I firmly believe you can be new to surface design and still make incredible artwork, especially if you’re deeply inspired by the world around you. And this month’s spotlight surface designer, Gargi Datta Banik, is proof of that. She has such a lush design style and vivid use of color… and I know you’ll enjoy hearing her story.
Please Introduce Yourself
Hi! I am Gargi Datta Banik, the mind and soul behind Creative Pine. Originally I hail from Kolkata, India but for the past decade or so, Canada has become my second home. My small world comprises my five-year-old daughter and my husband.
I have been practicing graphic design after my graduation way back in 2005 but have been studying Surface Pattern Design since 2019. I have worked as a content writer for some time but my heart was always into designing.
I try to embed in my works small bits and pieces of the places I have visited or things that have caught my fancy. It is always my endeavor to give the person who is viewing my work a slice of the place I have been to. Whenever I am doing a pattern I try to think about what was striking about that place? Is it its color or the fragrance that is still freshly tucked in my memory? Nature always intrigues me, so I try to capture her various moods and essence through my artworks. It is my humblest effort always that a piece of me remains in this mortal world even when I am long gone!
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
My love affair with graphics and design started after I graduated from college with a bachelors degree in English. I enrolled myself into a multimedia institution (named Arena Multimedia) without having any prior knowledge of computers! Soon Illustrator became my best friend and the gate to this beautiful world of illustration and graphic design was opened right in front of me!
I don’t know whether I found surface design or surface design found me?! Ha..ha..ha! But in 2019 I took Bonnie Christine’s Immersion course and immediately fell in love with surface design. As I delved deeper into this vast world of pattern design I met a few more awesome teachers like Shannon, Stacie Bloomfield, and Barbel Dressler through their respective courses and memberships!
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
I am still learning all the ropes of this world. But I must say that I have learned a lot and am eager to learn more. A few years back I wasn’t even aware of this world. Surface Design is a vast ocean and to be a part of it is truly humbling in itself! There has been a shift in my thought process. I can see things now in a new light.
Recently I did some patterns inspired by manhole covers of the city I live in, which earlier I might not have thought about. Just to think that I can translate my imagination into something called patterns, which can then be turned into real-life products is immensely gratifying!
What advice would you give to surface designers who are struggling?
Being a fairly new person in this field I would say that please never give up. The world needs our art. Perseverance is the key. We all have our own ebb and flow and that is part of the journey.
Just try to hush the voice in your head which says “you can’t” and you would see you have won half of the battle. Let your soul be your guide.
There are a plethora of classes on Skillshare which could be very helpful depending on things you want to learn! Also there are some great books by Austin Kleon and Lisa Congdon which you might find inspiring! Just remember the people whose work you admire were beginners at some point of time like you; they have reached their position through hard work and determination and so can you! There would be a time when you would shine brightly in the horizon! Just don’t lose the trust in yourself. Sending love your way!
Where can we find you?
Website: www.creativepine.net
Instagram: @creative.pine
P.S. If you’d like to be featured on the SDR blog, you can always submit your story right here!
I love her work so much! And her custom printed sarees are DIVINE.
Thank you so much very much Anjana! ♥️♥️ So happy you like my sarees! ☺️
I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved in such a short period, my dear friend! I love how everything you create has a personal story tied to it.
Thank you so so much Priyadarshini for all those lovely words! 😊♥️♥️