Kollywood pictures @ Mahaxarts
“The town and its layered historical past is my muse in most of my private tasks,” says city-based artist-illustrator Mahalakshmi Somasundar who launched Mahaxarts in 2021. “My fascination for Chennai began again in faculty. I studied Structure and we had a course centred across the metropolis, and I discovered myself dumb-struck studying the town I used to be raised in had so many layers of historical past,” says the 25-year-old who illustrates Madras-themed artwork on merchandise corresponding to posters, postcards, artwork prints, stickers, and extra.
Art work at Mahaxarts
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For #36DaysofType in 2021, the artist produced a sequence of illustrations on heritage buildings throughout the town ranging from A to Z. This sequence was later developed right into a poster referred to as the Madras Alphabet, which showcases constructions such because the erstwhile Jeypore Palace (as soon as residence to Amethyst Cafe) and Electrical Theatre (current Chennai’s Philatelic Bureau), says Mahalakshmi, who has been gathering details about the town’s buildings for about two years.
Mahalakshmi Somasundar
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Different merchandise embody the Madras in Motion pictures postcard sequence that has illustrated stills from Tamil cinema with traditionally salient buildings and landmarks corresponding to Ramalayam Palace of the Travancore royal household of Kerala (seen in Muthu) within the body. “The extra I studied about Chennai, the extra I used to be capable of establish heritage constructions because the hidden ingredient in film frames/scenes. The concept is to deliver the locations within the background to the fore and share tales and information about them,” says Mahalakshmi, who’s now engaged on a calendar based mostly on the town.
Upwards of ₹35, @mahaxarts on Instagram
A magnet from the Seashore Bommai sequence
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Seashore bommais @ Odd Trunk
Impressed by Chennai’s on a regular basis life, illustrator Riddhi Rohit’s designs are rooted in her love for the town’s tradition. Her current designs embody the autorickshaw crafted right into a magnet, and new additions to the Seashore Bommai sequence. “The seaside bommai design showcases a doll clad in a saree and sun shades, holding a young coconut. It captures the essence of an attractive coastal life, and your complete sequence is impressed by Tanjore dolls, reflecting my upbringing in Thanjavur,” says Riddhi, who kickstarted the model in 2018 with DIY paper dolls, lampshades, and trinkets impressed by the town’s golu pageant.
Riddhi Rohit
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As we speak, her catalogue contains stationery, wall artwork, bag charms, and extra. “My favorite assortment is the floral drishti bommais. These designs can be found as magnets, charms, and wall plaques. I really like how they mix conventional motifs with a contemporary, vibrant aesthetic.”
Upwards of ₹150 on oddtrunk.com
Notebooks by The Phoenix Firm
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Dosa magnets @ The Phoenix Firm
At The Phoenix Firm that has been round for the reason that Nineties, sisters Upasika and Aditi Maithreya create and retail quirky Chennai-themed merchandise alongside attire, decor, and many others below their associate labels. “We began retailing T-shirts, magnets, and many others themed on the town in 2017. On our travels to different cities, we frequently wished to gather fridge magnets or aesthetic postcards for our properties. Retaining that in thoughts, we wished to supply merchandise that individuals can take again as souvenirs and collectibles which can remind them of Chennai,” says Aditi, who illustrates the merchandise. The No Place Like Residence… sequence, she says, “captures the weather that breathe life into our mundane routines”. Be it the person promoting vibrant balloons on the seaside, two previous girls having fun with a hearty chortle whereas stringing flowers, ladies drawing kolam, or thatha paati taking a stroll, illustrations from the sequence went into their notebooks, and a calendar.
(L-R) Upasika and Aditi Maithreya
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Well-liked choices on the model embody their Madras-themed T-shirts, notebooks and artwork prints in With Love from Namma Chennai… and handmade miniature meals fridge magnets of dosas, idlis and vadas. Talking about how the latter got here to be, Upasika says it was in the course of the lockdown that she wished to create rakhis with clay. “The most well-liked theme we agreed on was meals, and determined to supply miniature meals clay rakhis with magnets in order that after Raksha Bandhan the magnets might be a beautiful reminder of excellent instances. After the festivities, we continued to get enquiries and so we launched a separate product line of miniature meals magnets,” she says, including that their newest design options thayir saadam (curd rice).
Upwards of ₹150 on thephoenixcompany.in
A bottle from the ‘Mutts in Madras’ sequence
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Canine and extra @ Artagasm
The artwork merchandise retailer helmed by illustrator and graphic designer Vasudevan A, has a slew of launches for Madras Day. T-shirts themed on MS Dhoni, Chennai’s map; coasters with auto rickshaws; a poster impressed by actor Rajnikanth’s film Mannan, amongst others. “With our designs for Madras Day, we wished to seize by way of our illustrations the essence of Madras and its chaos and wonder: from tea kadais and crowded buses to temples and seashores,” says Vasudevan,32. “We additionally get pleasure from motion pictures, particularly Tamil cinema,” he provides, talking of the model’s posters, coasters, and T-shirts with summary, illustrated references to Tamil motion pictures.
Vasudevan A
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However the spotlight is the Mutts of Madras sequence impressed by the “energetic and tremendous pleasant strays we see on the streets of Madras”. Comprising postcards, T-shirts, tumbler bottles and tote baggage, the sequence, says Vasudevan, took form because the model advocates the ‘undertake don’t store’ coverage. “We now have 4 mongrels and eight cats, and we attempt to seize the mutts as they’re: cute, pleasant and lovely, to encourage extra individuals to maintain their streeties even when they’ll’t undertake one.”
Upwards of ₹249 on artagasm.com
Muthu Kumaran’s 2023 assortment
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Picture first @ From The Lens Of MK
For Muthu Kumaran Subramanian, an IT skilled who hails from Thoothukudi, becoming a member of Postcrossing (a postcard alternate venture) in the course of the lockdown gave his artwork which means. “I moved to Chennai in 2017, and the town is particular to me.. it made me an extrovert,” says Muthu, who has been pursuing artwork and images as hobbies from his faculty days.
Muthu Kumaran Subramanian
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Inspired by his mates from the Postcrossing group, he turned his artwork into postcards and badges themed on the town for Madras Day final 12 months. “It was the primary time my artwork was on sale, and I obtained an excellent response.” This 12 months, Muthu will launch a poster comprising his images of iconic landmarks corresponding to Ripon Constructing, LIC, amongst others, a postcard formed because the Chennai Central Railway Station, and badges.
Upwards of ₹50, @fromthelensof_mk on Instagram
Postcards from the ‘Mutts in Madras’ sequence
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Kolam fridge magnet at Odd Trunk
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