Hind Di Chadar - Guru Tegh Bahadur ji

He gave his life for the Kashmiri Pandits who were being persecuted by Mughal King Auragzeb. He upholded Dharma, righteousness, and stood up against tyranny. He taught the path of meditation and pacifism, the message of love and peace. He was beheaded in the streets of Delhi along with 3 companions but he did not stray from his path.

Dhan Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, aap ji nu mera namaskar.

Video Editing Problems

I was having so much trouble editing the video of Guru Arjun Dev ji. The video had recorded at speeds almost twice as fast as the audio so it required a lot of editing to sync up the audio with the video.

Anyway, the project file had become corrupt and parts of the video would go missing after I would export the full video. I exported it anyway and tried to patch up the missing bits. It didn't work.

Today I was messing with it and ended up splitting up the large project into smaller files and that solved all these problems!

I don't know why I didn't think of this before!

 Prince of Patiala

AOE3 Mod - Jagirdar

Zuber Singh and I have been working on a Mod for Age of Empires 3 - Asian Dynasties. We are hoping to attract some like-minded people to work with us. In the meanwhile, I want to showcase the units we have been working on. This is one of the units I've textured, this is the Jagirdar.

I love Age of Empires 3 and I recommend you pick up this game and both of it's expansions. This is not only to enjoy the game but also to play our Mod. You need to have the game pre-installed on your computer to install our Mod.

Late Night Sketching

There was some interesting stuff going with on with the crocodile demon in Blind Chakram on Howdah. So I decided to explore it further through sketches.

When I paint, I just put down blobs of colours. Through sketches I can work with these blobs, these shapes, and turn them into something cool! I actually do a lot of sketches like these and in the future, I hope to share them more often.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 6

Finishing up the explosion, smoke, elephant's tusks and the demons.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 5

This week I return to the Blind Chakram on Howdah!

I added some colours to the demons. I left some of them grey to colour them later on during the process.

Remember this painting started off in black and white just like the painting of Guru Gobind Singh ji. It did have some sepia tones but now it's almost fully coloured.

Sketching at Harimandir Sahib, in 2012

I always wanted to sketch Harimandir Sahib. So when I visited the gurudwara on Aug 25, 2012, I took about 40 minutes to sketch this. 

When you start drawing, boy do people wana watch you draw! I still remember the scene, it was a very memorable and yet familiar moment.

A crowd had gathered around me and there were people who were passing by, stopping for a few seconds to take a look at what was happening.

There were pilgrims lying on the floor right behind me who were watching me draw. There was this kid, who was observing me very closely. He later told me that he liked to draw and wanted to learn from me. After I finished, we left the temple with some fond memories.

Last year, when I was working on this commission on Harimandir Sahib. I actually used this sketch for the painting!
http://sikhiart.com/for-sale/harimandir-sahib/

Episode 1 - Hari Singh Nalwa

In this video, I paint Hari Singh Nalwa's armour. And I narrate my painting process.

Prints available at: http://sikhiart.com/hari-singh-nalwa/

Hari Singh Nalwa was great general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kingdom. At a young age, while on a hunting trip, he was attacked by a tiger. With his bare hands, he pushed back the tiger, drew his sword and decapitated the beast. He was known for his excellent swordsmanship and chivalry. His father had been serving Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army. All of this became the deciding factors for the Maharaja to accept him in his royal service. He was given a small army of horsemen and so began Nalwa’s career as a General.

He participated in the conquests of Sialkot, Kasur (1807), Multan (1818), Kashmir (1819), Pakhli and Damtaur (1821-2), Peshawar (1834) and finally Jamrud in the Khyber Hills (1837). He defeated the Afghans, something the British failed to do, and annexed a segment of what was the Kingdom of Kabul to the Sikh Kingdom. In Peshawar, he rebuilt the Bala Hisar Fort in Maharaja’s name. He also built a chain of fortresses on his conquests to strengthen his hold. He also built one in his own name, Haripur. This expanded Punjab towards the North-west into the lands of Afghanistan, blocked off the Khyber Pass (which was pass through the mountains often used by Persian and Afghan invaders to loot and plunder Hindustan), and instilled fear of his name among the Afghan tribes.

Guru Arjun Dev ji - Sketch

Meditating on Hari, my and mind are totally rejuvenated, and the garden of my mind has blossomed forth in lush abundance. - Guru Ramdas ji, 849


I want to carry this metaphor of the garden to the painting, and show an abundance of greenery, flowers, and birds and animals around Guru Arjun Dev ji, as he meditates.

I also want to try experimenting with giving him an instrument at some point. But I also like the pose from my previous painting of Guru Sahib, which maintains continuity.

Guru Arjun Dev ji - Facial Resemblance

Using my previous painting of Guru Arjun Dev ji's martyrdom, I am trying to get a similar face for a new painting. I think having some resemblance will connect the two paintings and therefore identify the Guru in the new painting as Guru Arjun Dev ji. 

This is important because the new painting isn't portraying any event that is from Guru Arjun Dev ji's life, and so it will be harder to identify the person in the painting without a foundation. So in this case that foundation is the painting of Guru Arjun Dev ji's martyrdom.

Portrait of Dasam Pita - Colouring Process 2

I finished the base colours. At this point I am going to paint on top of it, clean it up and detail it.

This is a huge painting, 5" high. Guru Sahib's larger than life personality requires a larger than life portrait!

