and completely leafless when in bloom. The numerous, large, cup-shaped, crimson flowers are very attractive. The flowers attract a variety of birds and there is a cacophony of bird calls. Depending on where the tree grows the birds that visit the flowers also vary. Soon after, large green fruits dangle from the tree which turn brown ejecting the soft cotton attached to the seeds. This is an indigenous, fast growing tree and grows in most areas except in the very arid areas. Virtually every part of the tree is known to have medicinal value.

There are trees in Lalbagh (near West Gate and near the Rose Garden), Banashankari second stage and other areas. I have personally enjoyed observing birds near these trees in forested areas (particularly Anamalais). White-bellied treepie, hill myna, parakeets, drongos, orioles, thrushes, babblers, blackbirds and a whole lot more can be seen to the accompaniment of their cacophony. The next time you happen to be in the jungles during the flowering season of this tree, just try your luck.


Day 6. Women's tongue flower



Common name: Woman’s tongue tree
Vernacular name: Baage
Origin: Tropical Africa, Asia and Northern Australia
Flowering season: April to May

This tree is particularly noticeable after the flowering is over and the tree bears the large, light brown flat pods. The pods hanging in good numbers on the tree can be seen during the winter months. These make a loud rustling noise when subject to even a gentle breeze giving the tree its common name. The greenish white flowers of this tree are very pretty, reminiscent of the Rain Tree; they also have a mild fragrance. The tree can be easily propagated by seed. Species of Grassy Ellie Eurema butterflies use this as their larval host plant.


Day 7. Siam Cassia


Common name: Siam Cassia
Vernacular name: None
Origin: Malaya
Flowering season: Most part of the year

This species is planted as an ornamental and well suited for gardens and parks as it is not a very large tree. The yellow flowers and pods are borne in clusters. Pods are flat and occur simultaneously with the flowers. Parakeets can be seen feeding on the seeds by evicting them from the flat pods. It does very well even in hot, arid conditions and hence of great use in afforesting hot arid areas. This fast growing, evergreen species can be propagated from seed. The larvae of the emigrant butterfly (catopsilia species) feed on the leaves of this species.


Day 08. Variegated bauhinia



Common name: Variegated Bauhinia, Purple Bauhinia
Vernacular name: Basavanapaada
Origin: India
Flowering season: February to April and June to October

Bauhinia variegata and bauhinia purpurea are very similar looking trees. It is very difficult to tell them apart. The former has very pale pink or white coloured flowers with the some petals variegated while the flowers of the latter are pink to purple. Like in all bauhinias the leaves are split in the middle which is very characteristic. Both the species considered here are indigenous. Bauhinia purpurea comes into flower when in leaf while bauhinia variegata looses most of its leaves when in flower. The trees bear long flat pods which hang and are conspicuous.

One can see these trees in Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, Indiranagar, Ring Road (near Banaswadi) and other areas.


Day 09. Champak


Common name: Champak
Vernacular name: Sampige
Origin: South Asia and Southeast Asia
Flowering season: May to December

This evergreen tree does not need any introduction. It is largely cultivated for its fragrant flowers. It is very well known to people as they use its flowers for religious ceremonies. Frequently planted in the vicinity of temples, it is considered sacred. The tree requires moderate amount of sunlight and does well in moist climate. This tree has reasonably dense foliage and can grow very large. The common jay graphium doson butterfly uses the leaves of this tree as its larval host plant.


Day 10. Pink poui


Common name: Pink Poui
Vernacular name: -
Origin: Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador
Flowering season: February-March

A marvellous tree indeed ! It grows large and is very leafy. It provides ample shade when in leaf. Leafs resemble the silk cotton leaves and borne on branches that grow at an angle to the main trunk and seem to reach out to the sky (this feature can be used well to differentiate the T. rosea from a very similar species T. pallida – some botanists can comment on this). Like many flowering trees, it is almost leafless when in bloom. The pale pink flowers grow in clusters similar to the other Tabebuias. It is undoubtedly a splendid tree when in bloom. Ideal for parks and gardens where it can be allowed to grow without being subjected to lopping. 
Some large trees of this species can be in Cubbon Park, Lalbagh, near National College, Basavangudi, all around Jayanagar 4th Block shopping complex and near the GPO.


