The Art of Manuja Waldia

Manuja Waldia’s designs are filled with bold colours, startlingly-sharp vector lines and beautiful pastel backdrops. Her clean illustrative style saw her commissioned by Penguin to create multiple images for their new Pelican Shakespeare series. As Paul Buckley, Penguin’s executive creative director commented, “When you find a mashup that should be so wrong but comes out so right—that’s what art can do with material you thought you knew.”

Who or what are your main influences?

I am inspired by Indian miniature paintings, minimalism, fashion, art, etc.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I check email and other notifications on my phone as soon as I wake up and then get dressed for the day. Then I feed my cat and water my plants while fixing some breakfast with coffee. I get down to working at my day job for the next eight hours. Next comes running for 2 miles, playing with my cat, dinner and a little rest, after which I begin my second shift of working on illustration based projects.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a set of 40 Shakespeare book covers for Penguin books. I am also trying to set up a little online shop to sell products with my illustrations on them.

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