Kya itum hai, boss!

Creative artist Devangana Kumar's brand Itum Bomb uses decoupage art, which applies the cut-and-paste technique, to give your home a quirky makeover

Creative artist Devangana Kumar's brand Itum Bomb uses decoupage art, which applies the cut-and-paste technique, to give your home a quirky makeover

Long before cut and paste became the buzzword for time-saving computer controls; they were terms that described the making of decoupage art. This art involves cutting and pasting printed paper onto a surface, which is varnished until the object resembles a work of art.

Artist Devangana Kumar with her products. Pics/ Subhash Barolia

Thirty year-old Delhi-based designer Devangana Kumar got hooked to this art a few years back when she was newly married and scouting for home decor options. She pored through books, browsed the Internet and gradually picked up this art through trial and error. Her first designs on wooden chests and coffee tables were a hit with loved ones. It was just the right push that Devangana needed to start Itum Bomb six months back.

Business' loss was art's gain "I was an unlikely contender for a creative pursuit as I have a management degree and I was never interested in art while growing up. But I had an eye for colour and so, I found my ultimate calling," she says.

Kumar decorates napkin holders, tissue boxes, glass bottles, metal buckets, file holders, paper storage boxes, coffee tables, chairs and cabinets with colourful Indian motifs. "My USP is traditional themes and motifs. I prefer to skip overexposed images of auto rickshaws and Ambassador cars. Instead, I opt for lotuses, tigers, peacocks, dholaks, dancing heroines, shlokas and street signs in my creations," shares Kumar.

The name Itum Bomb is courtesy Kumar's love for all things kitsch. "I wanted the name to convey the unique character of the products as they combine utility with lots of colours and a youthful zest, without compromising on the affordability," she adds.

The decoupage dossier
As practitioners will vouch, the decoupage art is a very time consuming process. "I take a month to create a product, though I make several products at a time. Varnishing takes the maximum amount of time as the products require anything from 10 to 30 rounds of varnishing depending on the texture of the paper," explains Kumar.

Kumar is also gaga about Itum Bomb's latest ventureu00a0-- workshops, which involve traditional artists who are invited to paint on artefacts that are sold later. So far, these workshops have featured Madhubani artists and will be followed by Gond artists shortly. "Traditional art may be thriving but artefacts and accessories are gradually being lost to the passage of time. These workshops aim to preserve such crafts and find an online market for them," she concludes.

Call: 09810832635
Email: itumbomb@gmail.com
Log on to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/
Itum-bomb/105848739490676
Price: Rs 450 to Rs 12,000