Drawing Her Own Path: The Rise of Illustrator Amruta Behera
In the heart of Mumbai, amidst the chaos of rickshaws, neon lights, and chai stalls, lives an illustrator whose world is drenched in colour, curiosity, and quiet joy — Amruta Behera.
From the very beginning, Amruta’s life has been wrapped in art. Her notebooks in school were never just filled with lessons, but margins bursting with doodles. Her idea of fun wasn’t playgrounds or cartoons, but hours in the art room, painting, sketching, and letting her imagination run wild. “It’s always been my favourite thing to do,” she says — and it shows.
Today, she’s a self-described mix of formally trained and self-taught. After choosing art whenever she could through her school years, Amruta went on to study fashion at FIT in New York. But even outside the classroom, she continued learning daily — picking up new techniques, experimenting with styles, sketching endlessly, and constantly growing into the artist she is today.
“Art found me,” she says. “It became part of how I think, how I talk, how I function.”
A Signature that Keeps Evolving
While Amruta doesn’t believe she has one fixed style, her work is instantly recognisable — especially her beloved auto art series. Inspired by the everyday beauty of Mumbai’s autos, crumbling walls, and unfiltered street life, this series became her quiet breakthrough.
“People saw it, connected with it, and that pushed me to keep creating,” she says.
“It felt like my first real step out there.”
Her work has found its place in everything from children’s book illustrations to brand collaborations with names like Baskin Robbins. Whether it’s a hyper-realistic embroidery print for her Indian wear label Amuri, or personal commissions filled with vivid detail — Amruta’s art adapts, transforms, and speaks in many visual languages, always with heart.
Inspiration in the Everyday
What fuels her creativity? Everything. A crumpled Coke can. A trash bin. The way light hits a corner of a street. For Amruta, art isn’t confined to museums or sketchbooks — it’s all around.
Her process is intuitive and fluid. She sees something, lets it marinate, and then just starts.
No overthinking, just trust.
“The middle always looks off or funny,” she laughs, “but I know if I keep going, it’ll turn into something beautiful.”
Mentors, Moments, and Messy Floors
Amruta credits her masi (aunt) — an artist herself — as one of her earliest and strongest influences. A hyper-realistic painting of a baby boy surrounded by puppies, made by her masi, hung on their wall for years. It wasn't just a painting; it was a mirror, showing young Amruta what was possible.
“She gave up on teaching me math and just let us make art — messy floors and all.”
But like any artist’s story, hers isn’t without struggle. Losing her father at a young age, art became her sanctuary. It gave her a space to channel grief, emotion, and resilience — turning pain into purpose.
Creating for Joy, Not the Gram
In a world dominated by algorithms, followers, and instant validation, Amruta chooses a different path — one led by joy, solitude, and self-growth.
“The algorithm is unpredictable. Clients are unpredictable.
But the one thing I can control is becoming better than I was yesterday —
one sketch, one frame at a time.”
Her advice for aspiring artists is gold:
Save everything.
Create for yourself.
Find your voice.
Don’t copy — explore, experiment, evolve.
And most of all, don’t stop. Whether your post gets ten likes or ten rejections, keep going.
Looking Ahead: Big Dreams, Bigger Canvas
With exciting brand collaborations, commissioned paintings, and a new embroidery collection underway, Amruta’s canvas is only expanding. But her dream remains clear:
“I want to be one of India’s well-known illustrators.
I want my art everywhere — on billboards, in coffee table books,
on fridges, in IPL ads, and maybe even at Coldplay’s next India tour.”
A Spark of Joy in Every Stroke
More than fame or accolades, Amruta’s art is about connection. She wants people to feel something, to pause, to smile, to notice beauty in the mundane.
“I want my art to spark joy and curiosity —
like a little surprise for the soul.”
From a child who filled notebooks with scribbles to a professional illustrator whose art now touches lives across the country, Amruta Behera reminds us that sometimes, the quietest beginnings lead to the boldest, brightest journeys.