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10 Handmade Portrait Artists in India 2024

10 Handmade Portrait Artists in India 2024

What if you could convert your favourite photo or memory into a handmade painting? What if there was an easy way for you to find an incredibly talented artist to make a handmade personalised painting for you? 

Handmade Portraits Artist

Since time immemorial, Royals, Nobels and the wealthy have been fascinated with the art of oil portraitures. From the 16th century, oil portraits were an embodiment of the magnificence of the monarchs and how their subjects would perceive them.

Stoned Santa brings you this age-old tradition with a modern twist.  We bring a network of incredibly talented portrait artists to take your pick from. Every artist with Stoned Santa is a master of their craft and can help you cherish your memories forever. 

What are Handmade Portraits?

Handmade portraits are a form of art that intends to represent a human figure. They are an artistic representation of people that can be created using any medium, from traditional oil paintings to acrylics and even mixed media. Handmade portrait art is an extension of the realism art movement in fine arts. 

Handmade portrait painting is a form of art that is perfect for the purpose of gift-giving or if you want commissioned portrait art for yourself or your family to display in your living room boldly.  

10 Handmade Portrait Artists in India

Stoned Santa has curated a list of 10 incredibly talented and exciting handmade portrait artists whose handmade portraits are sure to make you look twice. We hope you enjoy reading!

1. Sadashiv Sawant – The Educator

Sachin Tendulkar handmade portrait by Sadashiv SawantSawant

In his own words, Art is not about training only our hands but our eyes. A true realism virtuoso, Sadashiv Sawant has spent more than 30 years perfecting his art. Today, he believes in educating others and sharing his deep knowledge of the craft. He is the founder of the art academy known as “Pencil Perception Academy.”

His work spans from Handmade charcoal portraits to displays of still life through his art. His play on light, shadows, shades and contrast are the main elements of his artworks. His artworks though simple, leave no room for error. His experience and versatility can be seen in the simplest of his artwork. 

 

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2. Komal Thoria – The Student

Komal Thoria Indian artist drawing a charcoal portrait

Following in the footsteps of her mentor, Mr Sadashiv Sawant, Komal Thoria has created her own identity in the realm of Handmade portrait artists. She has worked and assisted Sadashiv Sawant in many projects and strives to be an educator like him. Like her mentor, Komal thoria’s portraits have a play of light and shadow. 

Her handmade charcoal and graphite portraits are masterpiece examples of hyperrealism. She is an artist who has evolved beautifully over the years; from charging just 250 rs for a portrait, today, she can charge 15,000 and upwards for a single piece of her art.

3. Koushik Mondal – Master of the Ballpoint

Ball point pen portrait by Koushik Mondal

Koushik Mondal is a brilliant and self-trained handmade portrait artist who steps away from the world of fine arts and creates accurate and realistic portraits in his style.  

His choice of medium is the ballpoint pen. For him, the tip of the pen is merely an extension of himself. Though his portraits are not photo-realistic, they will make you look twice. 

He uses different coloured pens to create beautiful intricacies, highlights and shadows in his art. He uses techniques like stippling and cross-hatching to create ballpoint pen hyper-realistic art. His unique style and ability to emote through just a few colours of the Ballpoint technique make him stand out.

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4. Ajay Rathod – Master of Photo Realism

Ajay Rathod Photo Realistic Oil Painting of a family

In his own words, Ajay Rathod, an artist from Hyderabad, is someone who creates memories into permanent paintings. His commissioned works of Handmade acrylic portraits and oil painting portraits are sought by people globally.

He is a master of photorealism who specialises in creating outstanding family portraits. His style though traditional is unique to him. Nobody does photo realism quite like him.

His Handmade portraits will make you look twice so much so that many of Stoned Santa clients have questioned if we are simply selling photos printed on a canvas or if his paintings are really handmade

His unique ability enables him to make a combined family portrait by simply referring to different pictures. His art is emotional and sentimental in its essence. He not only captures moments, but he creates them for his clients. 

5. Abhishek Samal – Hyper Realistic Art in Monochrome

Charcoal Portrait by Abhishek Samal

Abhishek Samal, an artist from Bhubhaneshwar, has the skill set of a seasoned artist. His forte is creating hyper-realistic Monochromatic portraits. He likes to create Handmade charcoal portraits and graphite portraits of celebrities, superheroes and movie characters. 

