Keshav Rathnavel, also known as Kesh, is a digital artist who has a passion for storytelling through visual mediums. He is not your typical artist who is always serious and focused on creating masterpieces. Keshav is someone who immerses himself in his projects to the point of forgetting everything else and even experiencing existential crises.
Like many children growing up in the 90s, Keshav was fascinated by cartoons such as Swat Kats and Dexter’s Laboratory. At the age of five, he started drawing, inspired by what he saw on the screen. However, his interest in art took a new turn when he discovered the video game Assassin’s Creed. The game’s graphics were revolutionary for its time, and Keshav was intrigued by the challenge of drawing realistic characters.
At first, Keshav struggled with drawing realistic characters. He describes his first attempt as “blah.” However, he took it as a challenge and worked hard to improve his skills. In 2010, he started his own YouTube channel, where he posted his artwork. His breakthrough came when he created a video featuring a crossover between the game Angry Birds and the first Avengers movie. The video went viral, amassing hundreds of thousands of views, and Keshav was filled with new ideas for his artwork.
Keshav began creating new characters and stories to go with them. However, his art was not getting enough views, and he was not satisfied with it. He decided to quit making videos and got a job. But, as the saying goes, “You can take the artist out of the art, but never the art out of the artist.” Keshav soon returned to his art, and his work started getting better. He also started to enjoy his art again, and more people began following his artwork online.
Keshav Rathnavel has taught himself what art means to him. He has faced many obstacles along the way and even quit his art to pursue a job. However, art always came back to him, and he always returned to it. He believes that good art should look effortless, and he lives his life by Neil Gaiman’s three simple words: Make Good Art.
Keshav’s favorite artwork is “The Story of 2 Wolves,” which he likes because it represents the choices between good and bad. To learn more about Keshav, check out his Instagram and YouTube channel.