Cartoonist for conservation
Rohan Chakravarty, cartoonist, illustrator, author and the creator of the Green Humour series, on his journey to becoming an advocate for wildlife conservation.
While jobs in engineering, medicine, law etc have been popular with Indian students, challenges such as climate change demand a new skillset. With a growing green economy projected to add 3.7 million jobs by 2025, students should not only be exposed to green career options but also understand how popular choices such as artists, content creators, lawyers, photographers, architects, entrepreneurs, and so on can be green. Beginning a new fortnightly series by that highlights niche and unconventional green careers through the stories of wellknown personalities from the field of environment and conservation.
don’t consider myself a wildlife conservationist. I am merely a cartoonist and illustrator who draws about wildlife and conservation. I have always loved both wildlife and cartooning but, in my initial years, I drew everything from politicians to celebrities, never really getting anywhere. Only after I started drawing about wildlife did my cartooning find its identity. Naturally, every day when I set out to draw, I feel like I owe my muse a debt!
My career has been a like a meandering tree snake. After graduating as a dentist and realising it is not for me, I worked as an animation designer for a film studio, while developing my comic series on the side. When my series got picked up by publishers, I quit my job and plunged
IWWF-India
into cartooning fulltime. The turning point that drove me into the field of conservation was my first wild tiger sighting at Nagzira, a tiger reserve in my home state of Maharashtra. This inspired my wildlife cartoon and illustration series, ‘Green Humour’. Now half of my day goes in ideating on paper, and the rest in executing the idea. As with any other creative profession, a lot of coffee is also involved.
What excites me most about my work is the fact that Nature is an inexhaustible canvas, and that there is a new subject and a creative challenge every day. It’s all about the thrill of making my own little explorations. I could be drawing the Tickell’s blue flycatcher in my yard today and an Arctic ground squirrel I have never yet had the pleasure of meeting tomorrow!
During a field visit for one of my recent projects, a habitat illustration of the Great African Seaforest, I got the opportunity to snorkel in South Africa’s False Bay with the team behind the Oscarwinning documentary film ‘My Octopus Teacher’. I had two lifechanging experiences during this adventure: one was when I put a snorkel on and jumped into water that froze every strand of hair on my body into icicles; the other was when I held in my hands a Mermaid’s Purse: a shark’s egg case!
Apart from these exciting projects, I derive inspiration from innumerable artists, storytellers, and conservationists. As an artist, I have been heavily influenced by the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, Gary Larson, Bill Patterson, and Nina Paley. A lot of my work relies on science journalism, and I must name young Indian science journalists who have inspired so much of my work: Aathira Perinchery, Vaishnavi Rathore, and Supriya Vohra. Dr. Nandini Velho, a prolific conservation biologist, has been a guiding light throughout my career. As an illustrator, I derive inspiration from the work of Charley Harper, Brendan Wenzel, Priya Kuriyan, Rajiv Eipe, and Kripa Raghavan.
But no matter how widely you are published as a cartoonist, one faces a blank page when you start work every morning! The creative block is a daily challenge and singing, cooking, long walks with my pets, and birdwatching always come to my rescue. What also helps me to keep going is saying no to uninspiring works, trusting my instincts, and drawing a lot of circles!
When I think of evolving in my career, the most important thing I plan to do is to slow down and prioritise the kind of projects and endeavours with respect to the storytelling that I believe in but I have been neglecting investing time and effort due to my freelance commitments. In the near future, I hope to tell more stories that explore the intricate links between human communities and wildlife.
To all readers, I would just like to say: making an environmental contribution is possible no matter which line of work you’re in, EVEN if you are an official in the MoEFCC! raphic design is a powerful visual language. It goes beyond the manipulation of pixels to forge an effective dialogue without uttering a sound, evoking emotions with a smart click, and guiding viewers through a maze of information with exceptional clarity.
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What does it take to create an impactful design? This involves a harmonious convergence of balance, contrast and alignment. Balance is not just about symmetry, it is about distributing elements to create an aesthetically pleasing tension, like juxtaposing a bold headline set in Adobe InDesign with a calming expanse of negative space in Adobe Photoshop. Contrast provides emphasis and clarity; a whisperthin typeface dancing against a stark black canvas, rendered in Illustrator. Alignment, the invisible ruler, keeps the composition organised and prevents visual discord, often aided by grid systems implemented in programmes like Figma.
Typography
This acts as the orchestra conductor of the visual symphony. Each typeface carries a distinct personality, from the playful script of Adobe Fonts to the authoritative serif font of Google Fonts. Choosing the right font is similar to casting the perfect character for a play. A delicate script might grace a wedding invitation designed in Canva, while a bold, industrial font could announce a grand opening in Affinity Designer. Miscasting, however, can lead to conflicting visuals, so handle typography with the respect it deserves.
Empty space
Contrary to popular belief, the canvas is not solely defined by what’s on it. It is also enriched by what is not. Negative space becomes a powerful tool when used strategically. Think of a singular image or message highlighted within a picture frame in
artist: Those who would like to freelance and explore multiple options can consider being playback or ad jingle artists, composers and more for music labels, production companies and bands.
Music production:
Recording
Sketch. This requires knowing when to let go and allow the emptiness to add depth and breathing room to the composition, often enhanced by clever masking techniques in Procreate.
Software
Mastery of graphic design software empowers students to translate their visions into tangible realities. These digital spellbooks have tools to conjure up shapes, colours, and effects, transforming abstract ideas into captivating visuals. From crafting logos in Blender to conjuring fantastical illustrations in ZBrush, the possibilities are as boundless as one’s imagination. Yet, software is just the brush in the hand; the student’s creative spark infuses the design with life and meaning.
The future of graphic design is not confined to the flat confines of the screen. Virtual Reality (VR) invites students to step into their own creations and crafts immersive experiences that blur the lines between the real and the imagined. Imagine walking through a selfdesigned museum exhibit within your own headset, where every element is powered by engines like Unity, Unreal Engine, or Discord. But, even here, the core principles of balance, contrast, and typography remain the guiding lights.
Collaboration
No design masterpiece is born in isolation. Collaboration is the essence of the creative process, allowing students to share their visions, learn from each other, and push the boundaries as a collective force. Online platforms such as Slack, Trello or Asana are bustling marketplaces of ideas, where critique and mentorship fuel creative evolution. Collaboration is not merely completing tasks; it is about building a community of visual storytellers, each enriching the other’s journey and collectively shaping the evolving landscape of information. ing through online sessions from their homes. By showcasing their talent on social media, they can gain new followers. Music production has also become affordable and easy with the availability of editing, recording and merging tools such as Ableton, Sibelius, Logic Pro and more. This allows musicians to produce music without having to depend on labels.
From the educational angle, music educators must emphasise practical training and design the curriculum in such a way that it includes the technological aspects as well.