Day 11. Cannon ball flower


Common name: Cannon Ball Tree
Vernacular name: Nagalingam
Origin: Tropical South America and West Indies
Flowering season: Throughout the year

A truly amazing tree. The tree does not grow branches that reach out from the straight trunk. It bears large, showy flowers, almost through the year, on the trunk and not on branches like most other trees. Though a native of tropical South America, it is considered sacred in India (the structure of the flower is likened to the 'Shiva linga’, complete with the snake providing shade). The tree also produces globular, brown, woody fruits of an astonishing size, almost the size of a human head! There is also a strong albeit pleasant smell.
A tree in Cubbon Park (near the counter where tickets are issued for boating) is truly spectacular. There are also trees in Lalbagh, on Infantry Road (near Gem Plaza) and other parts of the city.


Day 12.  Portia tree flower


Common name: Portia tree or Bhendi tree
Vernacular name: Huvarasi
Origin: Coastal forests of India and Burma; tropical Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands
Flowering season: Almost throughout the year peaking during winter

Often planted as a roadside tree; particularly common in Tamil Nadu. The Portia tree is a tree that grows to about 30-40 feet in height. Leaves are broad and somewhat reminiscent of the leaves of the Peepul and are heart shaped with prominent veins. The tree, being a relative of the Hibiscus, has flowers similar to it too. They are large crumpled looking flowers with an exterior yellow colour and a deep reddish centre. The flowers turn reddish as they age. The fruit is a capsule with a rounded shape, somewhat like a top.

The tree is propagated from cuttings and is known to grow rapidly. It is also easily grown from seed. 


Day 13. Jamun flower


Common name: Jamun or Java Plum
Vernacular name: Nerale mara
Origin: India, Burma, Ceylon and the Andaman Islands
Flowering season: February to May

Many city folk, perhaps, would have eaten the fruits of this tree without knowing what the tree looks like. This is a large evergreen tree. Being a native, it can support a lot of life. When the tree puts forth its small whitish flowers, bees are attracted to it. Besides, being a tree with dense foliage it can also support a good number of birds like the barbets, mynahs, and a whole lot of others even in the urban area. The fruits are green when raw and turn deep blackish purple when ripe; fruits have a layer of pulp over a large single seed and are edible.

Day 14.  Ashoka flower

Common name: Ashoka Tree
Vernacular name: Ashoka
Origin: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Malayasia
Flowering season: Throughout the year; mainly November – March

This is a small sized evergreen tree with spreading branches and a dense foliage of medium sized leaves. If planted in an open area, it assumes a well proportioned, round canopy. The flowers are borne on dry branches in dense clusters that are orange-red that deepens as they age. The tree looks particularly attractive when in bloom. This tree is also associated with mythology. Besides, it is attributed with a lot of medicinal properties. It is propagated by seeds.


Day 15. Jacaranda


Common name: Jacaranda
Vernacular name: None
Origin: Brazil
Flowering season: February to March

Jacaranda is a very beautiful tree and spectacular when in flower. It attains a large size. The tree has a canopy consisting of fine, feathery leaves due to which it has a great ornamental value. The leaves are lost during winter and the bunches of flowers grow when the tree is leafless. The flowers are mauve coloured and tubular. The seeds are enclosed in a round, woody capsule. They hang from the tree for a long time before dropping off. There is flush even when the tree is in bloom. There are many trees that are coming into bloom in the city.

