It was a dream come true moment for me, says Shital Verma on getting the Creative Gaga recognition

 

New Delhi: "It was a dream come true moment for me, feeling like on cloud nine to be featured in Creative Gaga’s Best Indian Illustrators edition", said Shital Verma, the National Design Editor of Nav Bharat Times. 

Shital - one of the most talented and creative illustrators of the country, has been honoured by Creative Gaga, a highly talked about magazine in the art circles, for his extraordinary designing skills. His profile and art work has got featured in the first volume edition of the CG’s “Best Indian Illustrators”.  

On this recognition, Shital smilingly says, “I had never thought of a national level recognition by such a noted publication in the Design and Commercial Art world. I started my career as an illustrator way back in1995 with a publication house in Allahabad, and later switched to Graphic Design and Art Direction. However, illustration is my core competency and for the past 6 years I have sharpened my lost skills again and practiced with various mediums, like ball-pen, charcoal, colour pencil and digital.”

The top illustrator further added, “I have done many celebs portraits showcasing it on social media. Some of them have appreciated it. Few others reposted it on their pages as well. Like Neeraj Chopra, Pankaj Tripathy, Vicky Kaushal, Sonu Sood, etc. It feels special when I was called to be featured in the Creative Gaga’s Annual issue. Ialways try to learn new styles and elements to improve my art and to bring outa better version of me. Hopefully some day my name will get a place in the list of India's top 10 illustrators.”

Despite being a deep and ancient culture of art, Indian art still needs more recognition at the world level. To make it easy for everyone to receive, the Creative Gaga started a series of carefully selected lists of Indian creatives and artists. The publication has showcased some of the most talented illustrators through its book - Best Indian Illustrators, shedding light on the skilled creatives hailing from various parts of the country. 

In the magazine, Shital tells, “I spent my childhood in Banaras frolicking on theghats of the Ganga. What caught my attention, apart from the usual boatmen and ritualistic visitors, were these artists coming from different parts of the world. Now, I was young and intrigued. From the corner of my eye, I would steal a glimpse and then try to copy their style. What began as a comical hobby soon gained expertise with me walking into Fine Arts at BHU. Here the pencil became my sixth finger and Sketcher became my middle name.”