Kaukab's Portfolio

Thesis Color stills (Seq. 01)

2012-02-02T11:17:00.002-05:00

What I'm Busy With...

2011-12-30T18:14:00.002-05:00

Having a blast animating Dechen for thesis..

Simple Approach to Thesis Layouts

2011-12-11T14:38:00.014-05:00

Busy animating and compositing for my Thesis, DECHEN. Spring semester will involve mostly coloring / inking the characters in Photoshop. BGs will be a combo of mixed media - color pencils, pastels, watercolor and oils... So, here's a step-by-step of how I'm approaching my Thesis BGs. Nothing fancy here. Pretty simple stuff...

I originally drew and colored (see very above) with color pencils on paper. All done in separate layers, e.g. overlay, background, underlay, clouds all on separate sheets of paper for the purpose of being animated in After Effects...

After scanning, in Photoshop, I put the layers over an oil-on-canvas color card (actual ochre oil wash). I want a light, canvas-gritty feel to the BGs of my film... Note, I did not merge the layers...

I further played around with the modes and transparencies. Finally, animated the layers on separate levels in After Effects, e.g. sunrise happening (Color Balance), and clouds drifting off (Lens Blur). This BG 01 will cross-dissolve into BG 02, the establishing shot of Dechen's monastery. Ta-da...

Introducing Dechen

2011-11-13T10:22:00.005-05:00

A couple of pencil-tests from DECHEN, my ongoing Thesis film's introductory scene. Will upload some more shots in the coming weeks...

Introducing Dechen from Kaukab Basheer on Vimeo.

Cheeto the Kitten

2011-10-25T00:03:00.013-04:00

I rescued 8-10 week old Cheeto - or rather, he 'found' me - more than a month ago, on my way home from school one afternoon. Junaid and I have been fostering him since. He's a terrific little boy. Friendly, affectionate, energetic, extroverted, fearless, and Mr. Personality. My friend Deborah and her sister, a Bengal enthusiast, insist Cheeto is no ordinary cat, but a high-grade Bengal mix.. So cool...

Faith didn't take long to "accept" wild Cheeto.. (Thank you, Faith-unu, you've been great.) However, she quickly figured out that he doesn't scare easily, is a handful, ALSO loves to hog the toys, and is ALWAYS up for a rough play session. Well, good for them.

Sophie's not too thrilled about the new addition though. Poor girl. I keep dumping new rescues on her. But in Cheeto's case, it was tricky. With no foster home available at the time, we just had to take him in. At least Sophie no longer has Faith hounding her all the time to play with her..

No matter how hard Cheeto tries to befriend her, Sophie wants NOTHING to do with him - but that doesn't deter him from trying again and again. She avoids him as much as possible, which is hard when you are living in a small one-bedroom apartment. Hope she eventually gives in and goes easy on the little guy. Will be less stressful on her, too. But that's our Sophie - a bit of a loner, a one-person (exclusively MY) kitty.. A straight-forward cat that doesn't take kindly to changes, strangers, sudden bursts of excitement, and surprises (like Cheeto)...

"Whuzzaaap! Check out my awesome belly-spots..!!"

Oil Figures in Light

2011-09-29T16:45:00.008-04:00

Painting light, taught by Peter Fiore, a terrific Illustration faculty at SVA. Twenty-minute figure studies in yellow ochre + burnt umber + flat brush. Never worked with oil paints before, but loving it..

HBO Hosts 2011 NBR Student Awardees!

2011-09-22T13:03:00.006-04:00

HBO hosted an official screening of this year's NBR student grant awardees, evening of September 20th in NYC. My instructors Howard Beckerman, David Levy, and Don Poynter attended the event, along with my husband, and some of our non-school friends.

"Picture Purrfect" was received well, which (still) amazes me. I was in awe the entire evening and through the Q & A. To have my work screened with some very good films, and seriously talented young filmmakers was a dream come true. Thank you HBO and NBR!

Thesis Boards - Unfinished

2011-09-13T11:15:00.014-04:00

Few pages of my revised thesis storyboard. Sequences 1, 2, and 3. Currently wrapping up the final sequences, and simultaneously working on the animatic with rough sound.

Rango Gets Adopted..!!

2011-09-07T11:36:00.015-04:00

After an adventure of extremely surreal proportions, Rango, the most affectionate, and friendliest of our colony ferals, was officially adopted on Monday by a loving family! Hunter Kirkland (a professor at SVA whose class I was in last fall) and his wife, Brooke, were kind enough to take in our precious feral tabby after having recently lost 2 of their beloved orange tabbies..

As is the case when working with feral cats, things don't fall in to place so easily.. Within hours of his fostering, Rango had panicked and escaped from Brooke and Hunter's bathroom window, only to realize that he was no longer with us or his cat colony in Jersey City, but somewhere very new and highly unfamiliar - the Lower East Side of NYC! For days, Rango battled bad weather and avoided confrontation with established cat colonies in the region, as he searched for a place to feel safe.. I was guilt-ridden, heart-broken, and devastated. Rango had been close to Junaid as a kitten, but had grown very attached to me as a young adult. Now, my beloved feral may be lost, forever.. Would he forgive me for abandoning and betraying him? And would I ever see his sweet face, receive his 'kisses', or be part of his fun conversations again? God knew I had only wanted to help him..

Truly miraculously for us, Brooke and Hunter happen to live next to Janet Jensen, a long time feral cat expert - and an angel in disguise - who came to our rescue, armed with patience, advice, a few cat-loving neighbors, and a gifted animal communicator. During one of our desperate nightly searches, Rango decided to come by and greet us - out of affection, gratitude, and respect which moved Junaid and me incredibly.. This new neighborhood was enchanting to a friendly feral like him, with it abundant crawl spaces, trees, grass, flowers, fountains, and many cat-loving residents who provided food at all times. Nothing like the awful neighborhood he originally belonged to. We sensed Rango didn't want to be trapped now, and so with great difficulty, Junaid and I decided to just let him be.. Thanks to this meeting with Rango, I too finally started to feel at peace with myself..

But then warnings of Hurricane Irene approaching NYC had us all concerned for Rango's safety. We just had to get him indoors, since a storm and flooding could be potentially fatal for a lonely, young feral who had just been (accidentally) relocated to a new area without his colony. And so, a day before Irene finally hit NYC, we managed to successfully trap, and reunite Rango with Brooke and Hunter, where he was safe through out the storm.. Thank God!