Day 16.  Paarijata

Common name: Parijata, Coral Jasmine, Night-flowering Jasmine
Vernacular name: Parijaata
Origin: South-east Asia
Flowering season: August to December

This small-sized tree blooms in the night and by day break sheds its flowers. As should be expected, it is pollinated by insects that are active in the night. The Paarijaata, known as the Coral Jasmine, is also botanically referred to as Nyctanthes arbor-tristis which literally means ‘night-flowering sad tree’. This name perhaps comes from one of the many myths about this tree. This native tree also has a lot of medicinal value. Extracts from the tree are used to cure inflammation, fever, skin ailments to name a few. You may do well to read about these before you are headed to Kabini next. And, while there don’t forget to take a walk to befriend the ‘night flowering sad tree’ and soak in its company. 


Day 17. Copper pod



Common name: Copper pod
Vernacular name: Haladi Gulmohur
Origin: Ceylon, Andamans, Malaya and North Australia
Flowering season: March – September

The Copper pod is considered to be a semi-evergreen tree. It is seldom leafless though it sheds leaves en masse during the winter months for a very brief period. The name `Copper Pod’ comes from the coppery-red seed cases that are seen in profusion (they turn black with age). A species which is easy to propagate, hardy, and can survive in harsh conditions. A pretty sight when in bloom. It bears clusters of yellow flowers at the end of the branches, together with dark green leaves. The ground under the tree is strewn with a carpet of the yellow petals and is sight to behold. The tree is large and very shapely. These trees are in the park flanking Nanda Road (continuation of RV road) from South End to Jayanagar and several other areas of Bangalore.


Day 18. Peacock flower





Common name : Dwarf poinciana, Peacock flower
Vernacular name: Kenjige
Origin: Americas, West Indies
Flowering season: Perennial

This is a very popular ornamental plant. It is grown in a variety of situations for its beautiful inflorescence and to add colour. The flowers grow in a large conical inflorescence and are usually orange/red and varying amounts of yellow or at times just yellow.

 
Day 19. Bird of paradise





Common name : Crane flower, Bird of paradise
Vernacular name: None
Origin: South Africa
Flowering season: September to May

This native of South Africa is brightly coloured and very pretty. Often these are brought indoors as cut flowers and are used in flower arrangements. The bright colours and the long lasting nature has helped the plant find favour with horticulturists and the cult flower industry.



Day 20. Gliricidia






Common name: Gliricidia, Mother of Cocoa, Quick stick (Jamaica)
Vernacular name: Gobbarada mara
Origin: Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America
Flowering season: February-April

A small, deciduous, ornamental tree, planted in gardens and fields as a green manure tree. The tree is leafless when in flower and bears fruits during April and May. The small flowers (barely 2 cm long) are pale pink and they are borne in dense clusters on bare twigs. Flowers fade to white / faint purple with age. It can be used as an ornamental. The flowers attract a lot of bees and some lycaenid (blues-family lycaenidae) butterflies – particularly the peablue lampides boeticus. There are several of these trees in Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, other gardens and a few along roadsides.



Day 21. Zinnia




Common name: Zinnia, Common zinnia
Vernacular name:
Origin: Mexico
Flowering season: August-September 



Day 22. Indian cork tree


Common name: Indian cork tree, tree jasmine
Vernacular name: Beratu
Origin: India
Flowering season: April-June, November-December 


  Day 23. Canna



Common name: Frangipani, temple tree, pagoda tree
Vernacular name: Keli
Origin: South America
Flowering season: March-June



Day 24. Torenia


Common name: Indian fishbone flower, heart leaf torenia
Vernacular name: -
Origin: India, Burma, China
Flowering season: September-November



Day 25. Euphorbia mili


Common name: Giant crown of thorns
Vernacular name: -
Origin: Madagascar
Flowering season: February-June



Day 26. Bougainvillea


Common name: Boganvila
Vernacular name: Boganvilla
Origin: Brazil
Flowering season: Perennial



