So in addition to the many interviews (very grateful, thank you:) where I think my entire life is mostly covered, here are a few other questions that I get asked rather frequently. Please excuse that there is no order to them, except for the fact that I’ve broken them up into categories. My plan is to add to the list as time goes on and if I get asked other specific questions frequently.

- - Personal & Random - -

• Where are you from?

I was born in the Middle East; in beautiful Abu Dhabi, UAE to be precise and did my schooling there. I then moved to Melbourne to get my degree and was there for five years. In 2010 I decided to move to Bangalore, India to co-found a lifestyle brand, Chumbak. We parted ways in 2011 and I’ve been freelancing, creating a ton of merch and making merry! My parents are from Goa and hence I guess I’m from there too, though I’ve never lived there.

• How did you get into drawing? 

I drew as much as any other kid but I just never stopped! When I went to university, I studied Communication Design and realised by the end of my degree that I only want to draw and that all my projects were illustrated. I ended up getting my first freelance project on my portfolio review day from the local newspaper and it set the ball rolling for me to never stop :)

• What’s your typical day like?

I’m an early riser and a morning person. I start my day walking Charlie and get to emails right away. I work till Olie, my son, gets up and then do morning motherly things. Once he’s out the door for school, I’m at my desk till around 4. Inbetween that is a lot of snacking, caffeinating, and another dog walk. Then I try to squeeze in a little workout and back to motherly things, chores, cleaning up, cooking, eating, bargaining with a 3 year old about sleep time, reading and sleeping. On good days, I also get to do some drawings for funsies or work on personal projects. I’m rather diligent about not working on weekends. 

• How are you so happy all the time? 

Please believe me when I say it’s not possible (or even a good thing, I would think!) to be happy all the time! I promise I feel ALL emotions like a normal human being 🙃. I definitely am very very lucky to be predisposed with a good mood most of the time and have a personality that rests on positivity and ‘everything’s going to be alright’ vibes. BUT having said that, life is life and things go wrong and people can be mean and I have my share of sad memories and bad things happening. I mostly tend not to draw when I am upset which may be why there is a perception that things are always going right for me.  

Regardless, I secretly am a bit chronically grateful and in wonder of how amazing people and the world can be though, so that may be a thing too :)

• When is your birthday?

It’s a bit funny but I am one of those people who after over 3 decades on this planet, am still shy to talk about birthdays. 

• How do you manage your time? 

I am a HARDCORE scheduler. It’s relaxed only to a point where I don’t have to schedule to the minute but I have to schedule by hour. This is also because I have an AWFUL memory and I call my planner my second brain. An extension of sorts. Because if I don’t write that I have to cut my hair, my hair is going to be growing forever. Not as scary but pretty accurate description of my memory. 

• When do you read? Book list?

I just have one book that I’m reading and one audiobook that I’m listening on the go at all times. When I walk my doggie, Charlie, I am ALWAYS listening to an audiobook or a podcast. So that gives me almost an hour of daily listening time. Before I go to bed, I read a wee bit so I take a bit longer to get a reading book done. Also, I have a new self-policy that if I truly don’t enjoy a book by the time I’m 20% done, I stop reading it. There are too many amazing books in the world to read books you don’t enjoy. I share all the books I read on my Instagram highlights - 2023, 2021-22 , podcasts

Terribly bad at writing reviews though, excuse me!

• How old are you?

Mid-aged, old soul, young love of all things colourful.

(Mid-30s)

• What music do you like? 

Country, Oldies, Christmas and music they play in elevators.

• What do you when you’re not drawing? 

Household chores. 

- - Illustrating- - 

• What’s your illustration process? What software do you use? 

It used to be that I drew on paper 90% of the time with an ink brushpen (Pentel), then scanned the inked drawing and coloured the drawing digitally on Photoshop. Nowadays I’ve been drawing and colouring digitally. I tend to love drawing on my iPad (Procreate) and then doing the colouring part to Photoshop. It’s an unnecessary shift from iPad to desktop but I love my shortcuts 🙃

• How did you find your illustration style? 

I like to think that my style is evolving and changing just like me as a person/ artist/ organic being. Though I reckon drawing excessively makes you come to a comfortable level of illustrating in a certain style that you can call your own.

• How did you get started as an illustrator? Did you study to be an illustrator? 

I have a Bachelors in Communication Design at RMIT, Melbourne. I did a bit of freelancing in Melbourne as an illustrator but it was only when I moved to Bangalore, and co-founded/ worked on Chumbak that I was illustrating full-time. I’ve not done any formal courses in drawing besides a little elective in university that made me realise I loved it.

• Do you have an idea process? Do you get creative blocks?

I’ve developed a system that works for me that makes it impossible to face a blank piece of paper. This being the simple habit of writing ideas down whenever and wherever I get them. Ideas seem to pop up at random times and the habit of capturing them on either your phone, a little notebook you carry around makes you have an eternal bank of sorts; of things to draw when you do finally get to your desk. 

Pre-idea-noting, I used to get into creative slumps too. The key, I felt then, was is not to dwell on the subject but to change your routine. Get out of your studio, go for a walk, meet new people, explore and without a doubt, there will suddenly be a million things to draw about.

• Do you take interns? Do you teach? Mentees?

I’m so so so sorry! I wish I had the time to teach in person but I never do! So I did a couple of Skillshare classes (though it’s more about business, products etc) and hope to do some drawing ones in the future.  I work from home with a very erratic schedule switching from client work to company work to online work to admin to marketing depending on the time of the month/year to what’s popped on my plate. Hence I never have interns/ help because I also tend to work best alone. 

I do have a little team who handles the online store and they do accept interns so you’re welcome to mail them with a portfolio anytime. I do pop by the studio once in a while but I sadly don’t get to work with interns individually. 

• Advice for young bees? 

Draw.. Be punctual. Be nice. :)

- -Clients/ Inquiries/ Collaborations - -

• How much do you charge? 

Illustration charges depend on the brief, timeline, details, sizing and usage. Please contact me if you have a brief at hand or even just want to say hello.

• Can you illustrate a book I’ve written? 

Congrats on writing a book! 👏🏼

For the past few years, I’ve tended to illustrate only one to two books a year (because it takes a bit longer than the other projects I usually undertake)  and because of which, I am booked out the previous year. I’d still love to hear what you have in mind but I do only take projects that have a publisher/ publishing route in place. 

- - Store- - 

Incase you have any queries about the online store, you can refer to the FAQs on the store’s website. 

- - other notes- - 

Extreme proficiency: Adobe Photoshop, Chips inhalation, Doggie walking, speaking P language.

Accolades, Achievements & Awards: 

-Fastest crawler in the world (creepy and pretty pointless)

-Never delayed a single project since, ever.

That’s all folks!

If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to mail me :) 

I reply to all emails! 

*When I was young, I thought FAQS was one of those new-age ways of saying ‘facts’. Haha.