On Green Humour
Hey friends,
Greetings from Belvadi, Karnataka!
There’s an artist I’ve admired for a long time, and his style is SO different from mine.
Rohan Chakravarty is an Indian cartoon artist, and he is the person behind Green Humour—cartoons and comic strips on wildlife, conservation, ecology and climate change.
Most people in this space might not know his name, but they’ve probably seen his artwork. Let’s just say, his work is iconic. Think wildlife + cartoon, and there is only one name that really comes to mind (if anyone knows more artists, do share!).
Now I’ve have been analysing Green Humour’s work for a while, and I realised something. Rohan Chakravarty has more than an art style. He has a brand. And those are very different things. Here’s why:
He has discovered a style that is highly recognisable. There is something distinctive about his icons.
His art serves a larger purpose. It isn’t merely aesthetic—it educates the people who look at it. They tell facts and stories.
His art is relatively easily reproducible. Some artists make great art, but each piece requires painstaking work. My current style (of detailed pen illustrations; see more below) requires hours for a single piece. My understanding of Green Humour’s art is that each individual animal does not need hours. I could be wrong though.
His art relies on his creativity, and that’s hard to copy. His art and comic strips teach his readers about the natural world in an innovative way. Let the drawing below illustrate my point.
And finally, he does have an actual brand. You can buy Green Humour products online. He sells t-shirts, laptop covers and more. I can’t think of many “wildlife” related merch brands, so this definitely got me excited. (Click here to know more)
As both an artist and a wildlifer, it’s amazing to see someone who has managed to integrate the two in such a meaningful manner. He has managed to create a niche for himself that he totally owns, and that promotes a conservation message.
This got me thinking about whether I should be more strategic about my art. I don’t know if this a meaningful way to think about art, but man, it would be nice to own a niche like this.
Anyhow, I’m glad people like Rohan exist. We need art like this. His work has got me to think about what I do in a whole new way. It might encourage me to take up a new style. Who knows!
I would highly recommend checking out Green Humour. Here are some links.
Store, Blog, Twitter, Instagram
Substack -
All the artwork included are the sole property of Green Humour. They’ve been included only for educational purposes.
Postcard
I thought I’d share some art of my own. Here’s a recent quick sketch of an Indian Grey Hornbill.
Favourite Quote
I think this quote pairs quite well with Rohan’s art style.
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” - Henry David Thoreau
Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!
If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.
Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.
I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)
Thank you for your kind and heart-warming analysis of my work!
I think what I also really like about his cartoons are that they are also socially and politically relevant and manage to cater to a wider audience than diehard wildlife enthusiasts! Makes a larger audience care about the green world!