Ever wondered what a young Lord Shiva would have looked like? Wonder no more!
Being the first Malaysian to be recognized as Adobe’s Creative Influencer, Rames Harikrishnasamy has carved a colourful career for himself; turning a hobby into a highly successful endeavor that has gained him raving fans from across the globe.
Rames is a self-taught digital artist who draws inspiration from his daily life, turning less-than-appealing images into astounding visuals that resemble scenes from a James Cameron movie. His works of art have been shared thousands of times on social media platforms, printed on canvas and even turned into tattoos!
“Just keep going”
When Rames first got his hands on Adobe Photoshop, he was still working towards a degree in IT. “It was a silly ambition. I was amazed by how people would Photoshop a T-Rex at their wedding or images of them ‘rubbing shoulders’ with international celebrities. So, I decided to give it a go”.
Back then, Rames knew very little about Photoshop and its zillion feature keys. “I saw a lot of my friends ambitiously purchase the software, determined to learn how to use it and then just end up giving up in a couple of days. Others would admit themselves in to expensive Photoshop classes, acquire the necessary skills and then never use it ever again”, Rames said.
Determined to learn Photoshop, Rames started by clicking on each feature key on the Photoshop panel and made notes on their functions. “Going through all the keys took me more than a week. It was a dull process but I never gave up. After that, I started manipulating some simple images. And the rest, as they say, was history”.
Why Hindu Deities?
“I have been told time and time again that images of Hindu deities won’t take me places. Manipulating other images were more likely to be recognised. In every artists’ career, there will come a time when you are faced with the dilemma of staying true to your craft or doing what is known to work best. Neither is a bad option; it will just lead you down different paths. I decided to stay true to my craft”.
Rames, however, did not stop his imaginations from going wild when creating images of Hindu deities.
When Rames released a photo manipulation of Goddess Durga in a fierce avatar, Rames cleverly used an image of Gal Gadot in her role as Marvel’s Wonder Woman as stock image for his art. The image drew global attention from art lovers and Marvel fans.
“It was a dream come true for me”
Every year, Adobe recognizes a handful of creatives from around the world with the highly acclaimed Adobe Creative Influencer Award. The award recipients are invited to the annual Adobe MAX Insiders conference in Los Angeles, California, and serve as the eyes and ears on the ground for the digital art community.
When Rames learned that his art earned him the title of Creative Influencer for two years in a row, he was beyond thrilled. “It was a dream come true for me, which also included an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to share my craft to some of the best digital artists from around the world. I couldn’t believe it was really happening”.
“I have been honing my skills in Photoshop for many years now. No matter how busy life got, I always allocated at least an hour to work on my craft”. Rames leads a team of creatives at a multinational company. Even with his busy schedule, Rames certainly makes time to reach through the depths of his imagination to create the next best piece of art. If there is one thing we can learn from Rames’ achievement is that consistency is key!
Lhea In Wonderland
Sharenting (a term coined for parents who share images of their kids on social media) has become the reality of the modern day parenting. When his daughter was born, Rames made it a mission to take little Lhea on adventures using his photo manipulation skills.
Lhea has now “touched the moon”, “flown across The Milky Way” and “fed a giraffe from her window”, thanks to her father’s impeccable skills. “When we were pregnant with Lhea, my wife and I were already planning on all the images we wanted to create for our biggest blessing”.
Rames’ next work of art could be anything between finding an ancient carving of Lord
Hanuman in a hidden cave or Baby Lhea bravely scaling up the Eiffel Tower. Whatever it may be, we have become fans of Rames’ work.
Let us leave you with an image of Rames showing his work to Superstar Rajinikanth. Real or Photoshop?
Well. You decide.
