Behind the Art: Meet Nida A. Hashmi

Within the First Edition pages of The Fallen Kind Vol. I: Ghosts of Nunchi are a series of illustrations that help to further envisage the dystopian world of the book. The fantasy images were the combined effort of the novel’s author and a very talented painter: Nida A. Hashmi.

Nida was born in Multan, Pakistan – known affectionately as The City of Saints for it’s rich history and heritage.

“I am an artist & an educator”, explains Nida, who runs her own studio space: Rabt Art & Design Academy. 

Nida is as talented as she is benevolent, utilising her creative gift to help others. Initially, she was commissioned to bring a few intriguing aspects of the book to life – such as the Dragombus, Emba the Cave Cat, the Edeloom and The Rainbow Road Diner – however it soon became clear that Nida is not just any freelance artist and is in fact a gifted individual who is a joy to work with. If one was to work with her on a project, you’d quickly learn that she has a positive dedication and desire to succeed that is quite simply a breath of fresh air.

We caught up with Nida to ask her a few questions on the book, her work and her outlook on life on the whole.

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You did some beautiful illustrations for The Fallen Kind Vol. I: Ghosts of Nunchi. How did you find the experience?

Wow! That’s a lovely compliment, thank you very much. I found the experience absolutely brilliant! It’s a treat for an artist to work on a project where there is so much room for creativity and experimentation. I usually paint realistic things such as portraits – so sometimes it is nice to do something different. Getting the chance to paint fantasy creatures from the book, which are these strange, cute animals, has been a joy and I found it so exciting to make them come alive! I’m always looking for new ideas to work on and expand my portfolio, so I am glad that this amazing experience came along!

Which was your favorite illustration to do?

Oh! That’s a tough one. It’s an intense experience sometimes when, as an artist, you are not able to nail the visualization of the characters straight away; especially as I had to lift the image out of the author’s mind! Once each illustration was complete…well that was simply an elation that made me feel close to each illustration, so to be honest I loved doing all of them and I enjoyed how knowing more about the characters almost taught me something about myself. Each illustration had a specific appeal, be it the Dragombus, the cutest thing in the novel; or Emba, a cool and calm Cave Cat; the sweet and strange Edeloom; or the very vintage looking Rainbow Road Diner. I love them all!

Its brilliant that you share your gift for creativity at the Rabt Art & Design Academy. What do you enjoy most about your work?

Thank you. My aim is to increase awareness of Art in society, especially the women here – because they inspire and influence the whole family and future generations. I feel that if they are positive about Art, then my work has been worthwhile. I aim to share my knowledge in the simplest of ways which also work technically, so the students take things easy, have lot of fun and achieve more than they imagined. It makes me so happy to see them full of joy and so impressed by what they create.

You recently started Tutorials on YouTube. What was the thought behind this?

With my new YouTube tutorials, I would like to connect with my previous work experience of illustration and conducting workshops at the Rabt Academy, whilst harnessing the latest technologies available to us. You see, whilst platforms such as YouTube allow me to define and showcase my work to students of art worldwide, they also support my aspiration to expand into new avenues of learning. The internet is a hub of the best artists in the world and I personally got a lot of benefits from the internet when I was a student, as back then it was not possible for me to attend workshops or meet an artist in person. This way of learning also added confidence in my student experience, and now that enables me to my give back to the art community and to contribute according to the knowledge I have gained. The most splendid thing about the internet is that we don’t have to make a lot of arrangements before we are able to educate students anywhere in the world. You can also connect with amazing opportunities, such as the one which lead me to work on this book, so I am a big fan of the internet!

We spoke not too long ago and you had just traveled to another village in Pakistan to do some art with the local people. What was that experience like?

Yes, I have traveled to a few villages recently and it’s been awesome! The opportunities were arranged by the SAARC Business Association for home-based women workers. I got involved as Color & Design Trainer to introduce the women to color schemes and new design skills, women in the villages who are currently getting trained to start their own home-based businesses. On my visits I have experienced so much energy and an incredible appetite to learn from these interesting, artistic women. They were really into painting, mixing colors and then utilising the color palettes in their embroideries and fabric selections. Together as a group, we connected the dots and made some lovely art.

Experiences like this make it feel like you are serving your purpose as an artist. When artists get to travel, meet people from different cultures and watch their traditions, it definitely adds excitement in life and broadens your horizons.

Watching the landscapes on the journey was such a treat – it feels like you are a part of nature, a feeling I may not have had from the comfort of my home or studio.

Do you have any future ambitions that you would like to achieve?

Yes! I want to grow as a great Human Being and continue to improve my skills by exploring more, learning new techniques and constructing contemporary design patterns. I would love to develop a team of like-minded people who are willing to participate in positive art activities that will bring optimism, especially in Pakistan. (continues)

You were born in Multan, Pakistan. This is a beautiful city, nicknamed the City of the Saints. What is it like to live there?

Multan is a very peaceful place to live in. It attracted Sufi mystics and it can be said that Multan became a Sufi mystic’s hub back in 11^th & 12^th Century. We have a lot of Sufi shrines here with such amazing architecture! As it’s the city where I grew up, my work is definitely influenced by the local culture. I am very much attached to Multan and the traditions here, so I love to stay in the city for its simplicity, individuality and tranquility.

How much of book have you read? Do you have a favorite character yet?

I would say I am half way through the book and look forward to reading the rest.  I am enjoying every chapter, as each chapter has so much life and variation in characters, creatures and locations. It’s almost as if I am actually watching a movie!

A favorite…I really can’t say as there is something unique about each character in the novel, though Evan and Reya have captivated my attention so far as I can see the story is rotating around them slowly but surely. I also like Law and Elena, not to mention Beveridge’s strange role in the story! In particular, I like the fact that as the novel progresses the urge to read more captivates me!

From what you have read so far of the book, are there any other aspects – such as places, characters or creatures – that you would have liked to have done an illustration of that you didn’t do before?

Absolutely! If it was possible I would have loved to illustrate so many fantasy aspects of the book. I have visually relished the Casma Birds; the ancient monster Rypteeca; the character Darshana; The Red Rogues; Nunchi as a continent; the resurrection of David Howard and the visuals of Arcana Forest. What is interesting is that despite how I’d envisage them, every reader will of course recreate them in their mind with their own imagination.

Much like the world of The Fallen Kind, we live on a beautiful planet but Earth is not always a beautiful world. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

I’m sure I could come up with a long list of things – from global warming to general negative thinking. The thing is: I am very optimistic and I believe the world is just perfect as it is, I just want humans to become better in themselves, change for the greater good and improve to be the best they can be. If we could all just focus and work on ourselves individually, as we have been designed by nature, then we’ll see that this world is a really great place to live.

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Check out more of Nida’s work:

YouTube
Instagram