Law student’s face becomes her canvas: Ardra’s unique art wins hearts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For law student Ardra, her own face is the canvas. When she begins painting, images of Shiva-Parvati or Lord Krishna come alive with striking clarity. What started as a fun experiment has now made the young lawyer’s face painting a sensation. She uses acrylic and face paints, and after realising they caused no skin issues, her confidence grew.

Her first attempt was during a vacation three years ago. At that time, her canvas and drawing sheets were the walls of the CSI Law College hostel. Later, she decided to use her face as the canvas. Her first design was a Theyyam-style painting using red and black. After that success, she began painting themes related to gender equality and other social issues. So far, Ardra has painted more than 60 designs, including for Independence Day and Halloween.

Each artwork takes anywhere between five minutes and three hours to complete. She can paint Kathakali in just four minutes. Ardra earned a place in the International Book of Records for painting India’s national symbols on her face.

Ardra, a native of Bharathannoor, Thiruvananthapuram, is currently pursuing her LL.M. at the Law Academy, Peroorkada.

Her father is S Sumaraj, mother Julie, and siblings Adithya and Asha.

Entrepreneur from 18

Since the age of 18, Ardra has been earning her own income through art. She creates gift hampers, bottle art, and wedding gifts. Her face paintings are showcased on her Instagram page “Face for Art,” where her videos have been viewed by millions.

This week, Ardra will be officially enrolled as a lawyer. She plans to continue pursuing both law and art side by side.