Vasundharan Vasavan- cartoonist

 We frequently believe animation as something that is a natural part of our digital life. It’s present all around the digital community and you just have to tap on it, and you got it.

Someone, regardless, has to create it, depict it, draw it, accumulate it from the meaningless scraps of bits into something useful, delightful, something that creates enthusiasms just like cartoons do.

Here's a little chat with Vasundharan Vasavan

1. How did u get started in cartooning?

During school days I started imitating cartoons from comic books especially I liked Asterix and Obelix which my uncle used to give me from the library. In college, I got the opportunity to work on my college bulletin look doing sketches and illustration. After that, I started illustrating a  lot of storybook cover and inside illustration for Konkani Bhasha Mandal's Konkani books during my job as a DTP Operator.

2. How is your typical day?

A usual morning will start with yoga exercise up to the mood, I spend half an hour social media and check mail to plan out the job for the day.  If there is any cartooning to be done, then I sketch out a rough paper the previous night and when fresh usually in the morning I do it digitally on computers.  The rest of the day is spent on graphic design jobs that I get online.

3. Can u describe you drawing routine-how often u draw? How many hours per day?

As a graphic designer the sketch on paper is less and more on computers, I have a sketch pad, that reduces the time of doing sketch on paper. But for natural drawings I prefer paper.

Being a freelancer you have the freedom to do you job at your own pace. But if there is a deadline then you really cannot check the time. But a typical working hours is minimum 10 Hrs to 12 hrs a day. I believe that If you need to make a perfect design you cannot set a time for it.

4. How do u get your ideas?

In today's digital world, almost all ideas and news is at your fingertips. But however if you need special Ideas for cartooning you still have to go out. Ideas can come  from anywhere friends are a great source, sometimes they may say something funny but , we don't realise it at that moment, but on the way back home if you recall, you can really make out the whole picture in your mind.

5. Which cartoonist influenced you most?

In my earlier school days i was influenced by Astérix comic by Albert Uderzo, and in later years our own Mario Miranda, But the problem after seeing Mario's work is that you feel influenced and loose confidence at the same time. I loose confidence because you know you can never match even close to him at any point of time. Such magic he has given in his drawings.

6. What kind of training does one need to be a professional cartoonist?

Draw...draw...draw

I have not done any formal training, I could not afford to go to study Fine Arts. But I will recommend getting trained in illustration in Fine Arts. The degree may help you to get a job initially. But that's not the point With that training and expertise you can really explore out your possibilities.  I still regret not having the basics right, as sometimes you feel empty or a feeling that you missed something. But until today I enjoy what I do, that's more important.

7. Talk about your process- do u write a script or make up your own drawings as u go?

Both.....I used to work with magazines earlier where the team used to send scripts and I used to send illustration/cartoon strips. I also do my own drawings. I am a very bad organiser, My drawings are often scribbled here and there. Need to store well and keep.

8. How can you be a successful cartoonist?

They're a very few people who have taken cartooning as their only profession, And they have succeeded very much in their careers.

I had tried that earlier but financial problems landed me to take up jobs that you don't like much and you get stuck to it. But I once asked cartoonist Alexyz at what age did you start professionally?  and he replied... late ...very late...I guess I may be on the same track.

As long as you enjoying drawing just go out there and draw, never think about that. Success will follow you anyways.

9. What does ur drawing space look like?

10: Mention any of your achievement.

My Illustration in the book titled “Chitkulya Chinkichye Vishaal Vishwa” won the Sahitya Academy 2019 for children’s literature, written by Rajshree Bandodkar Karapurkar, a physics teacher at PES Higher Secondary School, Farmagudi. 

Incidentally, this book has earlier won the Konkani Kala Kendra and Konkani Bhasha Mandal awards.