Have you ever tried writing or painting something by holding a pen on your mouth, eyes, nose or hair? But this young prodigy in Palakkad has proven that dedication and passion will make it a possible task.
Asif, a 19-year-old from Mannarkkad in Palakkad, has become a sensation on social media after actor Jayasurya shared his video. In the video, Asif was seen sketching five different portraits of Jayasurya's movie characters by holding marker on his mouth, legs and hands at a time.
“I was excited when I got the call from Jayasurya sir. I am really grateful to him. If he did not share my video, nobody will notice me,” said Asif.
Exploring skills in Lockdown
Interestingly, the lockdown period has uncovered this brilliant artist in Palakkad.
Asif, a second-year BA history student in RGM college, Attapadi started exploring unique styles of painting when lockdown was imposed amid COVID-19 outbreak.
“At first, I tried sketching portraits of Messi, Neymar and Christiano Ronaldo by using both hands at a time. Later, I made portraits of Unni Mukundan, Dulquer Salmaan, Suriya, Anu Sithara and Tovino Thomas,” he said.
“One day, ink got spread on my hands and I went to wash by holding the marker on my mouth. At that time, I got the idea of holding the marker on the mouth. Many people are making portraits and paints by holding a brush or pen on hands, legs and mouth. So I wanted to do something unique and this thought ended up in Jayasurya’s five different portraits,” Asif narrated.
When his hair drew Mohanlal
Asif’s other interesting experiment was portrait painting by using hair instead of hands. He tied a brush on his hair and created a portrait of superstar Mohanlal. According to Asif, sketching through hair was quite easy compared to other works.
He also used his tongue as a brush to make a portrait of Brazilian footballer Philippe Coutinho.
“Time for each work varies. I took about two hours and 30 minutes to finish the five portraits of Jayasurya. I have drawn a portrait of Dulquer Salmaan by holding the marker on my nose. I shared the video of this work on the occasion of Dulquer Salmaan’s birthday,” explained Asif.
Recently, he sketched four portraits of actor Vishnu Unnikrishnan by standing upside down and using hands and legs for sketching at a time.
Impressed with this work, the actor phoned Asif and appreciated his effort.
Support and strength
Talking about being popular overnight, the young man expressed gratitude to his friends, family, teachers and all well-wishers in his village.
“I am living in a joint family with my parents and two siblings. I can’t explain in words about the support from them. Sometimes, I start working at 12 in the midnight. During such times, my mother used to sit along with me till I complete the work,” he told mathrubhumi.com.
He is the elder son of Yousuf and Khadheeja.
A self-trained artist
Asif who is not a trained artist considers Kerala Arts group, a group of artists, as his mentors.
“Honestly speaking, I had no idea about the items needed for sketching portraits. I started the work with the guidance from the members of Kerala Arts Group. Team Art Bond, an Instagram group motivates me a lot to be a unique artist,” reveals Asif.
Sketching new plans
“Now, I have done five works at a time by holding marker on hands, legs and mouth. I want to increase the number in future. I am planning to do a big work by creating megastar Mammootty’ s portrait in a unique style,” stated the aspiring artist.
He has been uploading all videos of his works on his YouTube channel and Instagram page.
At the age of 19, Asif is also making income with pencil sketching works in the small space of his home.
