CHITRODEEP GUPTA: THE DOWNBEAT SQUIRREL!

CHITRODEEP GUPTA: THE DOWNBEAT SQUIRREL!

Chirtodeep Gupta has the ability to turn some of the most ironical, gloomy and serious issues into some of the funniest cartoons. His witty one frame cartoons and comic strips will make you ponder, and at the same time, will put a smile on your face.

While in conversation with him, he tells us about his journey and the process of getting into sketching cartoons.

The teastall tale

How did it all start, and why cartoon sketches?

It started as it starts with most of the artists: by looking at the funny side of life. My childhood was glittered with cartoons, some in real and some on the television. I grew up watching Cartoon Network shows and Anime. Some of those shows were SWAT Cats, Dragon Ball Z etc. Some of the most watched shows of my generation, at that point of time. I used to find them really colorful and fascinating. So I started sketching them.

“At one point in my childhood, my mother put me up to learnmainstream painting. But that did not work, as the proportions of my paintings weren’t proportionate.”

He was influenced by anime, as a kid

Did you have any other inspirations, apart from television?

When I reached my Higher Secondary, I had a crush on a girl. She was a big Calvin and Hobbes Fan and would ask me to sketch them all over her notebook, which I would happily do. During that time, I came across the comic strips in newspapers. I know it must be a shock for you, to know that I didn’t know anything about comic strips, but I had rarely turned the pages of a newspaper till I was in school. SO anyway, I came across brilliant comic strips, like Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, Norm Classics, Speedbump etc.

caricatures

Which comic strip do you like more, Calvin and Hobbes or Peanuts?

Well, it is very hard to choose between the two. Both have different elements that I find attractive. Peanuts has a very existential feel to it. Like everything that is happening is all that is happening. While Calvin and Hobbes is very dynamic, rich and alive.

Similarly, I like Norm Classics for its good face sketching, Zits for the expressions and the line-work, Speed bump for their one panel strip, and so on.

What is your driving theme; the element that can describe your cartoons?

I am driven by the sad faces, stuck in the desert with the last piece of sandwich. The reason why these themes are definitive, is because they are in motion, where I can present something in contrast. Humor plays best during serious times. These faces, which want to say something but can’t, I like to put words there. They come to me like strangers that you meet in a lift.

Chitrodeep Gupta

Have you based your cartoons on real people?

Not yet, and it seems weird that I haven’t done it yet. I have tried at times, where I have an anecdote or a gag that I come across, or experience with friends. But it never comes out. Of course, they are inspired by people. But they are mostly random and general. It’s all abstract, rather than in the mortal field. So no direct inspirations yet.

Which element make your cartoons go in sync with reality?

Most of my sketches have an existentialist turn to them. Like the search for humor and laughter in sheer hopelessness.Your name is pretty interesting, it goes well with your passion.(Laughs) This name was given by my uncle. The funniest part is that it has no profound meaning to it, like other names. Actually, when I was born, my uncle was in love with a girl named Chitrarupa. She got married and he was heartbroken. So, he used the first part of her name and merged it with another word. This was his desperate attempt to masculinize my name.

What pushes you to sketch?

Ideas, mostly. Ideas with context. Ideas are generally random, like sitting in a coffee shop or attending my lecture.

Who has been your inspiration in real world and is not connected to your field?

I’d say Dylan Moran (famous stand-up comedian) is one of my inspirations. His jokes have a strong sense of existentialism. He has the liberty to crack jokes which are really funny, but might be uncomfortable for some people. But that is the best part of being a stand-up comedian. You say something and move on to something else, while sketches stay in your mind. I can’t take the liberty.

Existentialism in his sketches

Which celebrity would you like to sketch?

Kurt Cobain. He is one of the best artists, I’ve ever known about. I want to draw his picture where he is picking his nose. Like one of his photos where he is actually doing that.

He starts working as soon as I give him a theme

What are your long term plans?

I don’t really know what’s next in store for me, and that is one of the best aspects of the journey, but I will keep sketching. It defines me.

When I asked him to sketch something, he conjured sketches in a snap! All of the sketches illustrated in the articles are done on the spot.

You can find more of his works on www.downbeatsquirrels.wordpress.com

About Chitrodeep:

He is a student in IIT studying physics. In his free time, he loves to sketch, listen to Nirvana and other Alt.Rock bands.