Artist Manojith Krishnan has an all-embracing approach to his craft. Putting a spin on conventional drawing and painting techniques, Kochi-based Manojith creatively produces a range of works, including intricate black and white charcoal drawings, whimsical paintings, and, most recently, highly-detailed portraits rendered in graphite. He was working for a interior designing company before becoming a full-time artist. He finds everything that he wants while he is with his tools in his space at home.
Manojith gained fame when he drew former Liverpool FC captain and club legend Steven Gerrard. “I have had a special bond with the club and obviously followed Gerrard like any other fan. His iconic goal against Olympiakos in the Champions League (CL) match was truly eye-catching and the celebration after that went on to become one of the noted ones in CL history. So in 2013, I drew the celebration in my own style. I sent it to the admin of LFC’s Facebook page and waited for their reply,” shares Manojith. To his surprise, they featured that work on their official page. “That was one of the best moments in my life. Later on, I continued to draw some more of the club and players. They were all featured on their page,” he says.
Manojith’s life-like works, drawn from actual photographs, are so unique that sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a drawing and the real picture. Working from photographs, he’s able to create a soulful, lifelike rendering of his subjects. It’s easy to see why his work has already become a hit on social media and he is getting requests for commissioned works across the country and outside. Manojith believes his skills have developed considerably since he began painting in 2013, after the decision to become a full-time artist, making him a budding artist of contemporary art.
Apart from black and white graphite pencil sketches, he also does charcoal pencil sketch and pastel pencil art. This self-taught artist hailing from Irumpanam keeps on learning and always follows and updates himself with what is happening around the world of sketching. “I am still very young in this field and have a lot to learn. I have been following many contemporary artists and learning new things from them,” added Manojith.
