Thiruppavai through Illustrative lettering
(PART 1- Hymn 1 to 15)
Thiruppavai is a set of 30 Tamil devotional hymns attributed to the female poet-saint-Alwar Andal, who is considered to be the incarnation of Bhuma Devi. She was born as a daughter to Periyazhwar, (one of the 12 azhwars as well). She is said to have fasted during the month of Margazhi and composed these hymns to attain the divine.
Thiruppavai is a part of Nalayira Dhivya Prabhandham, a collection of works of all 12 azhwars. This compilation consists of hand-lettered posters of all 30 hymns in regional language with illustrations inspired by centuries-old Indian folk art - Odisha pattachitra style. This series is made out of profound love & devotion towards Kodhai herself, and to kindle interest in learning & getting to know about Thiruppavai
Sharing below the complete stepwise process of one of the Thiruppavai hymns illustration,
Step 1: Base thumbnail sketch - This is one of the most important steps, involving the complete ideation of the hymn and bringing out a quick rough thumbnail sketch(es)
Step 2: Refined sketch - Refining the thumbnail sketch with clean features & details
Step 3: Creating clean outlines, Step 4: Filling in base colours
Step 5: Adding in shadows, Step 6: Adding in Highlights
Step 7: Completing the final illustration with pattachitra style highlights & finer detailing
Details from each of the illustration
Borders & pattern brushes used in the illustrations
And now, into the complete illustration set
Thank you for watching!
Check out @studioaprameyah on Instagram for a detailed description of each of the Thiruppavai hymns :)