Hyderabad-based Nitya Sreedhara will help you connect the dots through her workshop

When you key in the word 'stippling' on Google, the first hit (Wikipedia) will tell you that it is 'the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots'. But if you ask Nitya Sreedhara the same question, she will giggle, for she is a sweet and happy 24-year-old, who believes that "For me, it is meditation."

Sreedhara was born and has been brought up in Hyderabad. She did her schooling at The Mother's Integral School. Stippling is not only therapeutic but also a stress-buster for her

Stippling indeed is both art and meditation, and on April 29, at the first-ever workshop she will conduct at Collab House at Out Of The Box, Ameerpet, she will make the audience realise the same. The journey of how she went from stippling "purely for myself” to teaching others this art is indeed an interesting one and we caught up with the young artist to find out more.

I sometimes feel a lot of pressure and I don't like it to affect my sleep. Hence, I turn to stippling

Nitya Sreedhara, architect and artist

Sreedhara is an architect and it was while she was studying at Sri Venkateswara College of Architecture in Hyderabad that she came across this art form in a senior's old notes. The next time she thought about it was only after college, when she was driven by the need to do something beyond work. One day, she drew a basic flower and filled it with dots. Eventually, she started experimenting with the size, intensity and the distance between the dots to bring in depth. While doing so, she started counting the number of dots she was making. That's where it all began.

On the dot: One of Sreedhara's work. This work has 30,980 dots 

"Filling a sketch with dots requires concentration. So, after a long day at work, I would indulge in stippling and it kept my mind relaxed," explains Sreedhara, who currently works as an architect for Nandu Associates. Painting or sketching alone never did give her that peace of mind that stippling did. So for two years, she pursued this art for herself alone, while creating an occasional portrait or two for friends. Till date, she loses herself in this art form after 10 pm and a long day of work. And it is only on April 29 that she will conduct her first stippling workshop.

As Sreedhara counts the dots everytime she indulges in stippling, there have been times when she has thrown her work away because she lost count of the dots

Before we start worrying that one needs to have the genes of Picasso to be a part of her workshops, Sreedhara avers that a basic knowledge of drawing would suffice. You can then go on to fill the picture with dots in straight lines or slanting lines or give it a shadow by increasing the intensity of the dots. It isn't too difficult, but it is important to hold the pen at a 90-degree angle. This ensures that the dots remain dots and don't turn into dashes or hyphens. For more tips on the technique, catch Sreedhara at her workshop!

Intricate art: Another one of Sreedhara's work which has 24,670 dots

To sign up for her workshop, click on https://bit.ly/2HpnY6d