Meet Nori Norbhu, A Self-Taught Illustrator And Graphic Designer From Darjeeling

Hailing from Darjeeling, Nori Norbhu is a talented graphic designer and illustrator based in Mumbai, who has been making a mark in the world of art with her digital illustrations. Her stunning artwork is a treat for art lovers and reflects her deep connection with art since her childhood days.

Nori is a self-taught artist who followed her passion and turned it into a profession. Currently, she works as a senior graphic designer with an advertising agency in Mumbai. We spoke to Nori about her work, her inspiration, and her ongoing projects. Read on to find out more about Nori and her creative journey.

We had a chat with Nori Norbhu from Darjeeling, an illustrator and graphic designer who is based out of Mumbai to talk about her work and more!

Nori Norbhu, an illustrator and graphic designer from Darjeeling

Hello Nori, good to have you with us! Please tell us a little about yourself.

Hi, I’m Nori Norbhu, an illustrator and graphic designer based in Mumbai. When I’m not sipping on tea, I’m usually lost in the world of art and design. I was born and raised in Darjeeling, a charming little town nestled in the Himalayan foothills, surrounded by lush hills and majestic mountains.

I am a self-taught digital illustrator, and if you had asked me a few years ago what Photoshop was, I wouldn’t have had a clue. These days, I work as a senior graphic designer at an advertising agency in Mumbai, and I also take on freelance projects in my spare time. I’m always on the lookout for projects that challenge me creatively and help me grow as an artist. And even on the busiest of days, I make it a point to come back and work on a personal illustration or two.

Introduce us to your work and tell us what got you started.

My work falls somewhere between the duality of creating for communication and creating for myself. For my personal illustrations, I usually portray women who are strong, confident, and unapologetically themselves with themes like self-love and body positivity. I am also very inspired by Mother Nature, which I usually incorporate into my illustrations in the form of flowers, leaves, and vines. Apart from the art classes I had as a child, I began taking illustrations seriously when I discovered an app called Procreate on my mother’s iPad and the world of digital illustrations opened up to me. Since then, I have not looked back and have been constantly learning.

Art illustration of a girl chilling at home | by Nori Norbhu

Nori’s amazing imagery artwork of fishes in water coming out from the mirror of Gotipua dancer

Illustration by Nori Norbhu

Nori’s artwork of lovely Souvenirs and plants.

Illustration by Nori Norbhu

What sparked your interest in this field?

I think I have always been a more visual person. I had Fine Arts as a 6th subject in school and that was always my favorite class. Even in school, I remember my art teacher taking us to the school garden to draw. We observed flowers, and leaves and began drawing them in our sketchbooks. This was definitely my introduction to art. Digital illustrations on the other hand probably came up as a natural progression from a sketchbook to a tablet. I have an equal love for both.

How have your roots and upbringing influenced your working style?

My hometown has definitely influenced me as a woman and as an artist. I was born and brought up in Darjeeling, and I can honestly say I had a lovely childhood. We played in the mud, studied when we needed to and were able to enjoy the little things. Being surrounded by the mountains and hills made me more receptive to the environment around me. My artwork always includes plants, foliage and nature, which I crave while living in a metropolitan city.

I was also lucky to be surrounded by strong, independent women while growing up. This is why my art is often female centric – to express inner strength and beauty.

What’s your creative work philosophy and where do you take inspiration from?

My creative philosophy is to stay open-minded, and aware and to be able to highlight issues through my work. Apart from my hometown and my upbringing, my inspiration comes from a variety of sources – it could be a person I’ve met and been inspired by, a flower I’ve noticed as I pass by, traveling to a new destination. I am inspired by a lot of my contemporaries who constantly work on creative projects. I also love the work of Sam Kuvaloor, Rachel Aldean, Prashant Miranda, and Cat Coquillette. On a personal note, I don’t have to look far for inspiration because my grandmother, Mrs. Norzin Norbhu, has been a trailblazer and an absolute inspiration. She was able to set up a school and change primary education in Darjeeling– so an inspiration to say the least.

An art illustration of two fashionable sisters | by Nori Norbhu

Illustration by Nori Norbhu

An imagery art of flute and flowers on a dancer boy | by Nori Norbhu

Illustration by Nori Norbhu

What do you hope people take away from your Art?

Being brought up amongst strong women who I was able to look up to, I felt the need to share that with others who probably didn’t have the same upbringing. It honestly makes you look at the world from a different perspective and in this generation, we can only grow by supporting each other. The power to choose who you want to be and not be bound by societal demands is something I strongly believe in and something I hope anyone can take away from my work. I want people to look at my art and see something new in the ordinary.

Tell us about your recent project and future plans.

After having recently wrapped up ’36 days of type’ (http://www.36daysoftype.com), focussing on different phobias in the form of vintage stamps, I am currently ideating on a personal set of illustrations highlighting strong, independent women but differentiated by the various zodiac signs. I plan to do an illustration highlighting the different traits of each sign while staying true to my form of tying that in with the beauty of nature. I also have a few illustration projects lined up which are all still in the works.