​​​​​​​Drawn To Figures

Janine Shroff enjoys juggling the clean and functional aspect of her graphic design work with the fun and color of her personal illustrations.

How did your tryst with art begin?

JS: In school I drew on the desks, on my notebooks, inside my notebooks and all over my notes! I continued doing this during college until my parents realized I didn’t have the skills or interest in much else. When I didn’t get into NID after a three-part, long and very tedious interview process, my worried parents took me to an art school recruitment fair for the University of the Arts. I was accepted into a Foundation course at Camberwell College of the Arts in South London. After obtaining a B.A. Hons Illustration degree, I went on to do M.A. Communication Design at Central St. Martins.

What role did formal education play in your career?

JS: I think a formal education has probably helped to sometimes get my foot in the door. I don’t know how it specifically helped me in a very literal way. In art school you don’t get taught specific skills – it’s more about abstract skills like critique or challenging your own practice. That did help my practice grow and improve. I found my M.A. course, my course mates and my tutors, Gary Powell and Andrew Foster, very influential in terms of how I viewed and made my work.

Describe your style.

JS: My style is figurative, very detailed, colorful and sometimes odd. I enjoy the absurd and dream-like quality of surrealism. Right now I’m really enjoying acrylics and gold water-color paints, but I also enjoy feltpens for fast work.

What is it like to be an artist based in London?