Monday, August 24, 2015

Anticipation

Waiting - India Sketch Journal 2014-15 by Meera Rao

Quite often while the main streets are congested and busy, the side smaller streets are quieter and hold unexpected scenes! The 'jataka' - quaint very colorful, highly decorated horse drawn carriages can still be found in cities like Mysore and are loved by the tourists ! I love to photograph and sketch them.  The side streets are where they rest and recoup between rides. I have not ridden on one since I was a child and just might try again soon! This was a windy day and the two ladies were trying to hold on to their flying/flowing sarees and hair !


Anticipation - India Sketch Journal 2014-15 by Meera Rao

The lanterns for the festival of lights "Deepavali" were crammed into this tiny store.  There were all different sizes, colors, hanging, stacked one top of another, in boxes, bags, in every nook and corner of this store.  They were also a few traditional clay lamps in boxes as well, along with packets of sparklers or firecrackers.  There was so much color, shapes and textures,  I had a hard time deciding where to start - it was indeed a challenge to sketch it!  

This is the last panel of my second, larger accordion sketchbook - and the scene is from my unexpected short trip back to India last year. This is the only panel from that trip and it was a few long months before I picked up the sketchbook again to finish the coloring, tinting and lettering etc. (hence 2014-15). 

The sketches are done in Moleskine Japanese Album(large) in watercolors and pen. 

6 comments:

Unknown said...

beautiful :)

Carol Blackburn said...

Lovely sketches, Meera. Enjoy your day!

padmaja said...

Spectacular Meera! I love to look at the Jatakas,the shape and the colors are attractive. They were so much part of Mysore once upon a time.I was always forced to sit in one though I thought the horses were forced to pull us.Sometimes they are beaten with the chaavati and I shudder to think about it.

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Naina :)

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Carol and I hope you are enjoying cooler weather there i hope :)

Meera Rao said...

Padmaja, Thanks ! I am yet to hire one for my errands -- I would rather watch them than ride them :) I only rode them a couple of times growing up. Fortunately i have not seen any horse abused in the past few visits.

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