Here's a question for anyone who has lived their college life in a hostel: What was the most challenging thing you had to face when you made the move? For Sanofar Moosa, it was doing the drawings in her record book without her father's help. But learning to do the task by herself helped her achieve one thing — she mastered the art of pencil sketching. Today, she showcases her talent and even sells her art through her Instagram handle, @Cho_co_pie_. And it came as a surprise to her as well, as she did not realise that she could sketch with such skill until her lecturers discovered the artist in her. The student of BSc Sericulture says, “We have a subject called Entomology (the study of insects) where we have to draw intricate and detailed drawings of pests and other insects. It was a Herculean task for me but I tried to do it to perfection. My teachers noticed this and encouraged me to draw more.”
Perfecting the drawings in her record books marked the beginning of her journey as an artist. Starting with cartoons, she gradually moved on to sketching portraits. “I kept practising it every day. It was my way of therapy. It helped me improve my concentration and cope with boredom while studying long hours,” explains the 22-years-old. While drawing portraits is completely different from drawing in a record book, Sanofar shares, “It was pretty much trial and error for me. Initially, I struggled to draw the lips but my friends continued to motivate me. I started watching a lot of YouTube tutorials. Watching these videos helped me improve immensely.” Despite gathering close to 900 followers in just a year, Sanofar still doesn't consider herself an expert and claims that she is definitely not ready to host a workshop anytime soon. “I am still a learner of the artform. I practise it consistently and that has helped me draw with perfection. But I do not have enough experience to teach someone,” believes the self-taught artist. Discussing her future plans, she hopes to dedicate equal time and effort to sketching alongside her chosen profession.
