A painting is a mental activity, said Leonardo Da Vinci. And artist Ravi Paranjape practices it for sure.The artist has been living the thought since long and recently when he released the first volume of his book The World of My Illustration, he brings forth the essence of mental, meditative training in the art of drawing.

Also, the artist discusses the importance of ‘general to particular’ approach and unfolds the basis of some of his best known illustrations.

According to Paranjape, “For any artist who has become an illustrator with an individual style, drawing becomes a lifelong commitment. For him, this commitment is not a task but a great joy. This helps translate drawing abilities into rendering abilities. It is passion for drawing that leads to his search within, to aesthetic decisions and to design capabilities — rare gifts that can be developed upon.”

The renowned painter feels that the quality of illustration is dwindling and not enough emphasis is paid to this form by the art schools. He added that his book aims at restoring the prestige of illustration and educating people about the artistic nature and seriousness of illustration. The scope of illustration is increasing in publications and lots hold for animation, he said.

“The book will be of immense help to prospective illustrators, animation artists and also to those who want to become painters or hobby artists. It gives a detailed description of the entire process involved, from formulating a concept to the final rendering. It deals specifically on figurative painting and the chains of thought associated with it,” said Paranjape.

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