My Art Journey

Time-lapse videos of most of my creations during 2020-2025; how it started, what worked and what didn't, wishlist of sorts and truckloads of gratitude!

Hello everyone,

I have been telling myself and others that my journey with art began in 2020, while that is not untrue, I feel it began earlier. I have been making handmade greeting cards for my family and friends since I was a kid. The frequency has dwindled over time, but I continue to try making them. So, maybe art has been around in my life, perhaps the difference was that I started identifying myself as an artist only from 2020 onwards.

Several time-lapse videos spread across this Post reveal how my art journey started. There are many experiments with painting over objects (walls, pots, pans, cups, glass bottles) that are missing from these videos, which I will also share with you at some point.

If you wish to see my art-related posts, or missed seeing them earlier, those are available here as Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, January 2026 and February 2026. Some of these pieces have been posted with my poems as well.

I wanted to share these videos for various reasons.

• It is a record of how it started for me and where my art or skills are going. I am happy to see my progress over time, with practice, tricks or techniques (that I didn’t even know existed!!). I struggled with most of these initially. I am either no longer struggling with them to the same extent, or dare I say, am now comfortable with them.

• These are proof that practice hones skills. Talent has been redefined for me as Practice + Experience.

• Art has affirmed my belief that EVERY person, each one of us, is an artist. we just need practice, everything can be learnt, speaking from personal experience :D

• The human brain is an impressive muscle! It has often left me speechless while I am in the process of creating. The ideas it comes up with and the artist’s instinct are inexplicable! Go ahead and try, you need to experience it, would love to discuss with you, as and when you try it!

• Colour mixing, brush strokes, decision making, even while one is copying art, will leave you amazed.

• Materials might matter for some art supplies, but everything can be salvaged with detailing with pens, pencil colours, gouache, or crayons, or you can cut the art out and make a collage out of it or use the reverse side for colour swatching. (I usually create on the reverse side of most of my creations, unless I really like them and they hold a special place for a loved one/ friend, and therefore a prospect for gifting or being framed :D)

• I still haven’t done any colour swatching EVER while painting or before I begin a painting - need to start.

Things I started with:

• Desire to create with my hands and reduce screen time, the major driving force!

• School/ student grade supplies - Random-shaped and sized paintbrushes, watercolours, poster Colours (sort of acrylics), chart paper (thin), coloured paper, sketchpens and highlighters, micron pens, ball point pens, thin paper sketchbooks, pencils and pencil colours/ crayons from my school days.

• Once I heard about watercolour paper and the required 300gsm cotton, cold-pressed paper, I started buying loose sheets and sketchbooks.

• A dear friend gifted me Winsor & Newton water colours for my birthday in 2020. I am still using this set; watercolours last really long, so please invest in a good set, and it will serve you well for years. I haven’t bought a new set yet. She also gifted me watercolour paper A5 size from a high end brand, which is still in its packaging, yes, I still get nervous around expensive supplies!! (Work-in-progress :D)

• Colouring books - this was a short tryst, might or might not go back to it. I enjoy zentangles more.

• My eldest sister Sarju Kaul (also my subscriber here, Yay!!) introduced me to the Workshop Week (This year from June 1-5, 2026 - https://www.workshopweek.co/), hosted by Artist Becca Courtice, The Happy Ever Crafter (https://thehappyevercrafter.com/), which opened my life to modern calligraphy, lettering, envelope making/ art, perspective drawing and many more artists and styles.

  

  Made on printer paper by yours truly based on a workshop during Workshop Week of 2023/ 2024

  

  Another creation made by yours truly on printer paper during Workshop Week 2023 I think

  

  The header to my Substack home page was influenced by videos and books on lettering :D

How I began:

• Copying - Art, Photos (online, on my phone, shared albums from family), Photos of Art, Tutorials.

• Creating on my dining table, on the floor, anywhere in the house, at the park, whenever inspiration struck.

• Videos and tutorials online, either on Instagram (deleted my account in September 2021) or mostly on Pinterest.

• Photographs as inspiration.

• Books, some illustrations and book covers from my home library, and more recently, books on watercolours, exercises/ drawing books and books by or on other artists/ their works.

• Calligraphy basics course with the Happy Ever Crafter.

  

  Calligraphy and workshop week led to greeting cards like these :D

  

Present Phase of my Art Journey (not very different from earlier):

• Create with my hands as often as I can

• Try new supplies, techniques, media and subjects - especially what scares me or makes me nervous (Aiming to tackle perspective drawing, portraits and anatomy soon and creating tiny paintings for now)!

