Dreamscapes and Spirit Animals

Come an Whimsical Journey Led by Spirit Guides

Hauntingly beautiful vistas are populated by ghostly animal spectres in Nikita Gill’s, latest series Dreamscapes and Spirit Animals. “On a slightly stressful night when I was struggling to sleep, I was trying to find some positive thoughts,” recalls Nikita.

“I am deeply inspired by nature, so I focused on my near-dawn garden. It was misty, and a silhouetted deer moved across it, looking quite like a spirit. That visual is what gave life to this series.”

The whole collection is characterized by a childlike sense of wonder and magic. Nikita seems to ask the viewer to suspend their disbelief and cynicism for just a moment and let yourself be carried away in a dreamlike stupor.

The Plus: Are the images inspired by true locations?
Nikita Gill: Absolutely. Although the visuals themselves came from my imagination, the misty landscape is heavily inspired by the forested countryside I live in, and the fields around it.

TP: How did you create the images?
NG: Ah, the process is the most fun bit of art. It’s like a train journey through beautiful landscapes. First I sketch out the visual on a piece of paper. Then I use a combination of stock photos and my own photography till I am closest to what I have sketched. I then composite the images and colour process them on Adobe Photoshop. I spend a lot of time on colour processing to emphasise the dream-like quality of the images.

TP: You are a typography and branding designer, who also loves photography, painting and poetry. How do these skills and interests influence your work?
NG: I love all things creative and dabble in multiple disciplines because there are so many ways to express yourself. Each medium is a language of its own, and each language brings a different flavour to my work. I sometimes mix poetry and photography within my design work if it needs an ethereal quality. Being able to take photos and illustrate helps when trying to communicate a design idea quite often as well.

TP: What is your favourite animal?
NG: The stag, by far, is my favourite animal (And he features quite heavily in my work). It stems from Bambi being my favourite movie as a child, as well as growing up with Harry Potter.

TP: Do you have any plans for your next project?
NG: I am really looking forward my next project as I am going to be experimenting with double exposure for the first time. I will be using the ethereal quality from the visuals to illustrate a poetry book.