Appealing Floral On-Edge Quilling and Illustration
Swapna Khade is a paper artist and illustrator in Pune, India who creates colorful on-edge framed art and watercolor paintings. She named her small business Mira's Craft after her beloved young daughter in 2016 and has worked diligently to grow her following via Etsy connections and social media since the shop's inception.
Swapna studied biotechnology at university where botany was her favorite subject due to her love of flowers. Following graduation she worked as a web developer for the next decade. Mira’s Craft was born out of an itch to do something with her artistic side.
"I aspired to start a business that was fueled by my passion that would give me creative satisfaction more than anything else. Art was the thing I always turned to in various phases of my life."
Swapna was first drawn to paper quilling in 2010 after noticing photos on Facebook that had been posted by a friend of a friend. She didn't know what the paper craft was called, but learned about it via Google and YouTube searches.
Initially she made cards and decorative envelopes for friends and family as a hobby while perfecting her technique.
"After four intensive years of practice and preparation during which I completed 230 pieces to develop my own style (all while working full-time), I received my first order in 2014 and then another in 2015. The next year was when I turned my passion into a profession."
"For the last few years, I have been spending all of my time on art and the results have been quite rewarding. I sold thirty frames within the first eight months of Mira's Craft and it gave me the confidence to kickstart my dream business."
"Because I'm always drawn to nature, my artwork often focuses on flowers and leaves, along with typography. I travel as often as possible and while on a jungle safari I noticed a signboard with flowers in the background that left a big impression. It continues to inspire me to this day to combine floral patterns with lettering."
"I did a lot of research about which paper is best to use. I didn't want to ask others about what they use because I feel that is an irritating question. Instead, I contacted local shops and international brands to ask for sample papers and then experimented with what I was sent."
"As a result, I now work with Canson, Clairefontaine, and sometimes Brustro papers. As for tools, I use a Fiskars paper cutter, scissors, white glue and, of course, my invaluable fingers!"
Visit Swapna's website - Mira's Craft - as well as her Etsy shop and YouTube channel. The latter is where she shares tutorials of her process... I especially love watching her paint with a wedge brush because it looks so relaxing! She is on Instagram.
beautiful work.congrats for your success.
ReplyDelete