Profile: Award-winning illustrator Irfana Biviji

“I was struck by Falmouth’s high standards. They let you be individual and want you to come up with new ideas. Which is good, because I’m an idea-oholic!”

“It began with rejection,” says Irfana. After studying for a diploma in applied arts in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), she took her portfolio along to a British Council fair and showed it to a number of UK colleges. “They all made me offers. But when I got to the Falmouth desk they told me my portfolio wasn’t up-to-date enough.”

“I was struck by Falmouth’s high standards,” she said. “Others just glanced at my work, and I felt I’d been picked not for quality but for my fees.” Irfana decided to reject their offers and apply again to Falmouth. The following September she was at Heathrow being met by staff from Falmouth’s International Office. “It was the first time I’d come to England. I was surprised to see so many people from different countries.”

Irfana was also struck by England’s architecture and vivid greenery, but her biggest shock came as the bus drove into Falmouth. “There were so few people compared to home. I thought it must be a public holiday!” The contrast came as an immense relief and she quickly settled in “I think I’d have been lost at a college with more students. But Falmouth is great. It isn’t that expensive and you can walk wherever you need to go.”

In her first year she stayed with a “really friendly” family that she’d selected with her parents via the internet from a list provided by Falmouth. She soon found there was a trick to dealing with the English. “They’re very polite and considerate. But I soon learnt that you have to take the initiative. If you ask they will really go out of their way to help you; they’re just a bit shy.” Now some of her best friends are English.

She found her tutors a great inspiration. “Even if they criticise your work they are gentle and try to encourage you. And they give you individual attention; if you need help you get personal tutorials.” She was also impressed by the freedom: “They let you be individual and want you to come up with new ideas. Which is good, because I’m an idea-oholic!”

She developed a burning ambition to get her illustrations of people of the Himalayas shown in the Association of Illustrators’ (AOI) famous annual. In 2004 she achieved her dream and received what the BBC reported as “the most prestigious award that the world of illustration can offer: the AOI Images 29 Gold Award for Best Student.”

You can view Irfana’s work at www.irfana.co.uk