A closer look at his art will show us how dedicated he is to the finer details of his handmade sketch portraits. We can see every wrinkle and every emotion on the face of the person in his portraiture. Not only does he create Charcoal portraits from celebrities’ photos, but he also creates custom charcoal portraits on commissions.

His talent is in his versatility, apart from the incredible charcoal portraits, he has been working on storyboarding, and character design and has  done hundreds of digital artworks for several corporate clients, since 2019, when he joined our team at Stoned Santa.

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6. Sushmit Koshore – Micro and Intricate Artist

Sushmit Kishore, an artist from Delhi, is a portrait artist like no other. He has created a new niche for his unique style of Handmade portrait art. Sushmit is a miniature artist who creates tiny Handmade graphite portraits of real people.

Though his portraits are tiny, they are full of incredibly fine and minute details. 

Not only has he mastered the art of small things, but he has also created a utility to his unique sensibility. He turns his miniature graphite portrait into pendants and lockets to make them into memorabilia or a perfect gift.

7. P.S. Rathour- The Master of the Watercolour

Watercolour portrait of Alia Bhatt by P.S. Rathour

Master of Handmade watercolour portraits and also an educator. P.S. Rathour is an artist who can control the flow of his brush. His paintings are both contemporary and hyper-realistic. His use of watercolours to create art is impeccable. The colours mix into each other seamlessly and effortlessly. His Watercolour portrait paintings bring a sense of calm and serenity to the eyes of the bystander.

 His brushwork is soft, and his paintings are in layers. He creates commissioned handmade portraits, fan art and portraits of celebrities. There is a unique subtlety in his art that makes him different from everyone else. 

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8. Siddhant – Shades of Black and White

Siddhant, popularly known as Siddhant Artworks, has a following of 108 thousand followers on Instagram and 123 thousand subscribers on Youtube. He is also an official brand influencer for Brusto and has been working with Stoned Santa for a few years now.

He is a Charcoal and graphite portrait artist specialising in Photorealism and Hyperrealism. His portraits stand apart because of his flawless pencil execution of the human figure. His artwork shows that he understands and empathises with his portrait’s muse. He uses techniques like cross-hatching, smooth shading, and scribbling to bring out the softness of the human figure.

9. Shruti Kulkarni – The Queen of Portraits

Self portrait by Indian portrait artist Shruti Kulkarni.

A civil engineer turned artist from Pune, Shruti Kulkarni is a self-taught artist and a master of handmade oil painting portraits. Her oil paintings use vibrant colours to tell the story behind her portraits. Her custom oil paintings on canvas are a great example of realism. 

She started her journey as a freelance oil portrait artist in the year 2015 and has not looked back since then. For her, art is a form of expression and let out for her emotions. She has not only mastered the art of detailed oil painting portraits but has also mastered the art of self-portraits.

10. Sandesh Porlekar – The Artist for the Women

Handmade Charcoal portrait by Sabdesh Porlekar

Sandesh Porlekar is a self-taught artist who hails from Mumbai, Maharashtra. Sandesh primarily uses pencils or charcoals to create hyper-realistic portraits. His portraits display the delicateness and femininity of a woman’s figures. He draws women in all their beauty and strength. He uses the technique of shading and smooth shading in his works and plays with highlights and shadows to soften or make the portrait stronger.

His unique style makes him stand out, as he can find beauty and softness in the most mundane objects. Women are the main focus of his art and his custom-made Charcoal portraits. One look at his portraits has the capability to answer the viral question, “what is a woman?”

(Order Your Custom Portrait)

Are you Considering Obtaining a Custom Portrait for a Friend, Colleague or Your Family?  

Look no further, Stoned Santa brings to you a wide network of incredibly talented portrait artists in India. We are here to paint your memories and dreams so you can cherish them forever. 

Stoned Santa  has been a quintessential part of the handmade personalised gift, art and decor industry for over 5 years. The artists with Stoned Santa have successfully created over thousands of handmade portraits for weddings gifts, corporate events, home decor and much more and have delivered them on time all over the world.

(Order Your Custom Portrait)

Through Stoned Santa You may discover various artists proficient and connoisseurs of various art forms who will meet your needs and budget and deliver your handmade portrait order within your time frame. Stoned Santa makes it incredibly simple to find a trustworthy and professional artist for you according to your specifications!

