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A Friend Sent Me a Link to Artma. Two Years Later, Strangers Are Asking to Commission My Work.

A review by Palak Mathukiya  |  Animation & Film Design student, Surat

I wasn’t looking for a digital art program. I wasn’t even looking for digital art.

I was in 12th standard, new school, and I had just made a new friend who, like me, was into art. We used to share resources back and forth — tutorials, references, links. One day she sent me a link to a free workshop on digital art. I thought: it’s free. Why not?

I joined on a Thursday, as usual. And that was it.

At that point, my entire experience of digital art was Microsoft Paint. Three years of occasional tutorials, following along, making things that looked okay. I had no pen tablet, no software knowledge, no idea that what I was doing even had a name. Illustration. Concept art. Character design. These words weren’t in my vocabulary yet.

That Thursday, they entered it.

My first digital artwork — Microsoft Paint

The Conversation With Papa

That same night, I went to my Papa and told him I wanted to join.

His response was honest: “You always want to try everything. In one or two months you’ll want to try something new.”

I told him I wouldn’t. And then I made the case: this course doesn’t end when the modules end. Every week there’s something new to learn. I can get feedback on my work for a lifetime. This is a one-time investment, not a subscription to something I’ll abandon.

He agreed. Within a week, I had a pen tablet in my hands.

The day it arrived, I sat down with the modules from morning until evening. If you give a child a new toy, that child sees nothing else. I was that child. I finished almost an entire module in one day. And in my very first Wednesday live session, I was able to make the artwork along with Sir. That told me I was in the right place.

Starting From Zero

I want to be honest about how much zero I was starting from.

I didn’t know how to use Photoshop. I didn’t know how to connect a pen tablet. I didn’t know what tools did what. Every single thing was new.

What the modules gave me was structure that made the newness manageable. Every step was explained clearly enough that even picking up a stylus for the first time, I understood what I was supposed to do and why. Beginner-friendly in the real sense — not simplified, but patient. Thorough.

When I got stuck — and I got stuck often in the beginning — I’d message Harsh Sir. The reply would come immediately. Every time.

Early module practice — cherry still life

Wednesday Sessions: The Part I Can’t Explain

Every Wednesday, something new. A new topic, a new experiment, a new thing to try. For someone like me who loves exploring, it became something I genuinely looked forward to — that curiosity about what we’d be doing, what tool we’d use, what we’d make.

I’ve missed the last few sessions because of my college schedule. But I still have access to everything. Two years in, that access hasn’t changed. That’s exactly what I told Papa when I convinced him: lifetime. I was right.

Cloud dragon — concept art

What Two Years Looks Like

I’m now pursuing a Bachelor of Design in Animation and Film Design. I didn’t choose that path randomly. I found it because Artma opened doors I didn’t know existed.

Before Artma, I didn’t know what concept art was. I didn’t know there was a game industry that needed artists, or that visual development was a career path. The modules gave me fundamentals. The Wednesday sessions gave me breadth. Together, they gave me direction.

The improvement in my work is something I can see myself when I compare my first digital pieces to what I make now. My family sees it too. They tell me to never leave art behind. To keep going in this direction only.

Venkatesh Sir is also, honestly, a confidence booster. I look at his artwork and I think: I want to reach that level. I will reach that level one day.

Character design portfolio

On Commissions — and Why I’m Saying No

People have asked me to commission work. More than once.

I’ve said no each time — not because I can’t do it, but because I’m not ready to do it at the level I want to. In my mind, I have an image of where my skill should be. I haven’t reached it yet. Every morning when I wake up I feel like my level has gone up a little, and then I look at where I want to be and I think: not yet.

That’s not insecurity. That’s standards. Artma gave me enough foundation that I know what good looks like — and that’s precisely why I keep pushing.

Is It Worth It?

A friend shared a link with me on a random day in 12th standard. Because of that link, I discovered digital art. Because of digital art, I discovered concept art, character design, the game industry. Because of those discoveries, I chose my degree. Because of that degree, I’m building toward something I can actually see.