TEJAS
An exploration of tradition,
and origin.
beauty, sexuality
portfolio 2019 - 2020
adobe illustrator adobe photoshop adobe indesign adobe muse adobe animate adobe XD microsoft office fontforge balsmiq
illustrator / writer / communication designer (e) tejassharma312@gmail.com (m) +1 319 929 4714 iamtejas.co
skills & interests illustration / digital illustration / graphic design / communication design / UI-UX / print media / creative writing
i’m committed to producing art, design, and works of literature that empower the consumer to celebrate their true beauty within in my work, i wrestle with the complex themes of ugliness and imprefection in order to reveal novel and whimsical perspectives, and to elevate the beautiful truths underneath
An exploration of tradition,
and origin.
beauty, sexuality
the awkward and uncomfortable stories of
that many of us choose to ignore or embellish
day- to-day interactions
There are dynamics traditions of every culture, which i try to bring into the light
since i am not sitting on the sun.
the theme of this portfolio is drawn from horse racing course.
contents
(i) stay flo (vii) exit
(interlude) do nothing without intention
(ii) cocktails
(vi) what women are made of
(iii) sky full of paperbirds
(v) perhaps we all are refugees
(iv) kindergarten
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stay flo
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love drought
the idea of me dancing naked can make mouth waters
sweetener
skin stirred in honey, nuts, pearls and silk silk silk in a fine silverware
i slay
don’t touch my soul
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cocktails
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tequila sunrise
summer babe
brown liquor, sip sip sip
bourbon peach smash
gin + juice
bloody mary in gin
cities under my belly
crownberry apple
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(iii) sky full of paper birds
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www.paperbirds.in
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you kept the truth hidden underneath your clothes as if our love on your lap never fed you. a sky full of paper birds is a poetry book and digital storytelling exprience that reflects on the tragic and systemaic oppression of transgenders in indian society. This project incluing the poetry was conceived, written, and illustrated in full by me.
I drew design inspiration from the classical indian pattachitra form of epic poetry, and combined those elements with concepts from contemporary graphic noveling to create a product that is artful, thought provoking, and culturally enriching. The dramatic inspiration was drawn from the artworks of Ellen Von Wiegand
like twisting snakes hissing and cackling they smeared renu’s soft surface turning it sour blind to the sugar tucked inside, they invented an ugly thing and slung it upon renu and all those sisters whose bodies yearn desperately to mirror the heart within
in classical pattachitra, epic poems are recited based on mythological images painted on continuous scrolls. i wanted to transfer this essence of unfurling a scroll into the cyberscape by creating an interactive, continuous-scrolling digital version of a sky full of paper birds.
renu fondled the paper bird sitting sweetly at the window she looked outside into Pushkar’s womb and saw in it the sparkle of many daughters “she’s lovely, isn’t she?” and eila smiled feeling in herself the many delicate folds creating strength from weakness “my child, little bird, the sky is yours.”
As compared to a paper scroll, the digital world offers more flexibility to explore the multitude of sensory and emotional dimesions i incorporated parallax effects, musical soundtracks, and multimedia content to bring the story to life on screen.
we have danced our way here the promises of better life were never placed on the aisles the stories that were placed on the skin of ours as a child faded our vivid imaginations of the strength of the women so we kept our vulnerability on our palms and shoved our voices between our teeth. we all are together with every step we take forward we make way for the other girls behind us.
www.paperbirds.in
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kindergarten
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common cold
infections of a different kind
no bone china
eggshells and porcelains
show and tell
like a hostage
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perhaps we all are refugees
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foundations
when i get home
you ain’t invisible
where do we go
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what women are made of a poem by Bianca Lynne Spriggs
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experimental typography is all about testing the boundaries of written language, and adding layers of unknowns to things that we assumed we already knew.
and lashes. Both bent and erect, we are all give and give back. We are volta and girder. Make an incision
Crack us down to the marrow, and you may find us full of cicada husks and sand dollars and salted maple taffy
in this exploration, i sought a fresh perspective on one of the most instinctive forms of communication: body language.
set to a groundbreaking poem on the subject of femininity and coloured body by bianca lynne spriggs, the characters crafted here emote postures of pride and human vulnerability at a nexus where written and lived languages intersect.
and Lord Have Mercy! Our hands remember to turn the earth before we do. Our intestinal fortitude? Cumulonimbus
(INTERLUDE)
do nothing without intention
(YouTube video, “Florida Water For Cleansing and Clearing.” And the words just seem to stick with me.)
(INTERLUDE)
do nothing without intention
(YouTube video, “Florida Water For Cleansing and Clearing.” And the words just seem to stick with me.)
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exit
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exit
every women is
a riot
another city
dissolved into the sun
midas land
city full of milk and honey
dreams