Inside My Sketchbook: Real-Time Mumbai Art
My sketchbook is a visual diary where I document the world around me. Here are some pages showcasing quick studies, marker experiments, and life in Mumbai as it unfolds.
This video is a quick flip-through of one of my sketchbooks. You'll see a random assortment of pages filled with character studies, object drawings, and notes, showing the journey and the imperfections that make a sketchbook so personal.
Inspiration can strike anywhere. I saw a fellow passenger on a train and felt compelled to draw her. This video shows my process, starting with a quick pencil outline, adding bold color with alcohol markers, and finishing with expressive ink lines.
This sketchbook spread is dedicated to anatomy and sculpture studies. Drawing from classical forms helps me practice my understanding of light, shadow, and human figures, all done with a simple ballpoint pen.
A page from my sketchbook showing experiments with color and form. On the left, a man in red and a couple in yellow and green, created with markers. On the right, a texture study using black ink and cross-hatching.
This spread shows the variety within my sketchbook. One page features a detailed scene of market vendors drawn with a blue ballpoint pen, while the opposite page is a bold, colorful exploration of graffiti art and figure drawing.
A cozy interior scene drawn directly in my sketchbook. I used a pen to capture the details of the furniture, the play of light from a lamp, and the overall comfortable feeling of a living room.
About this collection
You might notice ink blobs or stray cross-hatching marks in these spreads. I do not use digital undo buttons. Every mark on the paper stays exactly where it landed, because that is how I keep the memory of that moment alive and honest.
When I draw, my sketchbook becomes a partner in the process. It holds the things I see in the city—the architecture of Chor Bazaar, the quiet hum of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, or just a stranger sitting on a local train.
My process is simple. I use ballpoint pens, brush pens, and alcohol markers. I do not aim for a flawless image. Instead, I look for the energy in a scene. If the lines are a bit shaky or the proportions are slightly off, that is exactly what I want. Those imperfections show that this was drawn on-site, in the moment, rather than recreated from a photograph later.
Whether I am providing live guest illustrations at an event or teaching an urban sketching workshop, I bring this same philosophy. I want to help you capture the mood of your event or the character of a favorite location without the stiffness of formal portraiture. If you are looking for art that feels human, honest, and grounded in the reality of the moment, I would love to talk about what we can create together.
Shirish Ghatge
I am Shirish, and for me, drawing is not about perfection, it is about connection. I trade cameras for pens to capture the raw energy of Mumbai, whether I am sketching at a wedding or teaching a workshop in a quiet park.
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