Day 27. Hibiscus


Common name: Hibiscus, China-rose
Vernacular name: Dasavala
Origin: China
Flowering season: Perennial



Day 28. Marigold 



Common name: Boganvila
Vernacular name: Boganvilla
Origin: Brazil
Flowering season: Perennial



Day 29. Dianthus 


Day 30. Black bean


Day 31. African tulip tree


 

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[1] Karthikeyan Srinivasan, or just Karthik, is a naturalist, a conservationist and a photographer. He holds a key interest in plants, birds and butterflies. He has over 50 technical publications in international/national journals & periodicals and over 85 popular articles in leading dailies, magazines and other periodicals. Prior to joining Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd. as their Chief Naturalist, he was working with WWF-India for over 13 years. He was conferred the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award in March, 2013.

Purchase Karthik's book, Discover Avenue Trees, at bit.ly/avenuetrees

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Thank you everyone else for your continued love and support. It means a lot! 

RELEASE: 'Mono' poster • 27 Sep, 2018 • Ziro Festival, India

MONO are a band from Tokyo (Japan) and they play heavy, guitar-based, post-rock music. They're known for their lush, cinematic, instrumental soundscapes - a trait that's earned them descriptors such as 'contemporary classical' & 'cinematic'. I was recently presented the opportunity of drawing the official poster for their exclusive India appearance at Ziro Festival in Arunachal Pradesh. It was an absolute honour and a dream come true.


Official poster for MONO - 27 Sep 2018 - Ziro Festival, India.

The art for the poster was hugely inspired by the the band's music and its dynamism. It was my attempt to capture that 'drama' to paper. The setting, I would like to think, is that of a celestial (post) rock emerging from a transcendental portal; an opening that's birthed at the conjugation of two powerful forces - day and night. A limited run of 50 copies were printed; 20 of these were sold at the festival yesterday. The rest are now available on my store.

The poster is a two-colour serigraph expertly hand-pulled/printed by Pritam Arts on 130gsm Plike Black paper, yes, you read that right.
All posters come signed and hand-numbered by the artist. You'll find all the details below.



'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Plike Black



Plike Black - $20 USD

16" x 23.5"

Plike Black 130gsm paper.
Two-colour serigraph (oil based).
Printed by Pritam Arts, IN.

Limited edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist.


Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy!





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www.monoofjapan.com
www.anoopkbhat.in
www.pritamarts.com

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Thank you so much Anurag for carrying these to the festival. I owe you a big one! Thank you everyone else for your continued love and support. It means a lot!

Note: All items shall be shipped within 15 days of receiving the order. Please visit the store to read the FAQs, see close-up shots of the print and other relevant details.


RELEASE: 'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster • 02 Sep, 2018 • Barcelona, Spain

A Place to Bury Strangers are a New York City-based American band that play heavy noise music, a characteristic blend of psychedelic rock, shoe-gaze and space rock. I recently had the opportunity of drawing a poster for one of their shows during their tour 'Live and Insane' tour. The poster was for their performance at Sidecar in Barcelona, Spain on the 2nd of September, 2018.


Official poster for A Place To Bury Strangers - 02 Sep 2018 - Sidecar, Barcelona.


The idea for the poster came from the band's name and an exploration of what that 'place' might look like. It's turned out pretty alright. The poster is now available as a screen-print on my store.

These posters are single colour serigraphs expertly hand-pulled/printed by Pritam Arts on 135gsm Classic Ivory paper.
All posters come signed and hand-numbered by the artist that is I. Other than the Classic Ivory edition, I'm adding 4 unique test prints from my proof set. There's only a single copy of each of these and hence, they will be priced slightly higher than the regular edition. You'll find all the details below.


'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Classic Ivory

Classic Ivory (regular) - $25 USD

15" x 23"

Classic Ivory 135gsm paper.
One-colour serigraph (oil based).
Printed by Pritam Arts, IN.
Limited edition of 20, signed and numbered by the artist.

Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy!


'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Colombo Creme

Colombo Creme (test print, variant) - $30 USD

15" x 23"

Colombo Creme 120gsm paper.
One-colour serigraph (oil based).

Printed by Pritam Arts, IN.
Single copy, signed by the artist.


Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy! SOLD OUT!


'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Gaza Grey

Gaza Grey (test print, variant) - $30USD

15" x 23"
Gaza Grey 120gsm paper.
One-colour serigraph (oil based).

Printed by Pritam Arts, IN.
Single copy, signed by the artist.

Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy! SOLD OUT!



'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Geneva Green
 
Geneva Green (test print, variant) - $30USD


15" x 23"
Geneva Green 120gsm paper.
One-colour serigraph (oil based).
Printed by Pritam Arts, IN. 
Single copy, signed by the artist.

Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy!
SOLD OUT!


'A Place To Bury Strangers' poster - Matter Andina Grey

Matter Andina Grey (test print, variant)
- $30USD


15" x 23"

Matter Andina Grey 135gsm paper.
One-colour serigraph (oil based).

Printed by Pritam Arts, IN.
Single copy, signed by the artist.

Visit store.anoopkbhat.in to snag a copy! SOLD OUT!

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www.aplacetoburystrangers.com
www.anoopkbhat.in
www.pritamarts.com

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Thank you everyone for your continued love and support. It means a lot!

Note: All items shall be shipped within 15 days of receiving the order. Please visit the store to read the FAQs, see close-up shots of the print and other relevant details pertaining.

PROCESS: 'Parvaaz - A Rooted Departure' poster • Canada Tour, 2017

Parvaaz is a rock band from Bangalore, India. One of the biggest bands of the country, they're known for their brand of psychedelia-infused, arena-ready blues rock they can call their own.  In July last year, the band approached me to draw the tour poster art for 'A Rooted Departure' - the band's first ever tour of Canada.

I first listened to Parvaaz in 2012, the year the band released their debut EP 'Behosh'. I couldn't make it to any of the launch shows but I managed to snag a physical copy of the EP. Ever since, I've been a huge fan. It was an absolute honour to have been asked to draw for them. This blog post is an attempt to give you an inside on how I went about the whole thing.


Parvaaz - 'A Rooted Departure'

Concept

The band had a clear visual in mind - "some abandoned instruments in the open, say in a meadow under the sky may be with some hills at the back". This was the basic premise that we then built on. As the band and I discussed further, we noticed a certain dichotomy at play which we then chose to expand on. While the hills were a clear reference to the Canadian Rockies, the place the band was going to, they were also a hat tip to Kashmir, the place (half) the band is from. Yes, the instruments in the middle of nowhere represented the band's departure or this sense of estrangement but it could also be seen as the band's arrival. This idea seemed to perfectly embody the band's feelings about the tour, the nervousness, the excitement - everything.

The challenge? I had less than a week's time to finish it. It seemed impossible! Those who have followed my work will know the frequency (or should I say, the intermittency?) at which I put out new work. It is what my schedule permits. So I wasn't exactly prepared when I agreed to the commission but I did. I mean, it isn't every day that the biggest band of the country commissions you to draw the tour poster for their first ever international outing.

Anyway, back to the concept. The idea was frozen, all I had to do was figure out a way to draw and compose the said idea in a way that it brought enough drama, captured the overall essence and make sure it fit the tour poster aesthetic.




This is what I came up with. Instruments right in the front, grassland in between and big hills at the back. The hills occupied most of the space. They are easier to ink, involve a lot of negative space which meant lesser time spent inking. The grasslands were made up of several molehills instead of flat plateaus, to help achieve the visual depth within a small amount of space. I also decided to use some Canadian geese in flight to convey the vastness of the composition. We'd considered including a water body and at some point we even considered doing a big sun-like shape at the back but they were all scrapped for the sake of a bolder visual. All these decisions were taken to minimize the inking time as much as possible and ensure a clean, focused visual. The entire procedure took less than a day. I'm particularly proud of this because usually this stage is what takes the longest amount of time. 


