Interview – Zuhaib Khan

1. You started sketching at a very young age. Did someone in the family or at school influence your passion for arts?

I started when I was 6 years old. I used to hear from people about my uncle, who had passed away in his youth due to tuberculosis 10 years before I was born. They used to say he was a good artist but couldn’t achieve much in this field because of his illness. It was his story that inspired me to do something in this field.

2. There has been a lot of social activism in your work. How did it start?

As I mentioned, my uncle passed away due to TB, and my father also passed away due to COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Both are diseases caused by environmental pollution, which has deeply impacted my mind. I want people to keep their surroundings clean—air, water, and the social fabric. Through my art, I also pay respect to the good people in society by creating their portraits. These individuals serve as role models for future generations, and I hope the young generation learns from them.

3. You are a sketch artist who has worked much with coal. How different is sketching on paper and drawing with coal on a wall?

I used to create sketches on paper initially, but once, I tried making a painting on a wall, and I liked it. This is because a wall gives you a larger canvas to work on, and blending shades becomes much more manageable. Achieving dark and light values on a wall is also more straightforward.

4. Do you refer to an existing image of your subject when starting on a sketch, or do you draw from memory?

I mostly create paintings by observing images, but sometimes, when I want to express something beyond my imagination through art, I make that, too.

5. Your sketches with coal are mostly drawn on a wall. What happens to them later?

After completing the painting with charcoal, I clean it with sandpaper. Then, I apply POP (plaster of Paris) to it, preparing the wall for the next painting.

6. Do people approach you to get sketches done professionally?

7. Did the thought of creating permanent artwork ever cross your mind?

I have created many portraits that are still part of my collection, such as a signed portrait of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Sachin Tendulkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and others in the DM Office of Amroha.

8. How difficult is balancing your day job and creative pursuits?

It is challenging to keep your passion alive alongside your job, especially when your job is outside the city and the entire day gets consumed in commuting.