• I create based on tutorials by artists I admire - In the beginning, I followed these entirely, now, I mostly adapt along the way. Even if I made a ‘mistake’ or there is an art accident, as I fondly call them, I go along with it.

• Photographs I wish to recreate - even if I do not achieve what I set out to create, I have fun or get frustrated and settle for whatever feels good to me at the time.

• Art works of a subject I am interested in - I choose the best elements I like or whatever colours I want to paint with.

• Watching tutorials, observing the artists’ choice of colours, composition, perspective and shading/ shadows. These have taught me techniques that I would use randomly in my creations. Some still don’t work, but I don’t bother, and move on. Everything can be salvaged.

• I share my art with family, friends and acquaintances on WhatsApp and here on Substack [I also shared my poems with my family recently, four members of my family are my Subscribers here :D].

• I also try to share the process when I get some time, or I share the struggles I faced while creating.

• If I remember to take photographs while creating, I try taking them at different stages of the process. I might start recording videos of my process, but I feel that would add to the already-reducing time for art that I carve out in the morning after waking up.

• I try to experiment with different supplies or mix-and-match stuff I have seen before or liked. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.

• I consume a LOT of Art!!! YouTube Channels, Pinterest tutorials - if you see my list of channel subscriptions!!! hahahaha! But I love watching the process and appreciating the art, still the biggest source of my learning process. Best and Worst part of obtaining knowledge/ skills - Learning never ends!

• BOOKS! I initially thought these wouldn’t help or might be difficult to follow, but they really add to your skills. For some books, you might need some basic practice to follow. Feel free to reach out to artists or go physically to buy, if possible, or just take a chance if you see several artists recommending the same books repeatedly on the same topic/ category. Research book recommendations by artists on YouTube or any other site you prefer, and you will not regret buying/ borrowing or trying them.

• Try buying second-hand books; you will mostly find art books in really good shape. (Or do what I did - I have been sending a list of books/ art supplies to my family and friends before my birthday instead of clothes or other things :D)

• I am trying my hand at illustrations - only two so far, but I’m very excited! More on this in a separate post!

• Returning to subjects I enjoy creating - especially when I’m feeling uninspired - these would be flowers and landscapes for me.

• Monochromatic painting/ creations!! All of these can be separate posts I could rave about!

The monochromatic painting above, was based on the book by Jean Haines. The creation was made in brown in the book, but I went for this shade of blue. It is one of my favourites! This artwork resides at my friends’ Farm, to my great pleasure.

What worked for me:

• Starting with minimal art supplies helped with a regular/ consistent practice - one toned paper sketchbook, one black pen, one grey brush pen, one white gel pen.

  

  Created by yours truly from a photo reference on Pinterest using a black micron pen and white gel pen.

• Creating with a pen directly - no rough sketches, no doubts, more confidence.

  

  Based on a photograph from Pinterest, my inspiration was Artist Ohn Mar Win’s black and white creations on toned paper. This was part of my almost daily art practice in the beginning of 2025, where I aimed to make sketches within 10-15 mins or half an hour in one morning session before the day started.

• Being Kind to myself when I didn’t feel like creating, or when I had a feeling that it wouldn’t work, and I did not push myself.

• Unplanned creations - zero expectations going in - decisions on the go, while creating - start with the premise that I am experimenting here, I will try new things and see where they take me - Some of my most loved art on Substack was made like this…

• Dating and signing my creations - helped me see my progress over the years. I am still undecided about my signature, it keeps changing as per my mood :)

• Accepting that every creation is not going to be brilliant, and definitely doesn’t need to be and cannot be perfect! [Exit expectations immediately - Overcoming perfectionism here, thank you very much!]

• Carving out space dedicated to art in my home - it started with my dining table, with some supplies on a stool not far from it, a chest of drawers was chosen to hold my art supplies and became my art studio (too many videos online, I got tempted, obviously!!) and then my study table (it is older than me in age - my creative Father replaced the table top with a larger sized table top for an expanded space for me so that I have enough space for my laptop and files), which is my studio space now (Thanks Pa!).

• Box Easel gifted to me on my birthday by Mr Nimita Kaul :D. I haven’t taken it out for plein air painting yet, or on travel, another box in my checklist, hopefully will be crossed off soon. Painting at an angle helps with posture, and it keeps your creation at eye level, so better light and vision this way.

• My Substack, ‘Darakhth’ - I had no idea what I was planning to do… so, I just gave myself time. I started posting poems, and then gradually I started posting my art on notes, accompanying my poems with pieces that seemed apt. I reached out and posted about my page on several chats and notes, shared links to my poems and enjoyed getting to know other artists, creators and their work.

