artsnsoul

Keya Malhotra | A self taught 16 year old pointillist, digital artist, pencil artist, pianist and creative writer

About Me

I, Keya Malhotra, am a self taught 16 year old pointillist, digital artist, pencil artist, pianist and creative writer.

I have never professionally “learnt” to make art, it is something I do solely because of the pleasure it gives me... however, my artworks are often inspired by other artists.

I have been immensely interested in arts, music and literature from a very young age considering my grandpa was a sublimely gifted, dexterous artist. His artworks have aroused me to see the beauty of art, what great things you can do merely with a pencil and paper. All his sketches, though simple, are seemingly perfect... each stroke of his pencil precisely where it should be, orchestrating an exquisite work of art.

At the age of 8, I had taken interest in pencil sketching. I started with simple cartoons and went on to making pencil portraits. I then started to discover other forms of art, and pointillism is what immediately drew me in. It fascinates me how one can create contrasting illusions with miniscule inked dots, how looking closely it appears to be just a bunch of stippled dots, but taking a step back, you see the bigger picture and appreciate the artwork in its true beauty.

With the evidently burgeoning digital world, I was introduced to digital art. It is riveting to think how technology allows me to create an expansive range of art with just my apple pencil and an ipad. This is a budding field of art in the contemporary world, thus alluring me to try it out for myself.

I am also particularly fond of playing the keyboard. I started out by playing some simple tunes on a toy piano I had, and my parents insisted we buy a professional keyboard because they ostensibly saw the ‘spark’ in me. Back then, I wouldn't have imagined myself to be playing a musical instrument in my wildest dreams.

Today, I am looking to expand my artistic abilities and discover new things, for there is ever so much to learn!

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Stippling Art

Into the Woods

10/6/2020

Unmask

We all wish to “fit in” don’t we? This desire to fit in, to be liked and accepted by people blinds us from relying on our own sense of judgement. Ironically, many find it easier to mould themselves into being conventionally acceptable than to be true to themselves, thus eliminating their individuality.

To be yourself in a society that constantly tries to change you is one of the greatest accomplishments. Those that try to reach the unrealistic standards set by society are never content with themselves because peace of mind and internal tranquillity is hard to achieve if you are living your life by someone else’s rules.

To be “successful” is highly subjective, you cannot let society decide when you can call yourself a “success” or a “failure”. Society doesn't define what you should be, so don’t dissipate your life trying to please others, because it’s not possible.

No matter how hard you try to live up to ideal expectations, there’s always going to be people that will judge you, mock you and belittle you. Why would u want to live under a mask to please those very people? The sooner you accept that and unmask yourself, that is when you can be truly content and fulfilled.

11/6/2020
©keya malhotra

Anna Lee Fisher

Anna Lee Fisher

American astronaut Anna Lee Fisher, who had two daughters with her fellow astronaut William Frederick Fisher, is known to be the first mother in space. In 1984, she spent 192 hours in space when her eldest daughter was barely two-years old.

She had ardent aspirations to explore the unknown and the unflinching ambition reflects in her eyes… but there is also a sense of perturbation and fear, because she was, after all, a mother… fearful of it being the last time she saw her daughters, validated by the uncertainty of her return.

Most fail to realise their dreams when faced with the overwhelming experience of motherhood... selflessly doing their best not to compromise on their child, merely to fulfil their own desires… The sacrifice of a mother is often overlooked if it is considered to be her “duty” to give up her own dreams to fulfil her child’s. For Anna Lee Fisher to be able to leave her young daughters behind on earth as she travels millions of miles away into space, unsure if she was to ever come back, unambiguously shows the resolution and endurance she possessed.

30/6/2020
©keya malhotra

Coca cola

17/6/2020

Exhausted

One of the only things we can unambiguously say about life, is that it is constantly changing.
Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down
Sometimes you flourish and sometimes you crumble
Sometimes you’re efficacious and other times you're debilitated

But it's when you’re Exhausted... despondent... too enervated to carry on, that you grow and thrive.
Everybody can be fulfilled and happy when life goes their way... the real challenge of growth comes when life knocks you down .The lessons you take from your mistakes and obstacles are often fundamental to later success.

So when you’re backed against the wall, don't cripple yourself and hide away… push back harder!
It may seem pointless at first, but you can never connect the dots looking into the future, you can only make sense of life looking back at the past. Later on in life, you will be grateful that you didn't give up! That you stood back up no matter how many times you fell! True life is hard… but compared to what?

Just because you’re exhausted right now, doesn't mean this is the end… its life giving you a chance to grow...

