City-based illustrator Anand Radhakrishnan talks about his process of working on the graphic novel Blue In Green with author Ram V and colourist John Pearson. He also lays emphasis on building the independent comic industry in India and dwells on the idea of working from home through it all
Mumbai graphic artist Anand Radhakrishnan (left) and his artwork for Blue In Green (right). Photo: Floating Canvas Company/Anand Radhakrishnan
For someone who recently won the Eisner award, considered the Oscars of the comic book industry, Mumbai-based graphic artist Anand Radhakrishnan isn’t resting on the new laurel. The 32-year-old who won the award for the Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) category for the graphic novel Blue In Green (2020) is already working on the second issue of an upcoming graphic novel, collaborating once again with UK-based Ram V, who was the author for the award-winning work.
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Barely a few years old in the industry, Radhakrishnan is building on the momentum he has picked up while working with Ram V on his last two graphic novels. The duo is set to release the first issue of their new novel Radio Apocalypse in October. It is about the presence of the last radio station on Earth in a post-apocalyptic world and is unlike their last two collaborations.
Grafity’s Wall (2018) is set in Mumbai and about an aspiring street artist who makes a lone wall his canvas as he chronicles the lives of his friends throughout one summer. The award-winning Blue In Green (2020) is different as it follows the dark journey of a young musician’s pursuit of creative genius. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards is held annually since 1988 in honour of American cartoonist and writer Will Eisner. It is one of the biggest awards in the comic world.
Medium is the message
The work for Blue In Green started in 2018, just after Grafity’s Wall was published. While the earlier title was light-hearted with ink and digital colour, Blue In Green is more serious and was done with the help of colourist John Pearson, who is also the co-awardee. “We didn’t get what we wanted immediately. We would work on the pages and then give feedback to each other. I finally finished working on it in July 2020,” informs Radhakrishnan. Having worked with Ram in the past, he says the latter had a multimedia and painterly approach to it. “Ram and I worked in a different way for this one as it was more improv. Once I finished the page, I would send it to him. He had a rough idea but he would see the page and then decide the plot of the next page. It was more of a collaborative effort,” Radhakrishnan explains.
Interestingly, he has used two different techniques throughout the graphic novel as it has two timelines. He explains: “There are bits set in the past in the 50s and 60s and I have painted it in acrylic and the portion set in the present is with graphite and ink. I scanned the artwork and John worked on it with digital colour.” The use of different mediums in his work extends beyond the graphic novel. Radhakrishnan says he doesn’t really have a favourite as it all depends on what he is working on and how he can convey it best. However, he mostly uses graphite in his sketchbook. 
The Blue In Green (2020) graphic novel is set in two timelines for which Anand Radhakrishnan used acrylic, graphite and ink mediums. Photo: Anand Radhakrishnan
Graphic novels and comic art in India
Radhakrishnan is definitely happy that he has won the award but ask him if he thinks it will help aspiring graphic artists in the country and he is doubtful. “The comics industry is still not established here, so even if somebody does wish to go into the industry, they would have to work with western publishers and audiences to be able to make a decent living,” he explains.
The lack of employment and funding are some of his top concerns right now for graphic artists in India. He adds, “Even if we do have publishers, we don’t have page rates that justify the work, the rates are half of what we get from outside publishers.” However, what one cannot make up in graphic novels, can be done through other avenues in the industry, believes the 32-year-old. He says that with the rise of UI/UX, animation and the internet, artists don’t need to limit working within India and can simply collaborate with artists all over the world.
While believes there are many graphic novelists in India, the limelight revolves around the Marvel and DC universe, anime and manga, believes Radhakrishnan. “We need to focus on pushing indie content, more original stories that come from everyday Indians rather than the mainstream ones,” he says.
Working from home and its misconception
The JJ School of Arts alumni is not a part of a big setup or office. Instead, he thrives on working from home and making use of co-working spaces, which he used to hop in and out of before the pandemic at will to avoid the blurry lines of work and home. The pandemic made him go back to his original ways of working, something he has done right from the start of his career.
Although many parents in India do not view creative fields and remote work as steady or suitable, Radhakrishnan feels lucky that he didn’t have to face the usual pressure from his parents to be secure in a 9-5 job. Going forward, he expects the pandemic will make people take those who work from home seriously.
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