A truly remarkable gem of a cat, our Rango has been doing exceedingly well in his first-time home :-) We couldn't be prouder of our orange boy. This kitty has worked his sweet charm on ALL the pets of the household. He instantly bonded with Hunter and Brooke's super-friendly and adorable Pitt-mix, Rosie..!! Lots of love and best wishes to our friends Brooke, Hunter, and our boy Rango, and his new life-long friends (Rosie, Pepe and Cleo). Thank God for miracles, good fortunes, angelic cat-loving people.. and warm, furry, happy endings!

Honey Gets Adopted!

2011-09-06T10:26:00.003-04:00

This long weekend, our fat baby Honey's foster home in NYC officially became her furr-ever home - yay! Thank you very much Kitty Kind for helping us help our troubled, abandoned kitty, and working hard to find her a responsible, loving home :-) All the very best to Honey and her new parents!

We Rescued Cleo!

2011-08-07T23:19:00.020-04:00

This was a truly rewarding weekend. When you're out managing or rescuing unwanted cats, you usually don't get a best-case scenario - especially right away - but WE did! Within a span of a day, my husband and I managed to grab our most lovable and friendliest young stray, Cleo, and got her in to an establishment that will pamper her, and find her a loving new home...

The scary thing is, this fawn colored tabby had gone missing for a few weeks. I feared the worst had happened. When she finally returned, we decided we'll catch her and get her indoors, ASAP. Abandoned at a very tiny age, Cleo belongs to the stray and feral cat colony we manage where we live. This 6-8 month old cutie-pie is sweet, gentle, and very engaging. She loves being around people, and hasn't a single mean bone (or whisker) in her body. No hissing fits, no mood swings, no nippiness, no scratching spells - nothing. Cleo has a stellar personality and stunning looks to match, so we're sure she'll get adopted in a heart beat :-) She probably would like to be an ONLY cat in a household.

Feels great to know that our Cleo is sleeping soundly in the comfort and safety of loved ones, well fed, and in the clean vicinity of other needy kitties, thanks to our superb friends, Carolyn, Marcia, and Kandi at the Secaucus branch PetSmart cat nook (representing Hudson County Humane Society, Liberty Humane Society, Closter Animal Welfare Society (CLAWS), and Animal Life Savers). These ladies are all awesome...

Cleo's favorite napping and comfort spot - people's FEET..!!

Cutie Cleo's informal adoption page: http://www.catster.com/cats/1198243

Meet Dechen

2011-08-01T12:50:00.010-04:00

I've been busy story boarding and developing elements of my thesis film for the last 6 weeks.. Whew.. Still can't believe I'm a senior now.. Anyway.. My film will be traditionally animated on paper and is due April, 2012..

It's about a young Buddhist monk who learns that despite his care and nurturing, an extraordinary flower finds a harsh and frigid environment better suited for its existence.. The story takes place in a Buddhist monastery up in the mountains of Leh, Ladakh (situated East of Jammu-Kashmir state of India), and centers around a young boy, Dechen and his surprise discovery, an exotic, high-altitude flower..

Spent my entire junior year at reading, researching and collecting material for my film. I've had the idea for my film for some time now. Chose to give it a shot for many reasons - color palettes, time of day, different seasons, special effects, exotic layouts and sounds, and finally, a simple story (that stems from my own personality and experiences). Yeah, I've given myself a continent-load of nuances to think about - and work on..!! But I'm basically just trying to challenge - and 'wow' - myself.. After completing 3 student films at SVA, I wanted to go all out (before I graduate and take off).. Oh, and never mind that my inflamed drawing hand is STILL not back to normal - the ONLY thing about senior year that scares me.. Let's see by the end of all this if I crash and burn, or soar..

So far, the meetings with my advisor, Don Poynter, have been going well.. He's liking what I've been showing him, which is a good sign.. Will keep all of you posted on the progress... Oh, and the title for the film is still up in the air..

Lilli, We Love You...

2011-07-16T00:28:00.018-04:00

My husband and I lost one of our young stray kitties today. Lilliput - aka Lilli - was run over flat by a car earlier on today, after very likely being chased by a rowdy neighborhood tom cat, who's owners REFUSE to have him neutered. Now one of our beloved street-babies is gone. Lilli was a highly curious and feisty girl, always the FIRST to run to us for food. She was particularly close to my husband. Poor thing.

The two of us are members of organizations Companion Animal Trust and Neighborhood Cats. Incidentally, "Picture Purrfect" was a hit with Companion Animal Trust, so they've decided to display it on their face book page. My husband and I are working towards resolving the feral cat crisis in our Jersey City neighborhood. Despite the lack of trust, support, and cooperation we receive from most of our neighbors, we hope to accomplish our goal through a safe and humane method known as, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

If you're interested in addressing a feral or stray cat problem in your area, and wish to reduce the number of multiplying kitties or hate to see them being put down - then TNR is the ONLY way to go.. It's work, but it's extremely successful. The ONLY effective way to ensure that feral cats don't multiply out of control, and can coexist with humans in harmony.

We've had some major set backs thanks to some people in our neighborhood. It's been an incredibly hard road so far, even though my husband and I have been SO VERY patient and informative. I won't go in to the ugly details, but we've lost 7 of our cats out of the 10 we were successfully managing.. We won't give up on the remaining strays that come to us still.. Lilli will be a constant reminder that EVERY DAY for these cats is a struggle for survival on the city-streets.

At least TWO of the young adult strays we feed are very social - they come to us and let us pet them. One is a male stray, who we call Rango. The other an abandoned house kitty, a female I've named Fifi. I know I can find them homes. They are very good cats...

Here's our feral colony. We are working on trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and returning / releasing OR finding them homes... Precious Lilli is in the photos here.

HONEY Needs a Forever Home!

2011-06-28T12:36:00.021-04:00

My husband and I recently rescued a beautiful, abandoned, blue-cream house cat from our building's rotting cellar. This cellar is no longer in use, and packed with leaky boilers, damp flooring, loose nails, and sharp objects. Not to mention germs, bugs, rat poison, and rotting bags. Anyway, we have no idea how long this cat had been down there (my guess is 4-5 days) - but she was only too happy to be rescued, let me tell you. We probed about and learnt she conveniently belonged to nobody. She is NOT feral, is approximately 4 years of age, and has been declawed. She is negative for FeLV / FIV. Her origins are unknown to us - but that doesn't mean she can't have a safe, bright and happy future.

