Stories through comic strips

A final year student at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Akansha Choudhury, applies what she learns in class to come up with some comic strips that are relatable and hilarious too.

Akansha never planned to be a cartoonist or comic strip artist, but thanks to encouragement from friends and family, she took to it in a big way. She explains, “It evolved from random doodles and soon developed into comics strips. Most are situations that people can connect to.”

She began in January this year and says that the idea was pretty new. She explains that her first comic strip was a real experience.

What started out as something she did just for fun has gained popularity. She shares her work on Facebook and Instagram and has a strong fan following with over 9,000
people. When asked how she comes up with these comic strips, she concedes that it takes a while to come up with a concept. The challenge is to come up with something new every time I sit at my desk to draw, she says.

Akansha says that she keeps a book near her bed just to pen down thoughts or draw a rough doodle whenever an idea strikes her.

“Everyone wants something new and coming up with a theme is so hard. The designing takes me around two to three hours.” She adds that she first draws a manual sketch on a piece of paper and then designs it digitally on Adobe Illustrator. “I started making it for my friends but they encouraged me to share it on social media. I wouldn’t have pushed myself without them. They are the reason why I have so many followers.”

Apart from doodling, Akansha does a lot of graphic designing. And her other hobby is singing. She has worked with JWT on projects with Louis Philippe Apparel and Columbia Asia Hospital, creating hoarding designs and branding. When asked about who her inspiration is, she says that she admires Alicia Dsouza’s work and her style. She adds that her friends also inspire her to come up with new comic strips.

Her work has gained momentum and she was asked by people to design phone and book covers. Her first client was her cousin. Despite her tight schedules, Akansha commits to designing at least two comic strips each week and meets the deadline too.