"The quarantine put my urge to create on overdrive. Before the chonky animals series, I made another set of illustrations that showcased animals around the world during the first phase of lockdown. I shared a few funny incidents but also felt the need to share cases where the issues have been persistent , like bringing attention to the rise of poaching and the issues with the 2020 EIA draft.
With the already existing hardships of the pandemic and bringing into attention other issues in parallel was exhausting for me, and that would definitely be the case for my audience too. I felt I needed to lighten the mood. I didn't plan on the series but my muse or inspiration subconsciously led me to it. When the butt of the the first chonk - the hippo - took shape, I knew I should stretch the style to at least a few more illustrations. The response was great, and it got people taking their minds off their problems for a few seconds to interact with the work. I ended up challenging myself and started taking up requests from my followers. It picked up a good pace and led to me make more than 10 pieces for the series.
The goal with this series is to make people adore every animal through its chonkier side. I didn't want to make the work informative, just for people to visually enjoy each work. The grand finale to this memorable series will be to draw my muse. This is the first time I haven't been wanting to let go of a series but I guess I can continue creating more for myself whenever I need to cheer myself up."
