Illustrator showcases Chennai’s daily activities in art series

“Soon after the lockdown, I started illustrating things people were doing at home like cooking, binge-watching, working out, playing card games and so on. I stay at Egmore and visiting the beach was a weekly affair. After being stuck at home, I started feeling nostalgic about the activities on the beach like the merry-go-round, small shops selling cotton candies, sundals, roasted masala corns, etc. I know that many miss Chennai’s beautiful beaches full of various activities. So, I started illustrating these small things on social media. I got an amazing response to the beach artwork series,” says Hiral.

 The illustrator shares that unless she experiences certain things, she cannot translate them into artwork. “After the beach series, I started illustrating the day-to-day street activities like isthiriwala ironing the clothes, juice shop vendor making sugarcane juice, small shops selling chips and other eatables, tea shops selling hot teas & coffees, etc. We never realised the value of these simple things until we started missing them. After seeing the artwork, many messaged me saying how much they are wanting to revisit all these things once everything is back to normal,” she adds.

 Hiral has used gouache art for her work. “After painting, I convert the work into digital illustrations. I am planning to explore more city activities in the coming days.”