We groomed, bathed, fed Honey (that's what we've named her), and found her a temporary place to rest. To keep her entertained, we donated some of Sophie's and Faith's toys. But Honey needs a furrever home, and is on the look out for responsible folks who will shower her will love and care. Despite everything she was put through, this brave kitty is extremely friendly, trusting, fat, and totally cuddly! We are working on taking her to a vet for a check up, and have reached out to organizations to help us out along the way. It's all so time-consuming..

So, anyone reading this, and looking to own a loving, indoor kitty - Honey's the one for you!! Her adoption page can be found HERE!

"Meow.. I'll make a great kitty for you and your family, I promise..

Please, ADOPT me now..!"

(For more information, please write to: kaukab_basheer_j@yahoo.com)

Kung Fu Awesomeness - Round 2

2011-06-22T23:38:00.019-04:00

I finally found the time to watch and enjoy Kung Fu Panda 2. More action sequences, new characters, and lots of jaw-dropping backgrounds. Impressive visuals. I own the Art of Kung Fu Panda. Can't wait to get the KFP 2 book. Just LOVE Nicolas Marlet's work... Oh, and speaking of KFP, here's an unlikely fan: kitty-cat, Sophie.. How awesomely cute is that..??

"Inner peace, anyone?"

"Picture Purrfect" Receives NBR Student Grant Award

2011-06-15T17:14:00.042-04:00

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures recently presented the Student Grant Award to "Picture Purrfect", at the Dusty Awards night, School of VISUAL ARTS Theater, NYC. HERE are the rest of the 2011 NBR Student Grant Awardees. Thank you, NBR, for enjoying my film, and considering me for this year's award.. And for the gift bag, stuffed with award-winning movies and soundtracks - sweet..!!

Thought I'd toss these in.. Sophie snoozing on the layout drawings for "Picture Purrfect", back when I was animating the film. The delightful Kitty-Stamp of Approval.. Aaah, I've been 'stamped' by Sophie before...

Fiz & Quito at the 22nd Dustys

2011-05-29T20:07:00.011-04:00

22nd Annual SVA Dusty Animation Night INTRO from Kaukab Basheer on Vimeo.

I was given the opportunity by our Animation chair, Reeves Lehmann, to come up with an intro for the 22nd Dusty Animation Night, 2011. Worked on this project all Junior year. The intro finally premiered Sunday night, May 8th at the SVA Theater, NYC. Started off the Thesis screenings. Editing by Tien-Li Wu. Music by Nana Simopoulos.

Mmm-my Nostalgia...

2011-05-09T13:46:00.068-04:00

Pages from a book I created for my (first ever) silkscreen printmaking (and bookmaking) course. Taught by David Sandlin, a gifted silk screen printmaker, bookmaker, and instructor. Was nice to break away from the animation and the humanities for a bit.. But I was completely out of my element - which turned out to be interesting, and eye-opening..Clueless about this art form, I, now, have tremendous respect for ALL printmakers! I found silkscreen a skill hard to assess even several weeks into the semester.. (Especially, since I injured my drawing hand prior to this course..) Silkscreen and traditional animation have much in common. Still, I think animating a film is much easier than printmaking. The bang for your buck is profoundly bigger.. Here, some of the prints didn't turn out perfect (in the printmaking-sense).. But overall, I'm pleased with my first silkscreen book...
Printed on Rives BFK tinted paper, this 9"x6" book presents some of my favorite Indian snacks.. I chose to draw and print this theme for personal, nostalgic reasons.. I've been away from home for almost 5 years now.. True, many of these items are available here in the U.S, but it's not the same.. Snacking with my loved ones on the energetic, vibrant, crowded, and more or less polluted roadsides and streets of India is one of the things I miss the most about home.. Hmmm..
These nation-wide, dime-a-dozen but individualized snack-carts expose the enthusiast to many sensory delights.. Explosive flavor combinations - hot or cold, sweet or tangy, spicy or mild, deep fried or not, soft or crunchy.. Surrounded by festivities, colors, sights, smells, and sounds.. The fleeting company of chatty strangers and noisy families huddled around you to devour these 'bandi' treats, only adds to the entire snacking experience..For us Indians, creating and sampling affordable, tasty snacks is a cherished past-time.. A tasty custom we are devoted to and proud of :-p

Catnap Watercolor Series

2011-05-03T23:23:00.022-04:00

Faith and Sophie in watercolors done from life.. Except for the very last piece - that was painted from a photo ref.. Done months ago (a delayed upload)...

Being Badgered

2011-02-03T17:19:00.034-05:00

Badgered from Kaukab Basheer on Vimeo.

Rough animatic.. A scenario based on one of Mike Nichols's & Elaine May's 1960s radio skits, "A Little More Gauze"... A deliciously funny track.. Had to edit the dialogue to fit my visuals.. Turned 'Edith' into a rabbit, and 'Harris' into a badger.. Background track, the folk classic, "Jesse James"..

The awesomely-talented improv duo, Nichols & May..

Listen to "A Little More Gauze" here...

Roast Duck, Anyone..?

2010-11-26T09:55:00.014-05:00

Ok, this post just happens to coincide with Thanksgiving.... In the 1950s, the US government provided Amercians with a shielding method that would keep them from getting exposed to nuclear radiation. "Duck and Cover" was taught everywhere to prepare and protect people from not only any surprise foreign nuclear attacks, but also from the atomic tests that were being carried out at home.. Anyway.. Here's my take on what it really meant..

Japanese Ambience in Maya

2010-11-04T01:59:00.008-04:00

Designed and modelled a Japanese setting with Autodesk Maya 2011 - a software I'm new to.. Still learning how to shade and texture geometry.. Decided to work with a Japanese theme.. I love the gardens, and the unique and appealing pagodas..

Watercolor Wildlife #1 (Bronx Zoo)

2010-10-19T20:55:00.010-04:00

Female Anatomical Triptych

2010-10-14T16:13:00.003-04:00

Male Anatomical Triptych

2010-10-14T16:10:00.002-04:00

Lenny Talking

2010-10-12T14:12:00.001-04:00

A few months old.. Animated "Lenny" to a track given to us in class by Howard.. Wow, I've been gone a long time.. Have to take time out to start posting stuff.. (I'm a disgrace to my blog..)

Picture Purrfect

2010-04-29T16:52:00.012-04:00

Picture Purrfect from Kaukab Basheer on Vimeo.

Peeku, Stefan the Artist's cat, unknowingly paints and sells his first painting.. My 2nd student film at SVA took about 3 months to animate.. Glad I finished it on time.. Traditionally animated.. Colored digitally, painstakingly, with the Photoshop brush tool to get the desired look.. My awesome animator & musician friend, Greg Yagolnitzer gave the terrific music and was great to work with!