Drawing

As soon as the concept sketch was approved, I got onto acquiring references. This is an important step during any commission. I try and accumulate as much as I can, especially when the art I'm about to draw involves elements I'm not familiar with. For this one, it was mostly the instruments and the travel cases. The band helped immensely with the reference images.  You've gotta love it when a band is so invested. We wanted to make sure the ensemble that ends up on the artwork was an accurate depiction or at least was as close as it could get. We had to lose a few boxes for the sake of the composition but that's alright. Here's a screen-grab of the pool of reference images I used to draw the artwork.




From there, I moved onto the drawing board and started work on the final art. Following are some photographs I managed to take at various stages of drawing the artwork. As you can see, I do not use a lot of pencil work. I just make sure I have the proportions right and make the bigger shapes, I do the detailing straight with ink. It's just something I'm comfortable with and in this case in particular, it's helping me save a lot of time. Please ignore the quality of the images.


The earlier plan was to confine the complete artwork within a rectangle. It's at this stage that I realized that I could project the instruments a bit outwards and further emphasize the visual depth in the artwork. I love making these subtle compositional overrides; they make any drawing stand out in my opinion.



This is what my desk looks like while I'm working on a drawing. If I remember correctly, we finalized the concepts on a Sunday. That meant, I only had weekdays (or whatever that was left of it after work) to finish the drawing. This meant consecutive all-nighters. That should explain the low light on the images above. It is why I decided to make this time-lapse video as against the usual close-up shots.




Next, I had to draw the text that was to appear on the poster. I chose to do this instead of using a typeface to keep up the whole hand-crafted vibe. If given a choice, I would make everything that goes on a poster from scratch - that way you own everything that's on it. But that's not how it turns out most times. Anyway, here's what the text looked like. The band felt it needed something worn-out and "cargo" to go with the whole tour/travel thing. I couldn't disagree.

 
 

Post-processing

Once the art was finished, I scanned everything at 600 DPI resolution and took it onto Adobe Photoshop for post-processing. I use a HP DeskJet 1050 All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer to scan all my work. It won't let me scan anything larger than an A4; it is why I stick to that size for most my drawings. It's just easier this way. I have, on occasion, drawn on an A3 but then the struggle to scan the drawing in parts just doesn't make it seem worth it.

As of the post-processing, I primarily use Photoshop to adjust the levels and enhance the blacks in a drawing. That and to separate the colours, if any. This is the stage I separate the blacks and have them on a completely different layer and add masks. This gives me greater control and the ability to may be even colour the drawing in the future if the need arises.

I do not know how many of you must have noticed but there's a few differences in the original drawing and the final poster art that came about. I had to make a number of tiny tweaks to incorporate some of the feedback I received from the band. I used some tracing sheets to make these additions. I'm adding some of the scans below. These mostly involved the stickers on the instruments; they needed to look more "traveled" and yes, we added a whole new box to go on the top of the bigger one at the back - this was so we could have the tour name on it without making it look out of place.
Here is what the final drawing looked like after all the changes. This is what was sent to the band.
 
I couldn't take up the poster design work as I had other things to attend to at the time. So the poster you see on the band's website and all its socials, the one with the tour dates and the sponsors, was put together by Sachin, the band's drummer. The artwork was also used on the band's tour-only t-shirt, media-kits, standees and some other creatives.

Here's some relevant links,

Official tour announcement
'A Rooted Departure' - Teaser (video)
'A Rooted Departure' - First Leg (video)
'A Rooted Departure' - Timelapse (video)  

Once the band returned from Canada, the band got busy playing shows across the country and it almost felt as if the artwork had lived its course. It was done. During this time all I could think about was if there was any way to put the art out. I did not want to put it out as a t-shirt or a digital print; it had to be more than that. It had to be an experience in itself. It had to be special! I chose to wait. 

