Anyone who brainstorms India’s biggest names in comic artistry has to name Saumin Suresh Patel, known by his alias Pictorial Cinema. The Mumbai-based artist is on board with Comic Con India’s (CCI) Fandom Month to celebrate the roles comic books play in pop culture, having just taught a short workshop in Hyderabad’s Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University.
With a plethora of works already under his belt, Saumin’s passion conveys he’s only just getting started; he has worked on Parle G’s G Man, has produced artwork for Agent Vinod: The Jungfrau Encounter as well as the provocatively sensual Kaamotsav which is influenced by ancient Indian temple and mural art.
Origin story
As a kid, Saumin wasn’t one to mug up in school; he knew art was in his future and his father, a photographer, encouraged this pursuit, “My father enabled a lot of things for me in this direction, making sure I attended my art exams and later gathered all information and was always with me as I got admission into Sir J J Institute of Applied Arts in Mumbai. Looking back, I consider myself supremely lucky to have a father who made sure I got to peruse art as a career.”
He adds that mentors out of college also propelled him further into this fantastical realm, expanding his creative horizons.
Like any avid creator, he has an intense creative process, making sure there is a clear line of communication between him and his client, “With all this information I then sit and thumbnail a few ideas; these are often roughly coloured to get a sense of the overall piece.
I then share these with the client to get feedback. The final piece is drawn, then inked and coloured. A usual full page illustration could take a couple of days to a couple of weeks to curate. For comics that I draw for, an average of three days per page are required from thumbnails to final coloured page.” And seeing the final product is worth it; Saumin has mastered the formula of other-worldly allure in everything he does.
When creating Kaamotsav, Saumin enjoyed a much slower process, ensuring the subject matter of eroticism is treated well, “There is a thin line between erotic and vulgar or sensual and obscene; while working on my erotic art one of my concern is to create imagery that is sensual and poetic. A lot of these sketches are done and I let them be for some time and do work on other projects. When I come back to these images after a break, I get to see these with new eyes. It helps.”
The workshop he conducted on August 30 at JNAFAU presented a behind the scenes look at the creation a comic. Saumin points out that seeing a final and polished product isn’t always representative of the actual process, “It could be intermediating to readers who are contemplating about making their own comics... They got to see the steps involved in making a finished comic, and there were quite a few students who wanted to know more, and I hope some of them make their own comics in coming years.”
For love of fandoms
CCI has quite the lead-up of festivities to the much-loved final convention, and Saumin is happy to engender the artistic movements involved, explaining CCI is making big moves to unite various subcultures through a unique hardcore fanbase. He commends the support of creators interacting with fans— same fans who continue to keep this universe alive.
Saumin confides he sees a bright future for comic culture in the country, commenting that the superhero films and series have furthered this movement, “Manga from Japan is big in India— so readers and fans are embracing lots of great content currently. Now local creators will need to create local content which can match up to the evolved taste of current fans— which is also happening with so many new artists and writers making their own comics in India. I guess there will be newer creators coming in and making some new comics more often now, and maybe in a decade or two we will have a solid body of locally created comics and creators both writers and artists.”