Purrfect Layouts

2010-03-30T16:55:00.004-04:00

Here are two layout stills from my film, "Picture Purrfect". Finally came up with a title; I was beginning to get really worried. I'm currently scanning, coloring and compositing the shots.. Deadline is April 21st...

Society Red

2010-03-15T12:21:00.007-04:00

Chose to design the character Red from On the Yard by Malcolm Braly. This was for Don Poynter's new Advance Comp class - which, btw, is going really well..

"... Red was slightly over six feet, bone-thin, and awkwardly made. His face was so densely freckled it appeared rusty and gave his features a raw humorous aspect. His eyes were yellow like a goat's, but the vivid orange hair that had prompted some forgotten humorist to call him Society Red had long since faded and thinned away to a clown's half-bald ruff. He had been jailing for thirty of his forty-five years and was now a five-time loser. Still he didn't consider himself a failure, simply because it never occured to him he could be confined in any such square john term..."

Chip Board Sketches

2010-03-04T18:22:00.003-05:00

Stefan & Peeku Pencil Tests

2010-02-25T10:41:00.007-05:00

Thought I'd share a few initial pencil tests of Stefan and Peeku with everyone.. Blogspot's been kind of wonky lately, so please be patient and persistent :-) I'm trying to wrap up the animation asap so I can get to the scanning, coloring and compositing.. And the sound (oh boy).. Needless to say, the coming 2 months will be intense...

What I'm Having Fun With..

2010-02-07T00:36:00.008-05:00

I'm currently working on a 90 second short film which is due sometime this April.. I'm pleased with the story.. My cats and their odd intricacies were the inspiration behind it.. Here are the character designs of the talented Stefan and his equally talented cat, Peeku.. The final film will definitely be tighter in timing and cuts; I'm not thrilled with this rough animatic here...

Hope I finish it on time.. More importantly, hope it comes out the way I "see it".. BTW, for some reason, I haven't been able to decide on a title for my film.. Any suggestions are most welcome - and the chosen title will be credited :)

The Letter

2010-02-03T18:08:00.009-05:00

Howard gave us a character animation assignment with a letter as the primary theme.. Here's a brief confrontation between a young George Orwell and 'Bingo'..

Tribute to Old Bollywood

2010-01-07T09:19:00.020-05:00

Happy New Year, everybody :)

Hmmm.. I'll start my 2010 on a fond, nostalgic note.. Have always loved and cherished the soundtracks, films, and collaborations which came out of the Bollywood industry in the 1950s - 60s.. This here isn't much, I'll admit, but it's an impromptu illustrative tribute to the graceful and captivating Bollywood heroines of that highly aesthetic and melodious period.. Now that I think of it, my inspiration came from the charming duets of the legendary Mohd. Rafi, and the cinematic brilliance of yesteryear Hindi film actresses Nutan, Asha Parekh, Sadhana and Sharmila Tagore..

Designing Layouts

2009-12-31T13:06:00.020-05:00

Some pieces I came up with for the fall Layout & Design class. Liked it so much, I'll be taking the brand-new advance class the coming spring. Worked with color pencils, markers, black pen, and used very few photographic references..

Color exteriors - different times of day:

Monochromatic exteriors - different times of day:

Interiors - high and low views of a room:

Horse Pan

2009-12-27T10:46:00.006-05:00

Did a horse walk cycle (my very 1st one) against a pan.. 12 drawings.. 24 fps.. Slowed the animation later, so this isn't the final..

Human Limbs

2009-12-26T22:22:00.005-05:00

Arm, hand, leg, and foot final anatomy piece for the fall semester.. Color pencil and graphite on 23" x 29" Strathmore vellum..

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T19:09:00.007-05:00

Sophie and Faith love their new cat tree (a great deal we found online).. Here, my babies were on the look out for plump squirrels, scurrying about in the snow..

Merry Christmas, everyone! Be safe, be happy, be warm :)

Gopi-Kishen Illustration

2009-12-24T17:07:00.006-05:00

My final piece for Stephen's drawing class.. Krishna surrounded by Gopis and animals near a river bank.. Color pencils on pastel paper.. Took approx 6 hours..

Human Torso

2009-11-20T00:03:00.008-05:00

Worked with 2 color pencils and 3B graphite on 3 ply, 500 Strathmore vellum, sized 23" x 29", for a study done from life. The final piece took about 16 hours for coloring and touch-ups..

Below is the final rough study drawing, followed by the tracing used to transfer the sketch onto the final paper.. Man, these photos came out crappy.. The colors in the final piece are better than what you see here.. Gotta get myself a new camera..

Animation Reel '08-'09

2009-11-19T20:05:00.008-05:00

My animation demo reel.. Consists of a mix of traditional and CS4 After Effects animation from my freshman year ('08) and ongoing sophomore term (fall '09)..

Human Skulls

2009-11-18T21:50:00.007-05:00

3B graphite skulls drawn from life on a 3 ply 500 Strathmore Vellum sheet (23'' x 29'').

'Bingo'

2009-11-15T00:55:00.011-05:00

Designed and animated Mrs. Simpson, aka 'Bingo', from George Orwell's entertaining and insightful biographical essay, 'Such, Such Were the Joys'..

'Bingo' was the wife of Orwell's British headmaster.. A selfish, discriminating, barrel-like woman who enjoyed tormenting (and disgracing) the boys at Crossgates...

Figure Drawing #9

2009-11-14T13:59:00.003-05:00

Figure Drawing #7 & #8

2009-11-13T00:13:00.004-05:00

Figure Drawing #6

2009-11-13T00:06:00.003-05:00

Figure Drawing #4 & #5

2009-11-12T23:19:00.005-05:00

Figure Drawing #3

2009-10-14T23:07:00.003-04:00

Strawberries 'n' Cheerios

2009-10-02T08:58:00.008-04:00

The first animation assignment of the term - a cereal splash. Did some layout thumbnails before getting started on the animation, which included: working with an existing soundtrack, writing an exposure sheet, and deciding on a proper field guide..

And here's what Sophie was upto..

Figure Drawing #2

2009-10-01T09:19:00.007-04:00

Keeping Faith..

2009-09-30T18:07:00.020-04:00

Last Saturday, my husband and I brought home our very first foster from Kitty Kind (a non-profit, feline rescue organization in NYC). For 2 reasons - to help a stray kitty in need of love, and to give our baby Sophie a temporary playmate..

