MetroDoodle is not just a name. It's a journey to find what happens in Delhi Metro. It's a platform to see your favourite cartoon characters and different monsters blending with commuters! It is an amalgamation of reality and illustrations!
Samar Khan aka the MetroDoodle is an illustrator and a Software Developer. He is someone who believes in consistency and has been sketching since his childhood. If you browse through his profile, you will find a unique amalgamation of reality and fantasy. "I grew up watching and reading a lot of pop culture stuff and always enjoyed sketching in my free time.", said Samar.
On MetroDoodle you will e-meet your favourite cartoon characters and we bet nostalgia will pleasantly hit you. So scroll through his profile and say Hello to Genie from Aladdin, Patrick from SpongeBob, Courage from Courage the Cowardly Dog, even Imposter from the popular game 'Who Among Us, jumping and shaking hands with people. His feed is pure bliss to scroll, as there is always a story, nostalgia, and meaning behind every illustration!
His Instagram feed and even his website look very strategic and planned. It is flooded with illustrations and does follow a pattern. When asked about his illustration style, Samar said he is not into a particular one and that he believes in experimenting. " I honestly do not have a specific art style. However, when drawing for my Instagram, I try to keep the art style consistent so that my artworks can look recognizable. Otherwise, I enjoy playing around with different art styles when I am drawing for myself.", he said.
Scrolling through Samar's work is more like virtually walking in Delhi Metro. Most of the illustrations are presented either inside the Metro, on the platform, or outside the station. It reflects a typical journey of every Delhiite who travels through the Metro. It captures them with an illustrating twist of his artistic characters bonding with commuters. Talking about how MetroDoodle began, Samar said, " Honestly, I never thought of becoming an artist while growing up. I was a good science student and wanted to become a scientist or something like that. Eventually became an Engineer. Metrodoodle was just a random project of mine that started to kill some time while I commute to work every day. It received so much love and appreciation from people on the internet that it became what it is today and I became an artist.", he said.
Samar Khan was always been interested in creating visuals and experimenting with them. He enjoyed photography, image manipulations, VFX animations, and illustrations while growing up. Metrodoodle was just an outcome of all this. "Mixing media is always fun to do. ", he mentioned.
The world of MetroDoodle is filled with magical creatures, and it looks nothing but like a huge fantasy land. On how did he come up with such a unique concept he said, " Honestly, I was inspired by a lot of cool artists on the internet and wanted to start something of my own. The fun thing about creating these monsters or creatures is that you do not have to follow any rules and can be creative. Like if a scene requires me to have a creature with 10 arms to make things fun, I can definitely do that.", said Samar.
Samar adores Delhi Metro, and that is why his Instagram page, its name, and his illustrations revolve around it. " I love everything about it. It’s my favourite means of commute. All types of people. All types of conversations, and different stories. For me, it is a source of a lot of inspiration for my artworks. The idea of this page for me initially was to utilize my time in the metro to create something as I was travelling for almost 3 hours every day. From clicking the pictures to uploading the artwork on Instagram mostly happened in the metro itself. Hence, “Metro Doodle”. he added.
Along with the final look of his artworks, Samar also shares 'Making' of the same. These videos are usually 1 to 2 minutes long and may look like a quick, easy job, but that is just fast-forwarding a very long process. " At times I am certain what I need to draw and other times I am just figuring things while I am drawing. So anywhere between 1 to 4 hrs. I guess. But, it always depends on what I am drawing.", said Samar.
Talking about creative blocks, Samar said he finds it difficult, and they lead to big pauses. "I am bad at dealing with creative blocks. Just had the longest one which has been going on for months. I hope to get out of it soon. ", he added.
MetroDoodles is growing each day. It is indeed a work of consistency, handwork, and patience. " The key is to keep trying. If someone aspires to be an artist but is afraid to make it a career. I would suggest them to have a plan. Don’t just leave your job or your studies just because you want to become an illustrator or any creator. Instead, work on it slowly along with your job or education. Build it to a level where you feel comfortable making it your full-time job. That’s what I did. That’s what worked for me. Also, creativity, imagination, and an eye for detail are must-haves if you are an illustrator", he said.
It's not just the Metro he has portrayed, but also other different sides of Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai. His journey has been surprising for him he says. When initially he had started the page, nobody knew about it, but then later on it was loved by many. " I’ll tell you a fun one. I ran my IG handle @metrodoodle anonymously for about 7-8 months in the beginning. No one including my friends or even my parents knew about it. I never told anyone because I thought what I was doing is lame and stupid. Making weird monsters sitting next to people. I however enjoyed making it. To sum up, I had no idea there will be people on the internet who will find these interesting.", he said.
Samar loves street food and feels that his city is like a piece of History. He is also a fan of Skateboarding, " I certainly love skateboarding. So, you’ll probably find me skating :D", he mentioned. You will find him on Metro capturing people and working on something fabulous. He loves exploring the city, and casually go out with his creatures. " Well, I do try to take my monsters out for a walk in the city every once in a while.", he said.
Well, to sum up, Samar Khan is one of those illustrators in the country, who are leaving us in awe with every piece of their work. It's amazing to see how a simple photo can be turned into something this great! We were in complete nostalgia when we scrolled through his Instagram profile. Do you also want to see your favourite cartoon characters, and fun monsters casually strolling the streets? Well, check out Samar's work on Instagram here, and not just get lost in fantasy land, but also meet new monsters!
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