Kirimiri Design started just as Krisha Tamrakar’s graduation project. She was in her last year of Bachelor’s at the Kathmandu University School of Arts (KUSOA), and she submitted her fully illustrated book “Yomarhi” as her final assignment under the branding Kirimiri Design. That was in June. Now Tamrakar has already graduated and is gearing up to launch Kirimiri Design as a design studio.
Tamrakar had always been interested in arts. She has liked drawing, painting and sketching since she was a child and when the time came for her to decide on a major for her Bachelor’s degree, she settled on arts and design. She admits that when she joined KUSOA, she was not particularly fond of digital illustration and designing.
At KUSOA, Tamrakar spent her first two years doing the things she loved – painting, drawing and sketching. “But in my last two years, the syllabus focused on digital illustrations and designing. I didn’t really like it at first but it grew on me,” she says. She adds that she loves this method more than sketching and painting by hand and that this is her preferred method of working now.
When asked what she thinks is the difference between the two, Tamrakar replies, “Painting and sketching are conventionally used by artists to express themselves and their emotions, whereas digital illustration is used more with some other work – for example in a children’s story.”
Yomahri was apparently the second book Tamrakar completed while she was studying at KUSOA. She wrote and illustrated the first one when she was a third year student at KUSOA. She reveals that it was a fantasy story involving a kid and a bird and is very easy and interesting to follow.
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Tamrakar put in a bit more effort for Yomarhi. She says that this book is a collection of three stories. Her motive behind these stories was to find out the real reason behind a few activities we do because of their apparent religious and cultural significance. “There are some things we do but no one knows why we do it. I researched a lot for this story and one of these involve Yomarhis hence the title,” she states.
Both of these books have a very gripping narrative and Tamrakar mentions that completing them have helped her develop her storytelling and illustrating skills a lot. She mentions that she wants to continue working on easy to read novels and books that are supported by compelling illustrations.
“I am actually talking to publishers regarding publishing the first two books. If they do get published, I hope everyone who reads them enjoys my storytelling,” claims Tamrakar. She further adds that she is currently working on her third book and that will also be a fantasy book. Besides this, she also frequently collaborates with Artudio for different projects.
Because Yomarhi factored in her final Bachelor’s grade, Tamrakar was also tasked to publicize it. She created an Instagram account under the handle @kirimiri.design and started promoting her project there. Currently, all her posts showcase Yomarhi but she will later be adding to it as she moves ahead with other projects.
Tamrakar names her mother and Vincent Van Gogh as her two major sources of inspiration. While she regards her mother as more of a life instructor, she finds herself turning to Van Gogh and his works for the artistic inspiration.
Right now, Tamrakar is working to develop Kirimiri Design as an official brand. She reveals that she will get it registered within a few weeks and start other projects under it too. She wants to produce cute everyday merchandise and other illustrative works under its branding. “But I will probably produce things that are catered for children,” she concludes.