This gorgeous, 7-8 month old Domestic Tabby - Maine Coon mix was brought in the very same time we showed up to collect our foster. She was found on a busy asphalt in Manhattan, filthy and hungry. Despite being older, and a lot larger than Sophie, and having gone through God only knew what, she appealed to me right away. We decided to give her a temp home. She was so new, she hadn't even been named yet by the rescuers. So they let me name her. And I named her Faith, which this lovely kitten has plenty of, I'm sure..

Faith was set up in our bathroom just 2 days before she wanted to be let out. I decided to carefully 'introduce' her to Sophie on day 3. At first, Sophie, the Top Cat, despised this intruder. However, every day, they seem to be growing more tolerant of one another - thank goodness..

Faith is a timid cat who let's Sophie get away with the hissing but not the tail grabbing. She usually prefers just ignoring her antics. Sophie's a playful kitten who may share her toys but not her yummy treats.. Both have a favorite.. Faith likes to be around Junaid, while Sophie loves me :)

Things have been anything but dull around the house.. The young cats can be left unsupervised, but not for long periods - they aren't 'friends' yet. The funny thing is, their personalities are poles apart, just like their beautiful coats.. One's a bicolored cow, the other's a tiger with lovely, dark swirls on her sides.. Faith's a nibbler, eats slow, while Sophie eats like there's no tommorow.. Sophie's the outgoing, openly affectionate, spunky, and noisy kitten.. Faith is the calm, quiet, sober one.. We just want them to become pals asap.. C'mon girls, make it work..

Figure Drawing #1

2009-09-15T17:33:00.014-04:00

Last week my 2nd innings at SVA started with a bang.. Figure drawing class, taught by Stephen Gaffney, was first on the list.. Stephen's an awesome artist, an excellent instructor, a really nice guy, and a former student of SVA.. I've never taken figure drawing before, so this is one class I eagerly look forward to all week.. Crucial, challenging, lots of fun, and extremely rewarding..

Here are some sketches from today's class, week #2.. The darker the pencil, the more I want to draw.. 6B on 18 x 24 paper.. Mix of 5 and 7 minute poses, working with 'passages'..

This actor / model was giving us interesting expressions from time to time..

Here are some from last Tuesday's class #1.. Not happy with these but I'm sharing them anyway..

'Feathers on ANIMACAM.TV Festival 2009

2009-08-25T14:18:00.029-04:00

I was recently approached by a Spain-based animation website to participate in their ongoing ANIMACAM.TV International Online Animation Festival 2009!! They came across my student film, loved it, and wanted to feature it on their panel of films this year.. I had no idea 'Feathers would make its way to a nomination over seas - pleasant surprise!

Love Your Feathers, will be representing my native country, India, as well as the art college I'm currently attending, School of Visual Arts (SVA) in this festival.. It's listed in the Watch Videos, under Official Section, and is categorized in the SHORT FILM category. Below are the directions on where and how to view and vote for my film:

- This is where you need to be: http://www.animacam.tv

- Click on Watch Videos from the list displayed on left of page. You'll be directed to Official Section/Last Videos page. Scroll down and click on my film's thumbnail to view.

- To vote, click on Official Section tab on top of page. You'll be taken to the Official Section/Presentation page. Click on Vote on left of page.

- You'll be directed to Official Section/Vote page. Register as a Visitor to vote. Voting starts September 1st. Deadline for voting is October 19th.

- Go back to my film page to cast your vote. Voting is based on a point system of 0-5, numbers which are laid out vertically next to my film's thumbnail. 5 being the highest vote, and 0 being the lowest. Once your vote has been cast, it's final.

- Also, to leave a comment, navigate back to my film page. Click on Coments on bottom left of page, just above the film's thumbnail.

They've also featured an article on 'Feathers, "Lovely and Sweet Birds.. Love Your Feathers!", in their ANIMABLOG.TV section - so have a look at that too :))

Remember, sign in to vote on my film page.. Winners will be announced late October.. Please pass this on to anyone who likes watching cartoons.. Some of the films they've uploaded are impressive.. Best of luck to all the brave and talented film makers! And a big, warm thank you to everyone who'll view 'Feathers (for the n'th time, I know) and (hopefully) vote for it!

Kaukab

A Month of Sophie

2009-08-21T11:01:00.036-04:00

Here's the reason I haven't been been blogging or drawing much these days.. Sophie, the newest (and cutest) member of our family, has been keeping me well occupied.. See for yourself :)

A month ago, we rescued this 6 week old, cool patterned (black n white, bi-colored), Domestic Shorthair off the street.. We'd just finished dinner, when I heard faint cries coming from below our kitchen window (we live on the 2nd floor).. I went outside and found a kitten, scared, shivering, and hungry, only a few feet from the busy road, sitting in a crummy alley at the corner of our building, crying her pretty little head off...

Don't know if she'd simply wandered off and as a result gotten separated from her mother.. Or she was abandoned altogether.. Wasn't even sure at the time how old she was - she was so tiny.. One thing I did know - this kitten was a fighter :)

We weren't prepared for a pet, mentally nor financially.. But we were so taken by Sophie's endearing personality and cuteness, we decided to keep her.. Junaid named her Sophie.. Initially I was afraid for Sophie's health (respiratory problems and other diseases), but the vet reassured us she was absolutely fine.. We even decided on a birthday for her.. June 2nd :)

Sophie got accustomed to us and our home in no time.. She even takes the train commute well (her vet's located 2 station stops away and I don't drive).. It's been only a month since we took her in but Sophie's already bossing us around in style :) Very active, naughty, feisty, stubborn, free-spirited, super-cuddly, and very, very affectionate - Sophie's a great package.. Glad I found her when I did..

However, she does tend to get aggressive (biting), usually when she's in the playing mode.. Probably a result of having lost the company of her mother and siblings at such a young age.. Sophie likes to wrestle with us despite the toys we've given her and our firm 'no's.. Yeah, she enjoys tearing our hands and feet to pieces, and ambushing us for the heck of it, specially when we stir in our sleep.. So, I've been busy disciplining the li'l devil.. Getting her to understand what's ok and what's not.. I think she'll out grow the biting but I still want to do everything on my part to make sure it doesn't become a serious problem.. Hard work but we'll get there..

She loves watching tv with me.. Ok, so she doesn't really 'watch' tv - it's the flickering images on the screen that look good to her.. Cartoons and a few shows on Animal Planet seem to be her thing.. Good 'ol 'Tom and Jerry' tops the list (not surprising).. How adorable is that..!!

