Veteran comic artist and educator Dilip Chaubey has launched India’s first comic book school for comic art education. Called The Dilip Chaubey School of Art (DCSA), the institute offers six-month certification program in Character Design, Comic Illustration and Digital Art in its Lucknow campus.
Chaubey has over 30 years of experience in illustration and teaching. He has served as a senior professor in Digital Arts at an American University. He was a former illustrator at Raj Comics, where he created characters like Tiranga, Parmanu, and Fighter Toads in the 90s. With over 300 comics under his belt at Raj Comics, and 14 years teaching internationally, his expertise is widely recognised.
Chaubey’s DCSA is dedicated to training artists in sequential arts and upskilling the crafts of the comics industry. As per the institute, its focus is on a practical skill-based learning approach, providing hands-on, industry-aligned training to shape students into top-skilled artists. DCSA claims to offer an international-level curriculum, bridging the gap between Indian and global comic art standards.
“Comic artwork in India is relatively poor compared to the Marvels/DCs of the world and this has been the key factor as to why our Indian comics industry has never taken off,” said Chaubey, who is the founder & dean of DCSA. “The main reason why the quality of comic art has been relatively poor is the lack of formal comic art education, skill-based learning techniques, and proper resources that enable students to become top artists and make a successful career in art.”
The program is for artists with prior formal art degrees that want to learn or upgrade the craft of comics and sequential art. The curriculum comprises foundational, advanced and specialised modules followed by individual and team-based projects. Upon course completion, graduates get to give an interview for a chance to work under Chaubey in his Vinmics Studios. Other career paths such as being a Concept Artist, Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Game Asset Designer, Comic Illustrator, Children’s Book Illustrator, Digital Colouring Artist, and Art Educator etc open up for students.
“Program graduates emerge as industry-ready professionals, poised to become leading artists and produce comic content of the highest calibre,” said Neeraj Dadlani, co-founder & CEO at Desi Creative Group, the parent company for DCSA. “The infusion of top-tier talent in the industry ensures publishers have access to highly skilled comic artists, enabling them to commission and deliver superior quality work. Readers, in turn, benefit from this dedication to quality as they receive exceptional value for their money when purchasing and reading comics. This elevated standard of content will contribute to the overall expansion of readership. Additionally, traders in the industry can strategically position high-quality comics in front of readers, capturing their attention enabling them to grow the category.”
He further emphasised, “The pressing need for skilled artists and the urgent demand for an increased number of them are pivotal factors for our burgeoning industry to evolve into an established one.”