 

Interview of Suresh Trivedi

Interview of Suresh Trivedi

Interview of Suresh Trivedi

Suresh Trivedi is an artist who creates astounding pencil sketches that precisely capture the most intricate details. He specialises in portrait sketches and believes that art completes him. What started off a hobby, has now progressed into his career.

Read on more to find out more about him and his artwork.

Art can be perceived differently by different people. How do you perceive art?

Art for me is an exhilarating experience. Nothing can make me feel complete other than art.

Were you self taught, if no could you tell us about your mentor?

I learnt the basics of art by myself, but as the years passed I felt the need to be mentored and grow professionally. That’s when I was introduced to the pencil guru himself – Sir Sadashiv Sawant, who taught me to sketch shades, shadows, highlights and a lot more! He logically trained my eyes to observe the reference subject that has to be drawn.I am ever grateful for his teachings.

Who are the artists whom you look upto?

I am inspired by simple and flawless sketches. Sadashiv Sawant Sir, Biswal Sir and Ajay Rathod Sir are some of the artists whom I truly admire.

As an artist, what is the most asked question to you?

As an artist, mostly asked questions to me are that of the materials I use in my artwork like: ‘which pencil do you use?’, ‘which paper do you use?’ and ‘How do you get the jet black shade?’.

How have criticisms helped you shape your career? 

I was criticized for spending my time on creating art while this was not my profession, yet. Instead of feeling let down, I took it up as a challenge and gained professional training. It’s been 2 years since I left my job, to purse art full-time. 

Can you tell us about some of the interesting projects you have worked on?

I have worked on several interesting projects, but the ones close to my heart were the White Tiger Project and Waterfall Project.

These projects were very challenging anda test of my dedication and patience.

How has your perception of seeing things changed after sketching over a period of time?

As an artist, I have developed a keen eye for details. Every person or thing I see is a melange of shapes, shadows and highlights. I have started to see the beauty in the most mundane things

If you were to learn an alternate art form which one would that be?

I have always wanted to explore different styles of art. Water Color painting is something that is on top of my bucket list.

Have you ever faced a  creative block? If yes, how do you get over it

Just like every artist, I too face the creative block. I try to overcome it by taking a break from my routine and trying out something different. For instance, I usually take a break from drawing portraits and try my hand at landscapes or doodling.

If you could go back in the past and change a decision that you made, what would it be?

In hindsight, I wish I had done my undergraduation in Fine arts, rather than Pharmacy

What advice would you give for the upcoming artists?

I would suggest the budding artists to not spend their money on expensive art supplies, rather spend it on getting mentored by a professional, as the end of the day skills come first.

How important is traveling for an artist? Do you seek inspiration from every place you visit?

Travel is a goldmine for anyone who needs to create. It shakes up our thinking and inspires us to create wonders. To me, nature has been the biggest inspiration of all, and it never disappoints me. 

What are your thoughts on Stoned Santa?

Stoned Santa is doing a great job by creating a platform for budding artists and helping them to get recognized and earn. On the other hand, it is making handmade art accessible to art connoisseurs. 

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The journey of drawing dreams | Interview with Monika Jalwaniya

The journey of drawing dreams | Interview with Monika Jalwaniya

The Journey of Drawing Dreams.

Monika Jalwaniya, Sketch artist.

When sheer determination meets ultimate goals is when one achieves the dreams that they chase…

Such is the story of Monika Jalwaniya who is an alumnus of the University of Rajasthan. Her passion for art is such that she quit her studies in commerce to become a full-time artist, as she has always been amused by the very idea of art in all essence.

Jalwaniya possesses an amazing power to sketch life-like portraits. She presently majors in pencil sketch portraits, charcoal, and graphite sketching while also studying it.

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Going back to the day when it all began, the day her neighbour compelled her to draw a commissioned portrait for him. That was the day and she hasn’t stopped in adding life to these portraits. 

Little did she know that she would follow her passion for “do what one loves” to become an artist who considers criticism to be a motivation to do more. She is a self-taught freelancer who knows to push through the stereotypical bars of the society to be an individual who no more worries on the question that she hates “yeh sab toh thik hain, but job ka kya plan hai?”.  

Choosing art as a career.

Like every Indian parent – in a non-stereotypical way even Monika’s parents did not approve of choosing arts as a career for her. They eventually did come around as they realized that their daughter’s happiness lies in art.

