Arbab Khan

Arbab Khan

'The Paradise Within (or so he thought)'

Graphic Design

Drawing with digital colouring

1 piece

For my work, I chose to use my strengths in drawing cartoons and create a digitally made comic. The reason I have chosen to manually draw the cartoons as opposed to digitally drawing them is because it allows for higher accuracy when it comes to the details, such as the hair for example. On the other hand, I have chosen to digitally colour it due to the convenience of time, as well as the aesthetics it provides.

Through my work, I’m exploring the negative effects of the over-reliance on LSD, due to the fact it is considered by many as therapeutic treatment. I’ve also decided to visually explore why we would have accessories such as drugs to normal living, questioning whether there is something wrong with society that’s making us feel so pressurised that we cannot live in it without guarding ourselves against it. This is executed through the depiction of real-life society, being plain black and white, which drastically contrasts from the main character’s own inner world, which is much more abstract and colourful. My title, “The Paradise Within (or so he thought)” is a general articulation of believing that separating oneself from reality through the consumption of LSD, would not always result in finding enlightenment, but rather finding trouble.

Influencing Artists: Herge, Jeff Kinney, Frank Miller