Between lines

KOCHI: For Palakkad-native Hareesh Gopikrishnan, art is his first love. A research fellow at Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati, the self-taught artist utilised the lockdown period to master his skills in pencil drawing, soft pastel and oil painting. His artworks have been received well on social media platforms.

Hareesh began pursuing his passion actively after completing his post-graduation in Physics from Calicut University. He shifted to a differently-textured drawing paper to attain perfection. “One of the guys at the shop from where I buy art materials, advised me to try soft pastel,” says Hareesh. He used the same to sketch Morgan Freeman, an artwork which brought him fame. “Now I’ve switched to oil paintings and I’m working on bettering the same,” he says.

However, among the three mediums, he is more comfortable with pencil drawing. “My journey with art began with pencil drawing. It accentuates details. Soft pastels are apt for those who prefer coloured portraits. Oil painting is the toughest among the three as it is harder to blend, however, the medium provides utmost perfection. I’m currently learning ways to master the art from YouTube. I’ve also bought new paints, brushes, and canvas for it,” adds Hareesh.

Though he loves to pursue art, Hareesh has no plans make a career out of it. “A lot of time and effort is needed for the same. Though I’ve received enquiries for commissioned work, I haven’t taken up any. Appreciative messages on social media are encouraging, though,” he adds.