Interview with Amit Tayal.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Award-winning artist Amit Tayal grew up reading comic books and eschewing his homework to draw superhero sketches instead.
Flash forward to adulthood and Tayal now gets to draw comic book characters for a living. While he spent his early career in animation, he says he always felt passion for various styles of illustrations, and it wasn’t long before he devoted himself to working in the medium full time.
Tayal may be best known for his work on “Super Sikh,” a comic book that chronicles the tales of an Elvis-loving, Indian “super agent” named Deep Singh who battles agents of the Taliban hell-bent on world domination.
“Super Sikh” hopes to shed light on the religion that inspired its eponymous protagonist — which is arguably one of the most misunderstood faiths in the world, particularly in the post 9/11 epoch.
Born in Faridabad, India, Tayal now resides in Delhi with his wife, Shweta, and his 2-year-old daughter, Kushi. He graduated from Delhi University 2005, and aside from Super Sikh has worked on such comics as “Steve Jobs: Genius by Design,””Ali Baba and the Forty thieves Reloaded,” and “Conquering Everest.”
Tayal corresponded with The American Bazaar via email and offered some insights into his colorful world of art and aesthetic.
What inspired you to become a comic book and graphic novel artist?
When I was a kid, I used to love watching He-man and Spider-Man animation series and soon the passion so followed that I started to draw these characters myself. My early influences were cartoon fridge magnets, superhero stickers mainly Disney animation movies which always made me want to be a part of the process. One wouldn’t guess I’d taken up Chartered Accountancy as career and hung on to it too for a while but this crave of mine never let me do anything else for a long time. I always looked up for something related to animation and cartoons in newspapers. I still have no clue how I used to start my library sessions from Account section and end up finding myself submerged in Art books. I knew I wanted to become an artist but didn’t know the know-hows. The iron age of Internet and lack of art school in India kept me away from taking this thing any serious.
How did you find your way to the Super Sikh project?
Like any other project enquiry, Eileen [Alden] approached me asking about my availability for a project. Even though I found it very interesting and was more than willing to take it up, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to finish the project in time due to my earlier commitments. Eileen still stood by me patiently and we were successfully able to kick off the project.
Do you feel any connection to Super Sikh’s protagonist, Secret Agent Deep Singh?
When a picture of a Sikh girl with facial hair went viral on internet as a mockery, I felt really bad and wished if I could do something about it, perhaps bring awareness to people about this culture and respect a pious ritual of their culture. Deep Singh is a reflection of those who are committed to bring upon such changes in society. So it is quite natural to feel the connection.
What are the difference between Indian comic book literature and comic book stories in the west?
Indian comic industry has been through a lot of speed bumps and still shaping up. Right now its diversified like India itself so it’s hard to put a label on it.
What are your views on censorship in India?
Tough one! Earlier I was a strong believer that people should be given freedom to choose the content they want to see or read. But India being so diversified in its cultures and religious beliefs, I think some kind of censorship has to be there to avoid people’s feelings getting hurt.
Do you read comics and graphic novels? If so, who are your favorite artists and authors, based on which works?
Not much. My inspirations come from animation series. I grew up watching He-Man, Batman, Justice League and Spiderman. From my very little reading experience I love Alex Ross, Stuart Immonen, Riccardo Federici, along with the writing of Edger Alan Poe and Neil Gaiman.
If you are a fan of superhero comics, there is always the age old question: Marvel or DC?
Frankly, I grew up reading local Indian comics like Diamond comics and Raj comics. I did not see my first Marvel/DC comics until I was already 20. So far by my experience I think my inclination is towards DC, mainly because of Batman and Flash. I love Justice league more than Avengers and X-men, so, yeah, DC!
Do you have any sort of special creative process or rituals you indulge in before creating your artwork?
I start my day by immersing myself in the websites like Artstation, Pinterest, Behance, and fill my head with inspiration. It really gets me energized to start drawing. Although sometimes it backfires and fills me with self-doubt whether my drawing is any good.
If you could work on any project, what would it be?
More stylized graphic novels and children’s books. My love for them is endless. I am doing them now and would like to do them till the end of time.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists, or anyone who wants to break into the comic book industry in general?
Just take inspiration from the kind of work that you like and keep practicing. Take full advantage of internet era, use Google, YouTube for tutorials. There is more material than you can grasp…mostly free. Don’t be afraid to work for less money and even collaborations. A lot of people out there are looking for newbies. Think of this time as your practice time. Starting somewhere is more important than starting big.