Habib Ali : Illustrator of Neel on Wheels(Duckbill)

Habib Ali is the illustrator of the award winning picture book, Neel on Wheels.   Written by  Lavanya Karthik and published by Duckbill, this book  was a winner in the Children First competition organised by Parag Trust and Duckbill. A riot of imagination, this rhyming book is a visual delight.  

Habib Ali tells us more about his recent releases.

How did this book come about?

My alma mater, Riyaaz Academy, had set up a stall at the World Book Fair in 2017. My illustrator friends and I  had exhibited our artworks. I met Ms Sayoni Basu(editor of Duckbill books). She liked my artwork. A few weeks later, I received an email from Duckbill inviting me to work on a book.

How difficult was it to create  images for this book?In every spread,the wheelchair arrives in a new avatar. Did the manuscript come with illustration notes?

It was indeed challenging to create layouts for the book. Several of my final artworks had be abandoned. It was difficult to depict the wheelchair in a new avatar on every page.  The more I connected to the book and received valuable guidance from the author and editors, my ideas became concrete and the challenges ended.

I did receive illustration notes with the text.


A cat is part of the adventure on every page.Are you fond of cats?

Yes, I like cats. I did not think of cats when I read the text. I added the cat after author Lavanya Karthik suggested that I could add other characters(dogs,cats, rats or any other small animal) to the book. 

Tell us something about the type of illustrations made in this book.

The pictures in this book are a mix of reality and imagination. A few cartoon type  

illustrations have been added to make it appealing to kids.  I have paid special attention to

the different settings which appear in the book. Watercolours is my chosen medium for Neel on  
Wheels.

Even though there are several scenes which have the house as a setting, parents are 
strangely missing from the book.

          There have been only two scenes  in the book where the presence of parents was  

          needed. However the absence of parents  evokes interest in kids. It makes them  

          wonder about the whereabouts of  parents. Is the mother busy in the kitchen? Is   

          father out on work? Or are both parents busy working in the office? I don’t think the    

          presence of parents in a story affects it in anyway.  The story is centred around

          Neel, his wheelchair and his younger brother. 

One of the spreads has humans depicted as wild creatures.

It is Neel and his younger brother’s imagination that perceives humans as wild creatures.  

Did you interact with the author while creating this book?

Yes, I interacted with the author and the Duckbill teamto bring this story to life. 

You have another picture book(A Home of Our Own) releasing though Tulika Books this year. What kind of art styles have you used in this book ?

The art styles used in my upcoming Tulika picture book,A Home of Our Own, and Neel on Wheels are the same. With time my illustrations have improved. You will see the same in A Home of Our Own.

How do you overcome a creative block?

 Whenever I face a creative block, I scan my work and keep it aside for  a few days. When I am ready, I return to my work with renewed fervour and a new set of ideas.

What type of design work do you enjoy the most-print or digital? Why?

I love drawing illustrations manually.  Digital art does not excite me as it does not involve paints and brushes. Besides, there is a lot to learn about manual art. I am in the beginning stage of my career. I  do look forward to learning digital art in the near future.

  

 To buy a copy of Neel on Wheels, click here.