Quick on the draw

Head over heels

Shweta Singh @doodleshoodle

While Shweta’s personal Insta handle showcases her art work, which includes mandala art and wall murals, she is also famous for her artwork store, Diseno Studio. Shweta holds art workshops and both her Instagram handles have nearly 16k followers.

The idea: 30-year-old Shweta says: “I had called off my roka due to unreasonable demands from the boy and his family, and as a result started doubting the institution of marriage. When I decided to move out of Pune and settle down in a less-crowded place, little did I know I was going to meet ‘the guy.’ I met him for work, and within an hour, his conversation had me glued to the chair. So, we became friends. After a few months, he went down on one knee and proposed to me. He did the same thing during our engagement. A year into the engagement, we got married and this doodle represents that milestone moment in my life.”

In loving memory

Mounica Tata @doodleodrama

Mounica, 31, has 104k followers on her Instagram handle. This is probably because the doodles she draws are not only relatable everyday stories, but also larger stories that discuss social issues, such as why men should allow themselves to be vulnerable or why, for both women and men, it’s really okay to cry and vent out.

The idea: “I made this illustration almost a year after losing my maternal grandmother. It felt as though I was waking up on the other side of grief, that time when you start to celebrate, cherish, and remember the life lived instead of the life lost. The illustration features my Ammama’s favourite flower, Magnolia Champaca (or sampangipoovu in Telugu). My grandmother was and is a big chunk of my life and I will forever carry her in my heart. I am also putting together a tiny zine on death, grief, and loss,” says Mounica.

On the right track

Shreya Kundu @ shreyadoodles

The Kolkata-based artist finds humour in little things. At 22, she has 241k followers on her Instagram and her drawn-character Harold is the main cartoon among the merchandise she sells on her online store.

The idea: “One of the most important milestones in my life was realising my passion, which is creating small comic stories and illustrations. Understanding my passion gave me the path to move ahead in life. I have always been creative, but couldn’t put my finger on what I really wanted to do. The cluelessness led me to choose a major in college that I had no interest in. But I have since moved forward to a happier time, because now I do what I love,” Shreya says.

Dream come true

Neha Sharma @neha.doodles

With a following of 141k on Instagram, Neha, 27, is among the famous doodle artists in India. Her clients include Google, Amazon, Facebook and Unicef.

The idea: “I was academically smart in school, which motivated me to pursue chartered accountancy. But I realised I wasn’t passionate about it and then spent three years of my life trying to convince myself that I’d eventually like it. It didn’t happen, so I quit to pursue a career as a cartoonist and an illustrator, which I absolutely love waking up to, even after six years and this doodle reflects that joy,” Neha shares.

Life in a metro

Samar Khan @metrodoodle

The 27-year-old software developer and part-time illustrator brings the Delhi Metro to life with his doodles. In the most abstract form, Samar, who has 38.8k followers, personifies the people he commutes with.

The idea: “My project is about merging the real and my imaginative world. I’ve enjoyed drawing monsters, aliens etc. On @metrodoodle, I do that around scenes of the real world, to bring out hidden stories. This doodle shows of one of my monsters trying to take over the radio show from me and RJ Sarthak,” Samar explains.

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From HT Brunch, October 25, 2020