Before entering the field of digital art, Waheed Nasir had trained and worked as a fine artist. “I was taught by Bashir Mirza, a renowned artist known to many as BM. Though it was an informal training, BM taught me in a very disciplined and traditional way,” Nasir told Pakistan Today. He has held art exhibitions of his traditional paintings locally and internationally as well as taught fine arts abroad. After returning to Pakistan, he entered the computer graphics field and joined a local post-production facility. Recounting how he became an artist, Nasir said that he was pulled in because of his interest in art during childhood, some sense of perspective and composition, and understanding of tones and values from the very beginning.
He expressed gratitude to his family and friends, his mentor BM and senior art critics for encouragement and for the right training at the right time. “My very first exhibition was quite successful. Many articles by distinguished art critics and writers followed. All that helped me make the decision to take art more seriously and to choose it as a career,” he said. Nasir is mainly a self-taught artist, but he learnt a lot from Bashir Mirza and considers him as his mentor. “As a good teacher, BM gave me confidence and opened doors for me,” he said.
Talking about digital art, he said that he paints in a realistic manner and sometimes in a very casual, but bold, fashion with visible brushwork. “It all depends on the need of the project – from the highly realistic approach to speedy concept paintings,” he said. Though as a fine artist, his personal favourite style is impressionism, even for his digital paintings and concept art. Besides being an artist, Nasir is a musician as well. When asked if music played a significant role in his life, he said, “It’s all the same. Whether you paint, compose a piece of music or play an instrument, they have similar rules and elements – like tone, texture, harmony and depth,” he said.
For Nasir, a good, touching music in the background helps create a moody, atmospheric painting. “It works every time for me,” he said. He said that his creative world is divided into five parts. “My current work where I am the creative head, and create and supervise all the creative work; my personal work that I make sure I engage in every day; I freelance as a concept artist and matte painter for local and international projects as well; I also try to paint on canvas whenever I can; and if you count music, then that’s the fifth aspect of my creative world” he explained.
He plays and teaches guitar as well as composes music whenever he could. Moreover, he has shown his oil paintings and drawings at four solo shows and been part of over 12 group shows abroad.
Talking about inspiration and ideas, he said, “All around us are colours, perspective, space, atmosphere and mood. Then there are feelings and emotions, nature and abstraction, people and stories, and textures and details – every single thing, place and person can inspire me to paint.”
Nasir said that sketching, drawing, painting, photography are all very important for 2D and 3D artists. “One must have a good, strong idea about all these things because having an art background is crucial for producing correct and aesthetically pleasing CG work,” he said. “One must at least have a thorough knowledge of the field that is directly related to the work one is doing in graphics. For example, a digital painter must know drawing and painting very well, a 3D texture artist must be well aware of actual paintings, an animator must know drawing – especially how to draw poses and expressions – and a matte painter has to be good at actual landscape paintings and know all the rules of art,” he added.
Nasir is extremely talented in designing 2D pieces. When asked if he approached a 2D illustration in a different way from a 3D work, he said that there are things that must be thought about and planned while working in 2D; things that one takes for granted in 3D, like perspective. “In 2D, you have to paint everything – light, shadows, textures, perspective and depth,” he explained.
He enjoys every bit of whatever he does. “It’s all art, and it’s all fun. If I really have to pick one area that I enjoy working in the most, then I would have to say it’s concept art for me, mostly for mood,” he said.
All of his artworks are his favourites. “That’s exactly why I made them in the first place.” He said. He works only when he feels completely involved in whatever he is creating, and feels in love with his creations.
Nasir wishes to continue his journey of creating art and to enjoy working with all his heart, no matter where he is or would be in the future. “As for the industry, I see immense hope because it’s growing and the quality of work is improving. The pace is slow, but it is steady nonetheless,” he said.
“We are at the initial stage and it will take time to see refinement in local work. However, I feel that we are on the right track and that we should stop compromising on quality. More dedication, professionalism and discipline are needed. We must have the right people and provide quality training to the deserving beginners who are genuinely interested in this field,” he added.
Advising aspiring artists, Nasir said that only those with the right approach and deep interest for this field must embark upon it. “It’s not for everyone. The only advice I can think of for the beginners is for them to be sincere with themselves and their work. If you aren’t compelled from within to be in this field, don’t jump in,” he said.
“As is true for any other field, love is the key for making it in this industry. Doing something half-heartedly isn’t going to work at all. When you’re in, draw and sketch as much as you can. Don’t sit idle. Read about art and observe things. One can learn a lot just by looking around,” he added.
