Hyderabad-based Swetha Eepuri can’t stroll with out help, however her celebrity pencil sketches journey far and large within the hearts of admirers. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy — a genetic dysfunction that causes progressive muscle weak spot —Swetha is a self-taught artist whose story is one in all quiet resilience, making her mark one sketch at a time.
On the primary flooring of her residence in Sahara Estate, Auto Nagar, Swetha sits by her favorite nook with an adjustable desk, sheets of drawing paper, and her wheelchair. Neatly filed beside her is a rising assortment of pencil portraits — actors and actresses from the Telugu movie trade, cricketers, and politicians — every rendered with outstanding precision.
Stress with well being points
Sketches by Swetha Eepuri… Prabhas, NTR and Sai Pallavi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A local of Vellanki village in Nalgonda district, Telangana, Swetha as soon as dreamed of changing into a health care provider, however her household was preoccupied with her well being considerations. “I was weak as a child and suffered frequent falls. We went from hospital to hospital, but no one could identify the condition,” she remembers.
Sketching celebrities
Allu Arjun, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Balakrishna, Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Rashmika Mandanna, Anuskha Shetty, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni.
Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2005, Swetha moved with her household to Hyderabad for her intermediate schooling, however her well being continued to say no. “Earlier it was frequent falls, but over time the muscle weakness worsened, affecting my strength. Even climbing stairs became difficult,” she says.
Tryst with artwork
Swetha Eepuri
| Photo Credit:
Special Assignment
With a deteriorating situation, doing even fundamental duties turned powerful and he or she stopped schooling after B Pharmacy. Confined to residence, her life was relegated to a chair and wanted a wheel chair for any mobility. During this tough section, Swetha sketched a lonely lady looking of a window to specific her feelings. “I had no knowledge of art, but I sketched to show how I felt,” she remembers. Sharing the drawing with mates lifted her spirits and gave her a brand new sense of goal. “Even I was surprised I could manage a decent sketch on my first attempt,” she provides with a smile.
YouTube quickly turned her classroom, serving to her study shading, layering, outlining, and dealing with pores and skin tones and lighting. In 2015, she posted her first celebrity sketch on X (previously Twitter) — of actor Prabhas through the launch of Baahubali: The Beginning — and the appreciation, even from strangers, was an enormous morale enhance. “I made mistakes with the eyes and nose, but the encouragement pushed me to continue,” she says.
Actors like Manchu Manoj and Sai Dharam Tej later favored her sketches on X, drawing the eye of fan golf equipment and widening her attain. Working solely with her thumb and forefinger, Swetha makes use of charcoal and graphite for her portraits. She prefers sketching celebrities and infrequently occasions her posts with film releases or milestones — her current sketch for Mahavatar Narasimha drew 700,000 views on X and 207,000 on Instagram.
Sketches by Swetha Eepuri… MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli
| Photo Credit:
Special Assignment
Through this eight-year journey, her largest help has been her father, Krishnaiah, a weaver, her mom, Bharathi, a homemaker, and her brother, Ramesh. “I don’t want people to pity me or like my art because of my limitations. That’s why I never post about my condition. I want my work to speak for me and inspire anyone who doubts their own abilities,” says Swetha goals of opening an artwork college sometime.
Her works may be seen on @swethaeepuri on X and Instagram