Portrait of Dasam Pita - Colouring Process

Back when photography was in early stages, they didn't have a way to capture colour on to film. So they would take black and white photos then add colour to them later.
This painting has gone through a similar process. I painted it in black white and I am just now beginning to add some colour. Starting with Guru Sahib's face. I apply the first layer of base colours.

Bhai Kanhaiya - Slow Painting 2

I'm satisfied with how Bhai Kanhaiya ji's clothes are turning out so far. But there's still some more work to do. 

The original speed painting can be found here: http://sikhiart.com/gallery/speed-paintings/

Bhai Kanhaiya

It's happening! Been working on Bhai Kanhaiya all night and converting it from a speed painting to a ... slow painting!?

You can see the speed painting here.

1984

Today I just had a burst of inspiration and I spent all day working on this. Started out as a sketch of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Then everything else just naturally flowed in and came together with ease.

The Thinker

A commission I did back in 2010, showing a Singh contemplating his actions, his purpose in this world. The men in the back are going to war, but this man has stepped outside the herd.

Based on the bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 'The Thinker'.

'Nihang' Then and Now

I was feeling a bit agitated earlier. And so when I was looking through some old stuff, I saw this sketch I did back in 2007, titled 'Nihang', depicting some kind of a young nihang superhero. The expression resonated immediately. I had a thought, "what if I redid this sketch? what would it look like now, in 2014?" I got to work. Focusing mostly on the expression, I tried pushing it to a heightened level of anger, frustration and vulnerability. "Letting it all out"

Memories of Summer 2012

While rummaging through my files and folders, I found this really cool photograph that my sister took while I was sketching in Baba Budda Sahib Gurudwara.

I was going to use this concept - a silhouette bathing in light in deep meditation - in a painting but it's been 2 years and I never got to it.

I am going to see if I can find what I was sketching at the time.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 4

The sky is set ablaze, and the lightning burns the retina.

Hathi Mere Sathi

As you can see from the bottom corners, the base colour is blue, meaning I am painting other colours on top of a blue underpainting. So that blue is gona pop out in places, especially shadows, and complement the oranges and reds in the sky.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process 2

This weekend I returned to Blind Chakram on Howdah, colouring and detailing the driver and the howdah.

Looks like this Singh is gona need a bit more work. He's a little too rough-looking for my taste. Once all the colours are in place, I'll be refining him and the rest of the painting.

 

Next up, the elephant!

Portrait of Dasam Pita, 10th Master

It's a work in progress. I am still thinking about whether I should complete it, and whether I should colour it or leave it black and white.

Blind Chakram on Howdah - Colouring Process

This weekend I began colouring the Blind Chakram on Howdah. So far I am liking the dark blue figure silhouetted against the saturated reds and yellows.

Like a Thirsty Man

ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਉ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਬਹੁ ਤਪਤੈ ਜਿਉ ਤ੍ਰਿਖਾਵੰਤੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਨੀਰ ॥੧॥
My mind yearns so deeply for His Darshan the way a thirsty man yearns for water. ||1|| - Guru Ramdas Ji

This Lice Problem...

Blind Chakram on Howdah (WIP)

I have been waiting for a long time to work on such a piece! So this year, I was finally able to nail down a concept and composition that I really like. I hope you are as excited to see it progress, as I am. 

Prints will be available. If you like what you see, you can pre-order a print and help fund this project and others like it. Please email me at bhagatbedi@gmail.com for more details.

This fantasy illustration is currently a work in progress. The idea is that the nihang is physically blind, the larhs of his pag cover his eyes. His tall turban serves as a lightning rod, and when struck by lightning, it empowers him! He is marching into battle, mounted atop a howdah (on a four-tusked elephant's back) and hurling lightning chakkars into the opposing hordes of rakshas and other demonic entities.

A Deadly Headbutt...

Guru Arjun Dev ji's Martyrdom

This month was Guru Arjun Dev ji's shaheedi divas, the day when he was martyred after being tortured on a hot plate.

Guru Arjun Dev

This painting shows Guru Arjun Dev ji peacefully meditating while being tortured. Guru Sahib was made to sit on a hot plate and had hot sand poured over his head and body. Even though he was put through immense pain, he was in profound peace with the moment, with the situation he found himself in. One day while meditating on Guru Sahib’s poetry and the scene of his martyrdom, I had such a profound experience of Guru Sahib, an experience so emotionally moving and so overwhelmingly blissful that I knew I had to paint this scene.

To purchase this painting please head over to SikhiArt.com

In other news, Zuber and I have been getting back to the Mod for AoE 3. Now that his summer holidays have begun, he's getting started with implementing Punjab into the game. As for me, I've been learning how to design scenarios, to create good layouts and to be able to set off certain effects that advance the storyline. I will share more info as the mod develops.

Golden Temple

What Shri Harimandir Sahib aka Golden Temple might have looked like before it was covered in gold and marble. It's humble origins are of mud and brick. Surrounded by only a pool and trees as it has yet to develop into a large urban community.

Bagh Nakh and Iron Singh

Been busy with the painting of Guru Arjan Dev ji for a while. It's almost ready now and I will be sharing it soon!

Anyways, I should've posted these a long time ago, they are really old. So as requested here they are:

Market at Jaffa by Gustav Bauernfeind

I hadn't done a study of any master paintings in a long time. So this month, in between commissions, I decided to study a painting called Market at Jaffa by Gustav Bauernfeind. I want to spend a bit more time on it to completely study its beautiful composition and colours.