At some time, we have all been caught drooling over quirky lifestyle brand Chumbak's signature owl motifs - on crockery, furnishings, paper bags, wall hangings. But have you ever wondered who is the one drawing these fun, colourful birds of the night? Illustrator Rohan Dahotre will shyly make it a point to let you know that not all of the owls have been drawn by him; but if we manage to swivel our eyes away from his beautiful designs for Chumbak, there is a lot in his repertoire waiting to be admired. Other animals, of course.
For a self-taught illustrator, Rohan is bringing the wonders of the animal kingdom to the world, one sketch at a time. Go through his Instagram handle and you will know that pencil sketches, black and white, colour - whatever mode of representation he may choose, the result will have you wanting to own a piece with the illustration on it.
"I am always fascinated by nature and especially animals. They have so much variety and characteristics like colour, form, texture, patterns, behaviour," said Rohan. "There is so much to learn from them."
And about his special love for owls?
"I always saw owls as beautiful creatures. They have such beautiful characteristics and features. Many cultures consider them an evil omen. I never liked that. So I drew, to show society how beautiful owls are. And there are so many species of owls, opens up a whole window for eexperimentation in drawing - with their forms, feathers, eyes, etc," he said.
You only have to see his designs for Chumbak to feel the love he must hold for the birds. It is a painter to a muse feel, on point.
"Chumbak has many owls. And I am happy to draw most of them. I loved drawing owls even before joining Chumbak. So drawing them at Chumbak made me even more happier," Rohan added.
But it is not just in drawings that he engages with animals. Rohan feels passionately about spreading animal awareness, which is what he hopes to do with his illustrations. He wants to engage his audience, and educate them about animals conservation.
And what's next for this owl lover?
"Chumbak was a great learning experience Chumbak being a colourful brand helped me build an understanding of colors and design prints. But now I will start something of my own," said Rohan.
Here's wishing him "owl" the luck in the world in his efforts to make animals more loved, understood, and admired.