She also loves to watch me work.. As you can see below, Sophie was 'actively involved' through out the making of her cartoon character.. Supervising my every move.. Hope she likes how it turned out.

Feels Like Forever :)

2009-08-17T12:32:00.011-04:00

Wow, I've been gone for almost a month?! Sorry.. Been kinda busy with things and plain 'ol slacking..!! Well, I just celebrated my 2nd wedding anniversary yesterday, Aug 16th :) The entire weekend was a sweet celebration.. Feels longer than 2 years.. Like I've been with Junaid all my life.. Like, forever :)

Here's one of our wedding invitations.. I'd wanted to animate our cartoons initially but ended up doing an illustration of Junaid and myself instead.. I simply didn't have the time to jazz up our casual inivite.. Insane production deadlines at work, my fast approaching resignation 'coz I was moving away after tying the knot, the pre-wedding-madness, my pre-bridal-marathons, the torrent of emotions.. Oh, did I mention, my freakin' wisdom tooth..?!! The blasted thing couldn't have picked a better time to become permanently, excruciatingly painful! Aaah, memories.. So, back then, this little card had to do.. And it did just fine :)

AMNH Session 4

2009-07-19T21:51:00.015-04:00

Visited the museum with a friend who's interested in learning how to draw and watching me sketch.. My hubby came along, so it was nice.. Wasn't a productive day.. Fun, yes.. Drawing, nah..

Designing My Card

2009-07-16T17:59:00.015-04:00

Been designing a business card for myself.. About time too.. The one from my previous employer is invalid and outdated.. So, I put together a few simple options, and finalized this one for printing:

Here are some more samples..

Six Froggies

2009-07-13T21:14:00.022-04:00

One of those sudden just-for-myself projects.. Was up 2 nights ago, feverishly scribbling away.. Before I knew it, I'd come up with these 6 guys.. Now, I'm brainstorming a story - something that could work for either a 3D or 2D film or a cartoon television series.. Something I'd work on in the future - perhaps, when I have my own studio, hehe.. I don't know :) Haven't decided on a title or even the names of the characters.. Based the designs on personalities, and the role they'd be playing.. Here they are..

The Main One

The Sweet One

The L'il One

(Based her on my 5 year old niece)

The Wise, Old One

The Crazy One

Degas Animatic

2009-07-09T00:14:00.035-04:00

Finally turned my Edgar Degas storyboard into an animatic.. Took way longer than expected.. All because I don't have a sound library to work with at home.. For the characters, used whatever basic audio files I could find.. Really should create a proper library for myself, and just stop with the stupid procrastinations.. Or have someone do it for me.. Hehe..

Went with one of my favorite composers for the background score.. One of the most celebrated and highly skilled musicians of his time (19th century).. The Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer, Niccolo Paganini : "I am not handsome, but when women hear me play, they come crawling to my feet." Yup, un vero genio.. Like Monsieur Degas..

Cartoon Wedding Bells in Kothamangalam!

2009-07-02T00:01:00.010-04:00

A cartoon for my husband's work buddy, Eldhose, who's tying the knot next week :) Eldhose liked the invitation I'd made for my wedding back in 2007, a cartoon of my hubby and me.. So he requested me to draw him a little something.. Since both he and his beautiful fiancee, Ancy, hail from Kerala, and the wedding's taking place in Kothamangalam (Kerala), I decided to include a serene Keralite backdrop in my illustration.. Took about two days.. Pen and color pencils...

"Art of Krishna"

2009-06-29T15:49:00.067-04:00

Rummaging through some old work stuff, I came across a few links documenting Green Gold Animation's achievements.. Couldn't find the two short interviews I'd given Aaj Tak (a popular news network back home) regarding my work on the successful 'Krishna' series.. To be honest, I'd much rather have my work do the 'talking'..

Krishna - the Birth Premieres

Krishna Scores Highest Ratings in India

Krishna - the Birth Wins 2007 Best
Animated Feature FICCI Award (Scroll to the bottom of the page)

Green Gold's Chhota Bheem in the News (My name's in there somewhere)

Chhota Bheem Premieres

Ok, here's something I'm really pleased with.. Back at GGA (and with my boss's permission), I'd put together four books while working on the four 'Krishna' movies for Cartoon Network.. Each book, I devoted to each of the four feature films, displaying my work - and only my work.. A portfolio in the form of four neatly categorized books.. Each showcasing hundreds of preproduction and production drawings, in addition to office gags, and important 'Krishna' news articles..

Rough sketches.. Animation frames.. Size comparison charts.. Construction notes for animators.. Almost a hundred designs of the primary, secondary and extra characters I created for the four films.. Rough layouts.. Color studies done in color pencils.. Complete character model sheets.. Scene planning.. Poses.. Character expressions.. Gestures.. Styles for special effects.. Everything and anything to do with 'Krishna', I documented judiciously, despite the crazy work schedule..

Needless to say, the books were received well by many.. Whenever I feel nostalgic about my time on "Krishna", I flip through one of these.. Each book's a testament to the extremely grueling but remarkable, career-altering journey 'Krishna' proved to be for all of us at GGA...

I kinda got in trouble for drawing Krishna this way, and distributing him among the exhausted animators at the studio..

For more than a year, about 80 of us had been working round the clock to meet Cartoon Network's (absurd) deadlines.. From planning to compositing, a 75 minutes feature of good quality for the number one kids channel had to be wrapped up in 3-4 months.. NO small feat.. After one was completed, we'd move on to the next film, sans any break.. This way, we finished all four parts of Krishna in about a year's time..!! The reason my sleep cycle's so messed up, huh..??

Coloring with Krishna

2009-06-29T14:32:00.028-04:00

One of Green Gold Animation's latest ventures - turning its hit television productions into comics and activity books.. My ex-boss (and good friend )CEO of GGA, Rajiv Chilakalapudi mailed me a few of these fun books.. Here's what the Krishna Coloring Book looks like.. In addition to my drawings featured in it, (Note: Clean-Ups done by someone else), my name is mentioned in the credits (which I was actually not expecting)...

Some of my work was featured in GGA's posters et all.. Kinda old but thought I'd share these...

Another old piece that brings back memories.. I'd done this promotional illustration in 2004 for GGA'S first television 2D cartoon feature, 'Vikram Betal'. The very first cartoon I worked on :) Based on 'Vikran Betal's success, GGA had bagged future Cartoon Network projects, including the 'Krishna' series that helped shape my career...

Click here for Vikram Betal News Article

Copyrights Owned by Green Gold Animation Pvt. Ltd.

