Meet: Palak Garg
- Written byGiada Maestra
- Published date 26 March 2025
Share story
Palak Garg is an Indian illustrator and painter based in London. She recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Illustration from Camberwell College of Arts and talked us through her work and her most recent project, 'Snapshots'.
Drawing inspiration from everyday life, Palak enjoys using various materials, including paints, pencils, ink, pastels, and digital tools. Her illustrations often feature people and places she encounters during her 'illustrated walks,' and she also experiments with ceramics as an extension of her drawing practice to explore new textures and mark-making techniques.
Hi Palak! Thanks for joining us. Could you share a bit about your background and recent experience at UAL?
Yes, definitely! I am a freelance illustrator based in South London. I came to London as an international student from India to study art and design and immediately fell in love with Camberwell. I completed both my Foundation and BA degree in Illustration in 2024. The time I spent at Camberwell was honestly the best 4 years of my life. I don’t think I’ve learned as much before as I did in these years. Illustration at Camberwell is such a broad array of limitless creativity at its best. You can do ceramics, try printmaking, illustrate a book, join a club (Camberwell Comic Club was the finest!) or even make large-scale installations. It really is a very non-restrictive environment, encouraging experimentation within the broad discipline of illustration and beyond as well. I also managed to stay connected with other colleges across UAL during my degree, which made the overall experience of studying here even more exciting.
What areas/projects did you aim to focus on during your BA studies?
My BA studies at Camberwell were filled with a huge variety of projects, ranging from illustrated posters, exhibition displays, book covers, pottery pieces and much more. In my first and second years, the briefs were quite structured and focused mainly on acquiring new skills. So, this time was dedicated to learning new things like traditional printmaking processes, the know-how of ceramics or going to a Photoshop tutorial. It was really in my final year that I rediscovered my love for drawing and constructed an entire project around it. I utilised all these facilities to try and convert my observational sketches into a series of finished products - turning them into prints using screen printing, collating them into an InDesign file to make a book of drawings or even re-drawing them onto ceramic surfaces using brush-on underglazes. This helped me make a big body of work. I realised that drawing was the focus of all my projects and that I really thrived on experimentation. I also finally understood the importance of keeping a sketchbook.
Can you tell us more about your final project, Snapshots?
My final project, ‘Snapshots’, is an extensive observational drawing project where I made most of my drawings when I was out and about. These were mostly drawings of people I met or observed (I absolutely love people-watching!), my friends, drawing in the street, from bus stops, in cafes, pubs and parks, in the tube or simply during university lectures! It sort of resembles the idea of taking quick pictures with your phone or camera and not being very precious about clicking the perfect picture every time. It is very loosely based on my dissertation, which was about all things ‘nonsense’, about being imperfect and enjoying the process rather than the outcome. So, here, my sketchbook acted like a camera, gathering as much visual information as quickly as possible. The goal for this project was to be able to do as much drawing as I could with a variety of media. The result was an illustrated book and a ceramic tile collection which was exhibited at our graduate show.
What’s your creative process like, and what inspires your work?
My creative process usually starts from sketching out ideas on paper. I then select 4 to 5 sketches to develop further, often cutting out, collaging and combining parts from them to create a final sketch. I like to work with a variety of materials, according to the type of project I’m working on. My work mostly consists of a combination of analogue and digital processes, where I create a lot of textures and drawings on paper, which will be scanned in and composited digitally in Photoshop and Procreate.
I can get inspired by anything and everything. It’s usually when I go out on my ‘illustrated walks’ (a little walk around the block every day with my tiny sketchbook) that I think of the most exciting ideas to work on.
What were some standout experiences you had while studying at Camberwell?
It is very hard for me to select a few special experiences during my time in Camberwell, but I can try! Some of these were: the fantastic graduate show our year group put on which was the highlight of my degree; being able to sell work in Not Just a Shop and getting commissioned to design their Cultural Enterprises trade show display; designing the branding for a collaborative unit between Camberwell and Chelsea College of Art regarding climate change in my second year; taking part in a residency with 9 other students across UAL and exhibiting my work; working with the website company ‘Wix’ as an illustrator for a charity based in South London in collaboration with UAL; taking part in my first ceramic exhibition and I can go on and on! The list is honestly a long one, as every day at Camberwell was as exciting as ever and had something special in store!
Can you describe what a typical day was like for you at the Camberwell campus?
A typical day for me at Camberwell would start in the canteen, with me grabbing a quick coffee and heading to the lecture theatre, where I would meet my peers and tutors. We’ll go through project briefings and head to our selected workshops for the day. These would typically range from printmaking, ceramics or digital media inductions with our amazing technicians. Sometimes, we’ll have specific contextual workshops or tutorials in relation to a project that would be going on at the time with the tutors. There would also be time for some independent learning when I would usually go to the library to work on my project, research something or simply look through some of the many books in the library’s onsite collection. If it’s the end of a project, I would usually have crits to go to or, if it’s one of those special days (when we finally submit a project!), my friends and I would either have long, relaxed lunches in the canteen or outdoor drawing trips to local museums or galleries.
What projects are you currently working on?
Currently, I’m working on a variety of projects and trying to make as much work as possible. I am developing a personal project (quite similar to 'Snapshots'), where I’m turning my observational sketches from my recent winter visit to my hometown in India into a series of finished illustrations. I’ve also been very lucky to get in touch with the NHS and the Great Ormond Street Hospital to work on a super exciting publishing project, which will be ready very soon. I’m also very fortunate to have found the perfect ceramic studio to satiate my hunger for making physical objects and meeting like-minded people, which I missed after my degree. It also provides a respite from working digitally and adds an extra element of fun to my illustration practice.
Do you have any advice for future illustration students or practitioners?
From my experience at Camberwell, I’ve learnt the value of making A LOT of ‘bad’ work. Nothing is really ‘bad’, and I find it’s a good way to get things out of your system, so that the best work can show itself. So, I’d say use all the facilities and attend all the lectures and workshops as possible. I also think staying connected with your peers and tutors is a great way to share and receive feedback, improve your work and stay motivated. Also, even after your studies are over, I believe that there is always something to learn, so staying open to new ideas as you develop your illustration practice is very beneficial, and it helps keep your creative vision fresh and exciting. Also, staying in touch with your peers is a great way to get through that challenging first year as a graduate and a place to share interesting stories!
What are your plans for the future?
My future plan is to set up a freelance illustration practice in my little London studio and be able to do it full-time. I also have a very long list of dream clients I wish to work with. Since illustration is not a location-specific career with flexible work hours, I also plan to travel around the world with my tiny sketchbook whenever I get a chance! Studying at Camberwell has definitely provided me with the confidence and skills I need to dream of achieving all these things.
