Beyond The Lines

Anand Radhakrishnan has a knack for storytelling that comes to life through his illustrations.

When did you discover your passion for art?

AR: I used to draw every chance I got as a kid and as a teenager, copying from textbooks, magazines, film posters, etc. I remember once I was drawing buildings as a child and using a ruler for all the straight lines. My dad saw me do this and remarked that almost no shape around us is a perfect line and I shouldn’t use a ruler because it made the lines look too artificial. I think that was my first art lesson! My dad also encouraged me to invent stories. He told me to just think of absolutely anything and imagine that object’s journey from the time of its inception to now and how it would feel and react if it could. I think this was a great exercise in empathy and storytelling.

So, in many ways, I didn’t really discover art as my passion but more like acknowledged it. This happened while I was studying for an exam; the chapter talked about following your dream or passion or some such thing, and that is what got me thinking about it seriously!

What role did formal education play in your career?

AR: I had already given all the entrance tests for medicine courses after class 12 when I made up my mind to pursue art! However, I was too late to attempt the exams for art schools and had to do a year of BSc at St. Xavier’s in Mumbai. I spent the next few months preparing for the entrance test at Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art. This was especially tough for me because it was the first time I was using many of the mediums required, like water color, brush and ink, etc. Thankfully I got through the entrance test and went on to pursue BFA in Illustration.