'Home Sweet Home' Series

2009-06-23T00:02:00.031-04:00

BUILDING EXTERIOR - Pen and Markers

Since I never do any perspective drawing, I kicked myself into devoting a few pages to the subject. These spontaneous, on-the-spot drawings of my building and condo were done on different days. I focused primarily on the technical aspect of things. Only towards the end did I realize that I'd also captured the mood of my familiar surroundings...

ENTRANCE and KITCHEN AREA - Pen and MarkersLIVING ROOM - Pen, Color Pencil, and MarkersLIVING ROOM VIEW - Pen and MarkersOUTSIDE MY DOOR - Pen and MarkersGROUND FLOOR and MAIN ENTRANCE - Color Pencil and MarkersCopyright 2009 Kaukab Basheer

AMNH Session 3

2009-06-18T12:48:00.011-04:00

Here are some museum sketches I did yesterday. Spent the day with the African Mammals - just love that hall. Started with the Ostrich, but quickly moved on to my favorite subject on that floor, the White-Mantled Colobus Monkey...

These stunning creatures are displayed so well, their window so beautiful, I can never tear myself away from the spot. Spent the next few hours sketching a dozen of them in pen and markers..

Zoo Session 1

2009-06-16T00:12:00.017-04:00

I visited the Central Park Zoo with an animator friend early noon yesterday. I'd been looking forward to this particular drawing session, since I hadn't been to any of the zoos here before. The park and the sights at this small wildlife sanctuary were beautiful. Really crowded, but yes, beautiful and sunny-breezy :)

The Snow Monkeys (above) were really cute. However, the Tropic Zone was my favorite. Some gorgeous birds, delightful sounds, and colorful foliage on display there...

To my disappointment, both the Snow Leopard, a new addition to the zoo, and the Polar Bear were napping and not interested in receiving visitors (exhausted from the sudden surge in temperature, I suppose), so I didn't get to draw them.. The penguins, too, were unreachable, surrounded by countless families, so I couldn't sketch them either.. Maybe next time..

Nevertheless, I had fun.. These were done in pen and with no more than four color pencils...

AMNH Session 2

2009-06-15T21:41:00.015-04:00

Animals displaying interesting markings and texture, horns or antlers, are some of my favorite subjects to sketch...

Sketched in the Hall of African Mammals, at the AMNH, two weeks ago. Sorry for posting these late..

B'Day Wishes For a Special Friend..

2009-06-11T10:58:00.045-04:00

Pearl was truly one of my dearest and most beloved friends. A stunning, lilac-point Siamese with a magnetic personality, she was extremely affectionate, 'talkative', intelligent, pleasant, and fun to be with..

Pearl was approx. 3 months old when we'd purchased her off a breeder in 1998 in Toronto. I named her after her gorgeous coat. With her smiling blue eyes, inquisitive nature, and constantly ringing vocals, Pearl kept us grounded and entertained. She witnessed every gathering, occasion, trip, and celebration (cake eating with the family was a must). And she was there whenever we needed unconditional love and comforting, her watchful eyes on us, always - Pearl was our angel :) Despite having gotten her spayed at an early age, Pearl was extremely maternal, not at all moody, and very good with kids.. Oh, I even trained her to do tricks like, 'jump', 'sit down', and 'shake'!

Just short of her 6th birthday, Pearl passed away on April 18th, 2004, in India. She died in my arms, at home, around 3:45 a.m. Pearl had been a healthy cat and a survivor of dangerous mishaps, so it was specially depressing when she suddenly fell ill and died within two weeks of an incorrectly diagnosed illness by a handful of incompetent, infuriating veterinarians. I fought to save her, but the vets had already given up (even though I feel Pearl herself hadn't)...

We'd had plenty of pets before her, but Pearl was truly different. We'd tragically lost someone special. We buried Pearl near my grandmother's grave, who'd been an animal lover herself...

I still haven't gotten over Pearl's untimely passing.. Her death shook me badly.. I'd never witnessed anything die before.. And poor Pearl dying made it all the more traumatic.. I haven't owned a pet since, even though I love animals.. Don't think I should.. I'm weak, and take too long to heal and 'move on'.

Pearl would've been 11 today.. Happy Birthday, Pearlu Ma.. We love you and will always miss you...

Old Anim Assignments

2009-06-10T17:24:00.020-04:00

These are a few animation assignments I did for my Workshop (Fall of 2008). One was coming up with a 6-legged walk cycle and the other, to animate a sneeze. Should've added a ground shadow for the walk and gotten the post-sneeze action down right. :"/

Digi Comp Assignments

2009-06-08T12:01:00.019-04:00

Here are a few of the assignments I did for my Digi Comp class this past year. A frog crossing a street. And a submerged suburby-neighborhood with aquatic creatures swimming about. Both hand drawn animation combined with After Effects CS3 for special effects and compositing.

Turning My Crow to Stone!

2009-05-31T19:12:00.032-04:00

Two weeks into the completion of my school year, I got working on turning my film's protagonist, the crow, into a maquette. I'd never sculpted anything before, so I wanted to give myself something new to learn - a break from the pencil and paper. I thought I'd suck at my first attempt at clay but I was wrong - I can sculpt pretty good for a beginner.. Aaawright!

Wrapping my mind around the 3D-crafting-with-your-hands-thing was initially tough. As a character designer, I'd made several accurate turnarounds at work (always off the top of my head and at short notice), so I wasn't about to let this attempt at sculpting a character stump me. Took less than 2 days to craft, bake and paint this guy. Worked with beginner's Sculpey, acrylics and semi-glossy varnish. Here's my precious, 3" tall, 'feathered' baby, showing off with a classic turnaround... Ok, so I'm shamelessly beaming at my creation, and sounding over-the-top-mushy.. Hehe, deal with it..

Degas Storyboard

2009-05-30T12:27:00.043-04:00

My final storyboarding assignment was a very good one: pick an Impressionist artist and produce exactly 24 color storyboard panels on him, in his trademark medium. It had to resemble the artist's work which was interesting and challenging - and a lot of fun really. Either something about his life, an aspect of his personality or simply an interpretation of him and his art. A thorough research was needed. The boards didn't have to be a lengthy story with a beginning and an end, just something brief and to the point (24 panels aren't much). I picked my personal favorite - the extremely versatile French Impressionist and perfectionist, Edgar Degas, "the painter of dancers"...