9/6/2020
©keya malhotra

Majestic

I spent hours attempting to recreate the sublime beauty of a majestic creature. This artwork is rendered using thousands of minuscule hand-drawn ink dots with a considerable amount of detail. Completed with tones of shade and light, reflecting the serenity of nature

8/6/2020
©keya malhotra

Digital Art

Rose

Ocean Eyes

Billie Eilish

A digital portrait of Billie Eilish, My FAVOURITE singer-songwriter of all time!

An eminently talented and precocious teenager who has accomplished ever so much at merely 19 years of age !

Find your Fire

Watermelon 🍉✨

2/5/2021

Earth

We often assume that the earth is too big for us to actually have a lasting harmful impact on, that its resources are perpetual and we couldn’t possibly run out of them. Maybe that was true once, but it isn’t anymore.

It took about 10,000 generations for the human population to reach 2 billion, and in one human lifetime, it went from 2 Billion to 7 Billion! This results in an increase in the demand for food and water. We are now putting more pressure on vulnerable natural resources which is why we have seen the devastation of forests, loss of groundwater table, depletion of freshwater sources, exhaustion of fossil fuels etc.

The earth is a perfect yet delicate balance that provides for all beings on earth, human activities are disturbing this balance by dumping heaps and heaps of garbage on land and in oceans, improper disposal of non-biodegradable waste is contaminating ecosystems. We are chopping down trees, driving animals to extinction, and burning fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases that alter the atmosphere’s composition, thus threatening the existence of all life on earth! Coral reefs all over the world are bleaching because of global warming, and all the marine life that depend on coral reefs are also in jeopardy as a result. The arctic ice cap is melting because of a rise in temperature due to climate change which is deadly for creatures like polar bears that depend on the ice and consequently there is also a rise in sea levels which causes floods.

Loss of species is now occurring at a rate 1000 times greater than what is considered natural!
The sixth mass extinction of wildlife on Earth is accelerating. More than 500 species of land animals are on the brink of extinction and are likely to be lost within 20 years, and we, humans, are to blame!

Our ability to affect the earth is utterly transformed, making mistakes in our dealings with nature have bigger consequences now because our technologies are often bigger than the human scale.

Our accelerating detrimental impact on the environment may seem gradual on a daily basis, even if it is happening very quickly, we need to act now while we still have time!

We already have the solutions: using non-conventional sources of energy (solar, wind, tidal energy etc.), using biodegradable/reusable materials instead of plastics (glass bottles, jute bags), planting trees, recycling, saving electricity! All we need to do is wake up and take action!

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that somebody else will save it!”
Robert Swan

©keya malhotra

Ariana Grande | Sweetener

27/4/2021

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish, born into a family of exceptionally talented musicians and actors, she was destined to have a flourishing career in the performing arts...

She is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE singer-songwriter.

An unambiguously precocious, Extraordinarily talented and accomplished teenager!

7/5/2021
©keya malhotra

The Promise of a New Dawn

We often fail to realise the lessons nature has to offer in its tranquil simplicity, too encumbered and burdened by the conventional way of life. Nature’s immaculate configuration of beauty is everywhere, if you know where to look… Sunsets, one of nature’s most serene and stunning pieces of art bestowed upon us every day symbolise the beauty and mystery of life itself.

Most associate sunsets with endings and darkness… but I have a contrasting perspective to offer. I believe sunsets are symbolic of the end of a chapter in one’s life to give birth to something new, which doesn’t necessarily have to be a melancholic occasion, closing a chapter might as well mean moving on to something better. One needs to expand their narrow perception of life to cognize that endings are needed for new beginnings and darkness is needed to appreciate light.

Instead of grieving the “end” of something, why not look forward to the next thing in store?
For each sunset brings the promise of a new dawn...

©keya malhotra

23/4/2021

Let Your Light Shine

Everybody is born with a light inside them that burns brightly. When young, one is callow and unconditioned, thus accordingly credulous and tender, their light shines ever so brightly. A child’s light stirs something in you, something that is indescribable, yet confusingly pleasant.

It is as a child matures that this light starts to fade... by experiences, events, people and places that make one forget how to let their light shine bright. Emerging into adulthood and maturity tends to make life darker and seemingly pointless.

To overcome the apparent darkness that is so prominent in the contemporary world, one needs to realise their individuality and discover what makes them unique. One shall not hide their light merely to preserve their ego and live by social norms that bind our hands and restrict us from reaching our full potential. One needs to rediscover their light and allow it to shine💡

1/3/2021
©keya malhotra