Are you also amongst those who cannot resist scribbling when stuck somewhere or waiting for something? Well! Welcome to the world of doodles.
Often considered as the most ignored art form, Doodles are fun, inspiring and spontaneous. The most surprising factor while doodling is that we do it while we are in a semi-conscious state i.e. without thinking much and thus they prove to be very revealing and leas to let those creative juices flowing. It brings out some of the most brilliant ideas!
Mounica Tata, our Uncommon doodle artist is the sweat, blood and fluff behind the doodles in form of sketchy stories. She’s a full-time (self-taught) freelance illustrator/cartoonist/story-teller and also holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication.
“I love cheese, books, and stationery. I wish to title my autobiography ‘Cheese, Caffeine, & lots of Chaos”.
Most of her comics are a narration of real life incidents, these are everyday things we do but don’t often talk about.
“A friend of mine had come down to visit and we met this (didn’t really meet, just ogled from a distance) really cute guy, he was the owner of the restaurant and that triggered this comic”
Way of life:
Her journey so far has been (phe)fun-nomenal, growing and learning every single day as an artist.She decided to finally take the leap of faith sometime last year when she realized that nothing makes her happier than telling stories. Plusgetting paid for what you love to do the most is an added bonus!
Everyone, male & female who have sprayed deodorants right after shaving/waxing will know the pain. I like making comics on these simple everyday tragedies of life.”
Without any formal training in art, Mounica is a self-taught illustrator/cartoonist.She gives her best without trying too hard. Her journey has been slow but fun – progressing from her notebooks to MS Paint and finally Photoshop, her doodles/cartoons are cute, simple and so relatable!
“I do this series where I often draw on photographs, it is fun and refreshing for me”
Her Inspiration:
Art has been with her since she was a kid. Mounica has always enjoyed drawing and telling stories since and doodling was within her it seems.
Whether it is making a greeting card for friends or doodling in a notebook during lectures, she just lets her imagination take over her.
In the corporate world, doodling was a way to distress, and with little nudges from friends and family, her flight for doodling took off after a series of other frustrating jobs.
“I am at my creative best when I am feeling miserable! Period cramps get my creative juices flowing (see what I did there!)”
“I don’t know how to drive so I rely on cabs and autos heavily and at least 7 out of 10 times I end up in a ‘wanted to be Michael Schumacher’s cab/auto.”
Why she doodles :
“This is my narration of the societal structure. I am privileged to have a platform to voice my opinions and thoughts and an audience to consume it so I don’t want to make just cute-fluffy art. I like starting conversations on issues that I can relate to. These comics talk about the mindset, the culture we’ve created, the misogyny, patriarchy, and everyday sexism we deal with.”
“A lot of things and people inspire me. Most of my stories come from everyday life situations”
She confesses, we Indians are inherently and genuinely very funny. We just don’t know how to laugh at ourselves. “I observe a lot! Anything that strikes a chord, evokes an emotion in me, and resonates with me ends up being a comic strip/illustration/doodle”
“For many, anxiety and depression has become a type of chicken and egg issue. Some people suffer from depression and develop anxiety. Others suffer from anxiety and develop depression. I am the former and although I am an extrovert on the face of it but I suffer from crippling social anxiety. “
As far as art is concerned, she follows a lot of artists online (not necessarily illustrators but comedians, musicians too). Few of the illustrators she looks up to for inspiration are Sadhna Prasad, Danica Silva (yetanotherbydanica), Hannah Hillam, Debangkshu Moulik, Marta Altes, Sobadra, Gemma Corell, Poornima Sukumar, and Estelle Bachelard. It’s a long list!
Hurdles:
Mounica’s creative roadblock lies in conveying her thoughts on a four panel comic. She fears, her messages getting lost or losing essence if she fails to do justice to her work. Being a freelancer, she’s constantly juggling to make ends meet.
Looking forward to:
Mounica is a very impulsive soul, most parts of her life have been a series of happy accidents. She is not the one to plan out things. She looks forward to writing web comics and graphic novels to spread her stories reach more and more people.
Words of advice:
“I would just say, keep at it! Just keep drawing. Do not chase numbers, chase good content. Content is the queen. Find your voice, find your style, and keep at it. Create everyday!”
While many of us consider doodling as a humble distraction, it gives you confidence and makes you more productive. Mounicafinds her inspiration everywhere, after each drawing of her, she looks for an ‘aha’! moment because she doesn’t expect much, she just draws what she wants, what fascinates her and has this unique, unmistakable style of turning her doodles into real art with some beautiful illustrations.
We at The Uncommon Box wish her good and inspiring thoughts everyday to make patterns that result in remarkable art forms.
You can follow her work on these links:
Facebook | Instagram | Website | Behance
This article was developed by TasneemBharmal in association with The Uncommon Box.
Do you also love doodling?
Would you like to share your work with us? We can all learn from each other. Do send in your thoughts
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