Onam sadhya Naruto to Mosquito Bat Saitama: Treasa Maria combines anime and Kerala in her illustrations
Treasa Maria fan art of Naruto and his gang of ninjas from Konohagakure have onams sadia
Have you ever wondered what it would be like for Naruto and his gang of ninjas from Konoha Village to celebrate Oname? Well, head straight to the Instagram profile of Kochi-based artist Treasa Maria, and satisfy your curiosity. Treasa, a graduate of the National Institute of Costume Technology (NIFT), is now a freelance illustrator adept at drawing popular anime characters in Keralite settings, creating unique fan art that has been viral and even commissioned by anime fans as gifts.
How did it start?
Theresa Maria | Image source: private arrangement
It all started during the pandemic when her sister, Anne-Maria, introduced her to Studio Ghibli animated films. Inspired by Ghibli characters, the famous magical spirit Totoro, from My neighbor Totoro (1985), in Mundu holding a palm-leaf umbrella and dubbing it “Toturunam”. “I just did it to make her laugh. I loved it and started doing more of it,” Tria says.
“Totoronam,” Treasa fan art of Studio Ghibli’s famous magical spirit Totoro My neighbor Totoro (1986)
Although she was only introduced to Studio Ghibli two years ago, Treasa has been a fan of the cartoon since her Cartoon Network days. Like many ’90s kids, she started her journey with anime card captor sakuraAnd Dragon ball Z And Pokemon, then go out to Animax TV shows and read manga. “At the time, I would find these pictures of my favorite anime characters on the Internet and ask my parents to print them out, so I could draw them at home. I loved everything about anime as a kid, from the big eyes to the exaggerated expressions of the characters, which you just can’t see in life realism or even in cinema. However, as an adult, you realize it’s so much more when you discover how deep those stories go,” she says.
Professional anime artist
Anime Ben Anna with Itachi from Narutofan art commissioned by Malayalam actress Anna Penn
In 2022, she begins her career as a freelance illustrator, after quitting her job as a designer. Armed with an iPad gifted by her father and with the help of the growing popularity of her anime fan art, Treasa began making illustrations for anime fans who wanted to see themselves or their friends and family with their favorite anime characters. Her client list includes celebrities, such as Malayalam actress Anna Penn, who commissioned an illustration of herself as Naruto Itachi.
“Many also want to see themselves as their favorite anime characters. They use these illustrations as their phone or desktop wallpaper. I only give away soft copies. The anime calendar we launched in December is the first print product I’ve created with these illustrations,” adds Treasa.
Merging anime with Kerala
The 2023 animated calendar was created using 12 illustrations that were combined, and there have been a lot of followers. Most of the illustrations were born from her conversations with Anas. “We came up with over 20 ideas for illustrations, and she said we should pick 12 and make a calendar. Honestly, she deserves more credit for these things than me, as she’s the one with the ideas and the one that pushes me to do it,” Treasa recalls.
Super hero Saitama fails to kill the mosquito and his student Genos helps him with an electric mosquito swatter
The best and funniest ideas are the ones they thought were very silly, like the superhero Saitama from the popular manga series One punch man He tries in vain to kill a mosquito, while his apprentice Genos comes to his rescue with an electric mosquito swatter. “The illustrations we do for fun are what most people find amusing. It must have been something they also thought about while watching the anime, but they never tried to illustrate. Maybe that’s why they find these things really funny,” says Teresa. , adding that, going forward, she would like to feature more merchandise through her illustrations.