{"id":4557,"date":"2018-02-04T00:01:44","date_gmt":"2018-02-04T06:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4557"},"modified":"2018-02-03T19:11:05","modified_gmt":"2018-02-04T01:11:05","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-572-featuring-shreya-gupta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4557","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #572: Featuring Shreya Gupta"},"content":{"rendered":"

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City Hidden Behind Clouds \u2014 Baucis
— From Italo Calvino’s <\/em>Invisible Cities
(Click to enlarge)<\/center>
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\nIt’s a pleasure to have a visit today from New York-based illustrator Shreya Gupta<\/a><\/strong>. As you will read below, she is has done a great deal of editorial illustration but is also currently working on her first children’s book. <\/p>\n

I’m going to hand 7-Imp over to her so that she can share more of her art and tell us more about herself. <\/p>\n

I thank her for visiting. . . . <\/p>\n

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Shreya<\/font><\/strong>: I am an illustrator, originally from India and currently based in New York. I make illustrations for publications, websites, and packaging. I also work with galleries.
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Google Doodle<\/a><\/strong> to celebrate the 153rd birthday of Rukhmabai Raut,
India’s first practicing female doctor<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nI came to the United States to pursue a career in illustration. When I applied to art schools, I got accepted into the MFA Illustration as a Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts<\/a><\/strong>. The program encourages an individual to develop his or her own voice but with a focus in storytelling. So, back when I was a student, the program helped in laying down the foundation of storytelling in my work. But even now I am constantly pushing it to see in how many different ways can an illustration tell a story.
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Illustration for book review of S.A. Chakraborty’s <\/em>The City of Brass
(Click to enlarge slightly)<\/center>
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\nI love to create detailed work with patterns and textures. My work often tends to be whimsical.
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City in the Distance — Irene<\/em>
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\nI really enjoy what others say when they look at my work, sometimes interpreting it as it is meant to be \u2014 but even when they have their own interpretations. It\u2019s a very happy feeling to know what I made is being enjoyed by someone else.
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Desires Are Already Memoriess \u2014 Isidora<\/em>
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\nWhen I first began illustrating, I drew illustrations that told a story in a single image. Hence, I got very interested in editorial [illustrations]. I also have always been interested in fiction and created a series of illustrations for short stories from the novel Invisible Cities<\/em> by Italo Calvino<\/a><\/strong> [picture above]<\/em>. <\/p>\n

But when I came across Shaun Tan\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> The Lost Thing<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, I rediscovered my fascination for children’s books, which I had as a kid. After that, I started collecting children books that I felt were in some way meaningful to me and which I would have loved to read as a kid, too.
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Artwork made for Light Grey Art Lab’s <\/em>Camouflage show<\/em>
(Click to enlarge slightly)<\/center>
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\nAt the same time that I was wondering if I should reach out to a literary agent so that I could create my own books, I was contacted by one. So I signed, and we have started working on my first children\u2019s book.
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“A summer memory of when my sister took me to pick mulberries …”<\/em><\/center>
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\nIt\u2019s in a very early stage right now, and I am doing research. But I do know that I want to tell the story as an interactive book and will share more as it moves forward.
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The City of Unexpected \u2014 Hypatia<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center>
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\nAll illustrations reproduced by permission of Shreya Gupta.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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1)<\/strong><\/font> A warm house in cold weather. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> Lunchbox letters from my daughters. <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> For World Read Aloud Day this week, Jacqueline Woodson<\/a><\/strong> read one of my very favorite picture books:
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Happy #NationalReadAloudDay<\/a>. Here I am reading my book, Each Kindness. https:\/\/t.co\/H7e1kmVpiL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jacqueline Woodson (@JackieWoodson) February 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n