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Hyderabadi artist paints her way to glory

Radha Yamini who is working on a children’s book is set to start her art school

By Shweta Watson

Updated On - 26 June 2021, 12:03 AM

Hyderabadi artist paints her way to glory — Radha Yamini

Hyderabad: “I’m always a learner at heart,” says Radha Yamini. The 23-year-old Hyderabadi artist works with a variety of mediums including graphite, charcoal, watercolours, acrylics, oil paints, poster paints, soft pastels, oil pastels and also sculpting with clay.

Radha, who has increasingly been working with the digital medium lately, shares, “Ever since I was a kid, I was always into art. From drawing biology diagrams, studying Electronics and Communication Engineering to now being a full-time artist, it’s been quite a journey for me. During my engineering days, I worked with an NGO, Camp Diaries, where I would teach art and crafts to underprivileged kids. That’s when I became drawn to teaching, and later I worked at Sancta Maria International School in Serilingampally as a math teacher.”

Soon, Radha decided art was her true calling and became a freelance artist in May 2019 to meet her goals. She began an art school named ‘Master Class Art Academy’ in Sri Nagar Colony right before the pandemic, but has been struggling to maintain it due to Covid and lockdowns. “There is a lot of buzz about online teaching, but learning with a mentor beside you is something else. I along with another art teacher will be teaching oil painting, pen work, charcoal drawing and more in an environment which will allow kids to grow. As I didn’t have proper knowledge about how to learn art in my initial days, I hope this will be a great platform for kids enthusiastic about art. I learnt majorly through workshops, social media challenges like Inktober, YouTube tutorials, interacting with fellow artists and by myself,” says Radha, who shares that the school is set to reopen from July 1.

Radha, who loves drawing portraits of people, is also working on a children’s book which she’s super excited about. “Building a character and developing it is what I love the most. I make concept art and sell it at exhibitions. I also sketch commissioned portraits for people for special occasions like weddings and birthdays. But what I am most excited about right now is a book that I am working on for a client in Oklahoma. She wrote a story called ‘Nimbu Pani’ which revolves around a mother and daughter. I’m illustrating the characters in the book and should be done by July,” says Radha, who is also into upcycling and recycling.

Radha, who is inspired by the works of artists such as DestinyBlue, drawingwiffwaffles and more on Instagram, also enjoys cooking and baking in her free time. “I want to see design everywhere – nothing should be plain and simple in the world. I hope to set up a rad art shop by the end of this year,” she concludes.