Around the same time, I was working on the art for Cinema of Excess' debut EP. Other than the art, I was also taking care of the packaging for the release. We'd unanimously decided to scrap jewel-cases and had started to look for workable alternatives. I was a big admirer of the work they did at ACDSleeve. These guys were creating unique, hand-crafted packaging for music releases. I wanted to do something like it. Something that was special but at the same time easy on the band's pockets. That's when I was introduced to Pritam Arts by my good friend Sajid, who was also working on something similar for my friends in DEATHBYFUNGI and Shepherd. 

I immediately spoke to Prajwal, we exchanged e-mails, brainstormed ideas, put together a plan and by the end of the year we'd designed and produced some beautiful front-to-back, screen-printed CD sleeves that we were immensely proud of. That was the moment I knew exactly what it was going to be.

 
Screenprint

The art was never created keeping in mind that it would be screen-printed at some point. The drawing had a lot of detail and almost all of it was on the sketchier side. This made things a little nerve-wracking. I had carried the print files with me to Mumbai the time I visited Prajwal and Mendon uncle at their studio to work on the Cinema of Excess CD sleeves. This poster wouldn't have looked the way it does had it not been for them. I owe a great deal to these fine people. Right from tinkering with the source file to exposing the screens and printing, these guys did a phenomenal job. 

We decided to do a limited run of 100 prints, it was a number both the band and I were comfortable with. Something of this scale hadn't been done before so it had to be a calculated risk. The posters were going to be 17" x 24" in size - that's a little smaller than a standard A2. We were going to use two-colours, matte black for the art and glossy yellow for the band name. The prints were going to be pulled on 160gsm Iris SG white paper. Here is what they looked like.

 


 




I couldn't be around during the printing process so I do not have a lot of photographs. Prajval was kind enough to share some pictures, I've added those below. 







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He also managed to take a good number of videos capturing the key stages of the screen-printing process. Good friend Abheet (Cinema of Excess, blankfound) stitched these together and made this really cool video. This should give you a good idea of what went behind creating a single screen-print. Have a look!


 


The posters were sold at the band's Bengaluru show on the 16th of February, 2018 at Fandom At Gilly's Redefined in Koramangala. The leftovers were then made available to the general public the following week. We completely sold out of all the prints in the last week of August this year. It was a proud moment!

This whole thing has been such a labour of love; right from drawing the artwork to finally seeing it in print and then sell out. This is one of the things I set out to do and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to. This country needs a gig poster culture and I'll try and do my bit to bring it about. We've successfully championed a feat that seemed impossible a few years ago. Here's to more screen-prints!

To celebrate this momentous occasion I'm currently giving away some test-prints on my Instagram. It involves some beautiful, one-of-a-kind prints that I feel are collector-worthy. Follow the post below or visit my Instagram profile to participate. I'm on @anoopkbhat! EDIT: The giveaway is now closed.




 
I wouldn't want to end this post without thanking a few important people. Thank you Khalid, Kashif, Sachin and Fidel for, first of all, believing in my work and then presenting me with this opportunity. Thank you for being such sports and coming on-board to do something that was completely new. Thank you Yama for being so efficient and facilitating the entire thing so smoothly - it was a breeze. Thank you Pritam Arts - none of this would have been possible without your expertise. Thank you Prakriti and Kunaal for carrying the posters all the way from Bombay to Bangalore. Thank you Abheet for that wonderful video work. Thank you Anna for all the help and the constant support. You're the best!

Lastly, thank you to each and every one of you who bought a print or shared the art or liked a post - it all matters. Thanks a lot! It means a great deal to the band and I.

To more screen-prints!

P.S. There is more.. 

Parvaaz with screen-print no. 1/100 at Fandom, Koramangala, Bangalore