Portrait of a Cover Artist - Naeem Ahmed

Photo: Courtesy

Tell us about the process you follow for the artwork while working on a book.

My aim as a cover artist is to reflect the mood and tone of the book, keeping the title and text in mind. Readers should be able to understand how the cover complements the text once they have finished reading the book.

Who are some of your inspirations in the art community?

I am huge fan of Satyajit Ray. I am also inspired by the work of Sabyasachi Mistry, Ahsan Habib and Mehedi Haque. Many young and emerging artists today are also doing remarkably well.

Ekushey Boi Mela is certainly a busy season for cover artists, but how do you keep yourself occupied otherwise?

I am always sketching something or the other, be it book illustrations, story boards or cartoons. However, I enjoy making art for myself the most.

How would you characterize your artworks and the messages you aim to portray through them?

I am pretty versatile as an artist, which comes with its pros and cons. Even though my versatility gives me immense creative satisfaction and allows me to develop my skills in different platforms, maintaining specific messages or themes in my artworks proves to be difficult.

What kind of hurdles have you faced as an artist, progressing through your career?

I face hurdles internally, in the sense that I do not push myself enough to reach my potential to the fullest and so, I think that I have not fully explored my capabilities as an artist yet. Otherwise, I believe that artists in Bangladesh today have plenty of ways to create their own opportunities.