Creating Art From the Heart: Designing the Book Cover for 'Dhup Chau' by My Mom.

Today I celebrate my mom!

Her zest for life is inspiring! She leads by example and teaches the world around her that you are never too old to learn, explore, dream and work towards making those dreams true.

She has done 5ks in her 70s, boogied with Milind Soman, sat through rocky jeep rides to go on Safaris, hiked at Grand Canyon and more….

Today I celebrate the release of her book Dhup Chau, a collection of poetry in Hindi.

And I was the lucky artist who got to design the book cover!

Mom holding the Author’s copy of the book. The book is now available in Amazon India and Flipkart.

Designing a book cover is more than just creating an appealing visual. It's about encapsulating the essence of the author and the words within. So, when it came to designing the cover for my mother's poetry collection, "Dhup Chau" (Sunshine and Shadows), I embarked on a deeply personal journey, aiming to capture her spirit and the heart of her verses in one compelling image.

Within the pages "Dhup Chau" is a portrait of my mom's journey narrated through poetry. The title, "Dhup Chau" translates to "Sunshine and Shadows." - a collection that explores the duality of life, the interplay between joy and sorrow, light and darkness.

I chose to use charcoal as the main medium for this project.

Why charcoal?

Because it's a medium that is raw, authentic, and full of soul, just like her.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," Leonardo da Vinci once said. With this wisdom in mind, I wanted the portrait to be elegant yet unpretentious. Charcoal allowed me to achieve this effortlessly. The monochromatic palette, the stark contrast between light and shadow - it all worked together to create an image that was powerful in its simplicity. I added a tinge of orange soft pastels to capture the essence of sunshine and then layered it with encaustic medium to give it the feeling of glow.

The process of creating this portrait was a labor of love, a dialogue with her words, a silent conversation where I tried to capture her essence. It wasn't about achieving photographic realism; it was about capturing her spirit, her wisdom, and her grace.

Portrait of my mom_Charcoal, Pastels and Encaustic on Board

Designing this cover was a labor of love and a tribute to my mom's talent and wisdom. I hope that every reader who picks up "Dhup Chau" is greeted by her spirit, her stories, and the love she poured into her poetry.

As you delve into the verses of "Dhup Chau" I hope you'll discover not just poetry but a piece of my mother's soul, elegantly and simply portrayed.