Most of us had memorised alphabets and animals as A for ant, B for bat, C for cat, D for dog and so on, and it has stuck with us for life. Eureka Alphonso, a Mumbai-based artist and a mother wanted to expand her daughter’s vocabulary and undertook a project of illustrating lesser known animals alphabetically. Started towards the end of February, the project has also helped Alphonso keep her mind off the lockdown. “This also distracted me from the pressures of the pandemic and gave me a productive outlet to indulge in,” Alphonso said. The project was completed a few days ago.
Alphonso is a seasoned artist who usually illustrates and paints subject matters involving women and fashion. With this project, she wanted to challenge herself with drawing some of her favourite unique animals. “The first animal I drew was the Red Panda, and then after I saw that the idea had merit, I completed them alphabetically,” she said. She has been sharing her drawing on Instagram, with an educational bit on each animal. “Now that I have a child, I’m more inclined to create pieces for education. Theres so much to learn and I want to see how I, as a designer and illustrator, can translate that,” Alphonso said.
Alphonso will be selling the animal-alphabet posters as art prints, a small zine and flash cards, and would possibly collaborate with educational institutes on similar projects for children and parents alike. Here are a few artworks that Alphonso created. How many animals can you identify in the poster below? Name them in the comments.
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