On the other hand, she has a great deal of support from her sister. Initially, she had to live by her decision all by herself but then her sister and mentor carved her, a path.

Monika has always been a person who merely chases her dreams and doesn’t care about her upcoming projects but rather a person who is all about living in the moment.

An insight on making of a portrait.

When asked about, what cooks in her head while making a portrait, she breaks it to us in a few steps:

Step 1: An outline of the portrait is drawn with a light pencil sketch.

 Step 2: They could be drawn using grids or could also be a freehand sketch.

 Step 3: The face is then sketched from light to a darker shade.

 Step 4: She then works her way up with the details and it’s done! 

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Her dream came true when she got the chance of working with her mentor Shuvankar, with whom she successfully worked on different projects. He has been nothing less than an inspiration to her, she says, and he has only helped her improve in what she does.

Her only advice to the fellow budding artists is for them to follow their passion and not have a short sight due to society’s restrictions. 

Monika continues to mesmerize us with her hyperrealistic portrait sketches and is on a constant mission to explore the unexplored.

Thoughts about Stoned Santa

“It has been a great journey since I started working with them. It is a great platform for budding artists to get a fair value of their artwork. It has only been a short but great journey with them, looking forward to working with them again.”

Thus, Monika’s sheer determination and her love, unstoppable passion will be the driving factors for her to achieve her ultimate goal.

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Interview with Jay Sanchaniya | Charcoal Artist

Interview with Jay Sanchaniya | Charcoal Artist

Interview of Jay Sanchaniya

Jay Sanchaniya, Sketch Artist

An engineer by profession, Jay Sanchaniya carries the heart of an artist. His drawings are not just sketches on paper, but artworks which speak to us as if they’re alive.

Let us give you an insight of Jay’s life and his amazing works through the wonderful tete-a-tete that we had with him.

Tell us about your childhood. What inspired you to start drawing caricatures?

In my school days, I enjoyed drawing for science projects. Being quite eclectic in nature, I seek inspiration from everything around me. Majorly, Comic books and Superhero movies led me to develop an interest in drawing.

In between my college breaks I started drawing portraits. As time passed, I wanted to try new things and explore and experiment with portraits, that’s when I took a route to the world of Caricatures. I must say, what a wonderful route it has been!

Art can be perceived differently by everyone. What is “Art” to you?

I am an engineer by profession and I developed my love for Sketching/Art as a hobby. Art is my escape from the pressures of professional life.

As Thanos said “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be”, it balances my professional life as well as helps me pursue my passion.

I would like to call myself an engineer by day and an artist by night.

Are you self-taught? If yes, how has the journey been? What keeps you going?

Yes, I am a self taught artist. I have no parameters on what is right or wrong. What I started as a hobby, has now changed my whole life. Not only did it save me from work stress, but I can now connect with so many souls all through the medium of a paper and a pencil. 

Although my journey as a freelancer has just begun, I have been applauded by many celebrities on Instagram. Netflix’s TV Series NARCOS: Season 3 actor Matias Varela & Amazon Prime’s BREATHE reposted my work.

Basically, reading comic books; watching movies and TV shows is where I derive most of my inspiration from and the energy to do this every single day comes from the love and appreciation that my work receives.

How do you think technology has changed the dynamics of art?

Although the beauty of traditional art cannot be compared with that of digital art, technology has certainly helped me to gain more insights about the dynamics of art. Software & tools help to explore an artist’s skill as well as make their artwork more impressive.

How do you manage to get the balance between realism and exaggeration?

For me realism and exaggeration take almost the same effort. Various standard proportions and distances between features is one of the most important factors to be taken care of.

What’s the first feature you observe in people?

Eyes grab my attention. As the saying goes, “Eyes are the gateways to the soul”, and I too believe that they clearly demonstrate a person’s feelings and expressions.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Oh! There are so many. I do not like it when clients request me not to sign on the sketches or stare at my artwork while I’m working on it.

Any dream project that you can’t wait to work on?

I have worked with Comedy Cafes and Merchandising companies. I really want to create something on the lines of a promotional poster for TV and Comedy shows, preferably for platforms like Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime. 

If you could go back in time and change one decision that you took, what would it be?

I would’ve graduated in fine-arts, but I do not really regret being an Engineer. Both the things have worked quite fine as I have learned to balance my work life and my passion.

 To check out more of his sketches, click here.

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