After having sufficiently read on the temperamental artist, I chose to illustrate a confrontational scene involving him and a few curious young ballerinas. Decided to work with color pencils on colored textured paper for speed and convenience (semester was drawing to an end). Had to mount my panels (each 3"x4" in dimension) a certain way for class presentation, so I realized chalk pastels were a 'no'. Took approx. 4 days to do all 24 illustrations...

Copied 2 of the artist's well known pieces (see below) and included them in my boards.. Couldn't help myself :)

I also decided to make my illustrations much more detailed and not work with a lot of white - the opposite of what Monsieur Degas would do. I'm pleased with how my storyboard turned out. Currently, I'm working on taking the 24 panels a step further by turning them in to an animatic, complete with sound...

AMNH Session 1

2009-05-28T13:44:00.045-04:00

I was at the American Museum of Natural History yesterday with a veteran animator friend for a casual drawing session. The place was packed, loud, and full of distractions - families, school kids, cameras, and people always peering over our shoulders as we tried to draw. It was fun though. A good day for meeting a friend but a slow day for sketching. To tell you the truth, it's been ages since I stepped out to do any kind of drawing.. Alright, I admit I can be such a slacker.. Not good at all..!!

So, here's what I scribbled in my Moleskine sketchbook - mostly skeletal observations done in ink-pen. Not happy with these but you gotta start somewhere, right!

SVA Faculty, Illustrated

2009-05-19T01:46:00.043-04:00

Meet the instructors and gifted animation / art professionals who taught me during my first year at SVA - fall '08 / spring '09. Think I'll do this with every new instructor. Did these from memory, 'checking' the likeness during classes. Scanned and colored in Photoshop CS3.

Howard Beckerman
History of Animation (Aggravation, according to Howard)
and Storyboarding

Don Poynter Perspective Drawing

Eric Eiser Digital Compositing

Everett Aison Storytelling
Ruth Josimovich Literature and Writing
Celia Bullwinkel Animation Workshop

Robert Dress Character Designing
_______________________________________________________

During spring break, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting the awesome Dan Haskett at SVA! Dan's Disney character designs were a huge influence on me growing up. As an 8 year old, I'd study Dan's appealing characters frequently, spending hours every day trying to draw them. As a teen, his work and designs continued to influence me. Meeting him was a dream come true, alright. Did these sketches of Dan as he spoke to the class on character designing...

Later, he even drew in my book.. *sigh*

My First Film

2009-05-13T00:43:00.061-04:00

Love Your Feathers! 'premiered' on April 28th.. Screened on May 6th at the SVA theatre, NY...

My animator friend and fellow SVA student, Andy Scherman, gave the incredible flute track. This strictly independent film took about 5 months, from start to finish.. Learnt A LOT from it, lol.. If I'd had a little more time for planning and perfecting the timing, it would've turned out much better.

For the curious non-animators out there, this film consists of 560 hand-drawn, traditional drawings - not counting the backgrounds.

Enjoy :)

Now that I'm done sweating over my film, I've given myself a few projects to work on. One of them, turning this film into a children's story book...

My Production Stills

2009-05-12T17:47:00.036-04:00

My film is about a wishful crow who learns the hard way to be happy with his plain feathers rather than look ridiculous with someone else's pretty feathers. A folktale native to South Asia, but I changed the story in certain places: got rid of the dialogue, added a confrontation scene, changed the ending, and threw in a pretty mate for my protagonist. Haven't uploaded any pre-production work 'coz I really didn't have the time to do any.. Cheating? Yeah, I guess!

I'd unwittingly given myself a lot to do. Well into production, I realized the quality of my film was practically feature film-ish, and to maintain it, I was going to have to 'break my back' till the very end. Sure, I'd worked on cartoons for television but I'd never made A FILM BY MYSELF! I was new to aspects such as storyboarding, direction, background coloring, certain techniques of animation, post production - not to mention, sound recording, and directing a musician! Thank God for the friends at SVA! Best of all, during production, my husband gifted me a Wacom Tablet! My progress was faster and the coloring, a breeze. Thanks, Junaid, my love! You saved my hand from Hell!

So, I completed and turned my film in on time. I'm pleased with how I tackled production in addition to assignments from other classes this crazy first year of school. My film definitely benefited from my work experience. I'm glad the madness is over - for now..

The Candy Witch

2009-05-12T13:44:00.026-04:00

Had to redesign an established children's fairytale character for a class assignment. Chose the child-devouring, 'sugar-coated' hag from the Brothers Grimm's, Hansel and Gretel. Love designing villains. Decided to make her a witch of German descent.. A blend of the crazy Mad Hatter and Disney's Madam Mim..

Cuddly Chow

2009-05-12T13:08:00.015-04:00

These were done at the Dog Run park in West Village, New York, on a class sketching trip, about a month ago. I didn't draw much 'coz I was having too much fun playing with all the dogs there! We were finally asked to pick a breed and design it as a cartoon character. I was drawn to a bear-like, gorgeous Chow Chow. This one, Marie, was a mix; a friendly but lazy cutie (seen relaxing above). I decided to turn her into an authentic Chow in my designs...

A Boy and His Balloon

2009-05-11T18:09:00.004-04:00

The Red Balloon (or Le Ballon Rouge) is a touching French film (1956) with very little to almost no dialogue. It's about a lonely, little boy and a red balloon that befriends him. I came up with this after having watched the film at school. Here, my focus was on the boy and not so much on the balloon...

Triangadhipa, My Monster

2009-05-10T15:44:00.021-04:00

I designed this creature for a fun class assignment: create a monster by combining 3 different species. I decided to craft one out of a Bengal tiger, a water buffalo, and an Asian elephant, wanting him to hail from my native country, India. Once designed, I learnt the monster's name. Tri-anga-dhipa, Sanskrit for '3 bodied protector'...

Well, he'd been created as a boon for an extremely devout, holy sage. The sage had prayed hard for a unique creature with the attributes of three profound animals, to protect mankind from the countless demons that tormented it at the time. Triangadhipa was given to the sage by Lord Vishnu himself. In the hermitage, the creature grew up to be a kind, righteous, and well-mannered individual. But when the sage, Triangadhipa's father and 'guru' who'd taught him everything and had treated him like a son, was brutally killed by the very people the monster had been created to protect, Triangadhipa turned savage. In his rage and thirst for vengeance, he joined the dark forces. And has been wrecking havoc on mankind ever since. (Wonder if he'll ever find his true calling...)

SVA Animation Thesis Package Cover Design, 2009

2009-05-10T15:15:00.008-04:00

I was asked to design the cover for my department's thesis package. Took about 3 hours - drawn, scanned, and then Photoshopped...