Pia Alizé Hazarika was experiencing a rare lull between projects in May and she had a new tablet to break in. So she decided to spend her time by sketching strangers on the internet. “I put up a 12-hour open call on Twitter asking if anyone wanted doodles,” the 28-year-old graphic designer said, “and people responded.”
The illustrator received 57 requests from Twitter users in those 12 hours and has so far made doodles of 44 of them. “Twitter has a tendency to get a bit angry and mean sometimes. So why not put something on the timeline that makes people smile, right?”
Indeed, her #DoodleEveryone project has achieved that: one of the comments on Hazarika’s doodles raves, “Exquisite. This and the entire series.”
@pi_alize These are incredible! When does Round 2 open? *asks with excitement* @oothikicha
— Agratha Dinakaran (@Agratha) June 2, 2016
@pi_alize @adiemantium good lord! This entire series is damn awesome, Pi! What needs one do to get in line?
— Villainiya (@DushtaStree) June 2, 2016
@pi_alize whattay amazing talent .. All the doodles I've seen so far are so apt !! @dangertoon
— B. (@BurgerrB) June 13, 2016
Hazarika says she has interacted with a few of her subjects outside of Twitter. “Some are easy to draw because they are pretty straightforward about the kind of people they are on Twitter, but mostly it is just a shot in the dark.”
Did she try to identify and sketch their traits by going through their tweets? “I’m not trying to ‘capture’ anything, although I seem to be doing a pretty OK job based off of the few little pieces of information they sent in about what they like, etc.”
There are some Twitter celebs in the #DoodleEveryone series, but most others are people who follow her or she follows.
Hazarika says people have asked her why she’s churning out her talent for free. “I’ve been offered money, food, drinks – basically a whole load of company across the country. It is nice to be nice at the risk of sounding like a complete loon.”
The doodles are made sporadically, whenever the Delhi-based illustrator gets around 30 minutes to spare, and then get archived on her Tumblr account.
What’s been her favourite part of the project? “A few people have nominated significant others or people they are into. Then there are others who like my work or their pets – which I think is flipping adorable.”
Hazarika might be the only one sketching the doodles, but others are contributing in their own way. There have been quick pen sketches, a calligraphy tribute, and an adorable wannabe GIF. There was even a #TwitterversePoster in her honour.
Here are some of Hazarika’s doodles. You can follow the rest of her work on this Twitter thread.