• The community I found on Substack deserves an entire post dedicated to it. I am forever grateful and humbled by the creators I have interacted with, their work and support. It would be amiss if I did not mention The Circus Dragon and her generosity of spirit, kindness and encouragement for my art on Substack :D I am thrilled and touched that my art has found a place in her home. She believed in me and my art journey, which led to my first illustration ever! This opened doors to a lovely community of creators, artists and friendships I immensely cherish!

• Engaging with other artists regarding their art, process, ideas, writing - I get the best recommendations this way, there is so much to explore, so much I don’t know!

• Creating with other artists in groups or on Substack Live or observing techniques or creations of different artists here. The art being created and shared on Substack is inspiring, and the art and writing community here is amazing!!

• Embracing ‘Ugly art’ - the concept that no art is ugly, and what we call ugly art is usually something one hasn’t seen or tried before, or is not conventional. There are pages and videos on ugly art and sketchbooks, do check them out - you would want to never stop creating, trust me! [The Ugly Sketchbook by Artist Tawnie Jeanne - https://www.youtube.com/@TawnieJeanneStudios]

• Not knowing the rules and techniques from a formal art education felt both liberating and limiting, depending on the situation, while creating. No regrets :D I enjoy the learning process, and it has given me a lot of confidence in gaining skills with practice and valuing my efforts.

  

  Made this sketch during a morning walk with micron, gel and sketch pens and completed with details later at home.

• Cheap Supplies on sale - buy in bulk when you can, you feel less inhibited, hesitant, and you try them more often, they will leave you surprised at how much they can add to your joy of creating.

• Different supplies on different types of paper - keep trying and you sometimes chance upon your favourite combinations and suddenly, while art-scrolling or browsing what to paint, you know what will work together for a particular type of art/ subject/ scene!

• Gel Pens - surprised me! They are vibrant! On plain and toned paper - these do miracles and add such brightness to your creations! I love colours, including black and white creations! Try them in different colours and let me know about your experience. I would love to hear from you!

• Research online before buying new art supplies, watch videos where they are being used, and preferably on the kind of paper you usually use for your creations or have easy access to.

• Paid and free lessons for skills you wish to work on. There are innumerable lessons online. I would love to suggest some if you wish to try, leave a comment or a message, and I will share. For me, these included the Illustrative Journalling Sessions created and led by Urmila Menon/ Human🌻, which opened my world to figure drawings and storytelling, as well as an amazing artistic community :D We regularly share art and feel inspired.

• Art can be made on any surface; you only need to research the process before trying. Safe bets - gouache and acrylic on wooden coasters, paper bags, cardboard boxes, newspapers, acrylics/ poster colours on walls, non-stick pans, glass jars/ bottles. Go wild!

I created the above A-4 size creation entirely from beginning to end with my non-dominant left hand! You can do it too, trust me!

What didn’t/ doesn’t work:

• Being hesitant to try, or reach out, or share my work

• Being over-critical or judgmental about my art

• Getting affected by negative feedback - listen, filter, forget!

• Overdoing a page or creation, still learning when to stop.

• Rushing while creating - wanting to complete a creation in one sitting. It is ok to pause and return, especially when you are stuck or unable to achieve the effect you wish, works wonders. (I sometimes use a blowdryer for colour to dry between layers, especially when using watercolours, but if you have time and wish to wait out the effects of air drying, return to it later :D)

• Fearing darker contrast or shadows in creations, depending on the creation - darker mostly works better.

• Hoarding art supplies: Constant reminder needed - ‘They will not get spoilt when in use!’

• Comparing my art/ skills with others - the phases come and go, I just keep my head down and do my own thing. It is ok to be you, it is your art, it is in the world because you created it, no one else can create what you can :D Even when you are copying an original.

Wishlist in random order, temporary and ever-changing, to say the least!!:

• Overcoming perfectionism

• Hands!!! Portraits, Anatomy, Perspective Drawing, Animals, Proportions.

• Video sessions/ Group art hang with others

• Experiment with canvases, wall art, gouache, and acrylics

• Use expensive supplies more often

• Composing more prose and poetry - Everything gets better with time and practice!

• Reading more prose and poetry

• Submitting more of my work, both art and writing to journals

• More Illustrations

• Consistent Art Practice

  I leave you with this very brief account of my journey with art and creativity ;) [I promise, I tried!!]

  Hope this was helpful in some way or presents some ideas and opens pathways to more and frequent creative endeavours. It is a pleasure and honour to share my art journey here with you. Thank you for reading, interacting, encouraging me with your presence, words, likes and restacks!

  Happy Art-Scrolling and Creating!

  Love,

  Nimita