2.10.19

blaze

'blaze' mini comic . 2019





illustrations for 'blaze' mini comic . 2019


i recently participated in another super fun zine making workshop organised by nasir nasrallah and the sharjah art foundation (see previous post on first workshop here). the second iteration invited comic artists and illustrators to work on mini comics over the course of 3 days (with a little extension added after). once again, the results from the workshop would be included in this year's edition of the focal point art book fair. the theme for this year's fair is zines and comics, so i personally am really excited for it, and even more ecstatic to be a part of it. what's even more exciting is that all the collected results from the workshop will be compiled into a publication, which will be launched at the fair. it's going to be an amazing anthology, and i can't wait to get my hands on a copy!
the mini comic i came up with is titled 'blaze' which is inspired by a graffitied creature i stumbled upon on one of my many nights out in deira. it was the last thing i thought i would find as i drove around the area in search of parking! i instantly fell in love with this character, and had to stop the car to take a picture. there was the word 'blaze' tagged next to it, so i assume that's the name of the creature, or perhaps the name of the creator of this little fellow! i absolutely fell in love with this spontaneous gesture on a wall, and wanted to tell a story with 'blaze' as the main character. the 10 page mini comic is a short story of a passerby's encounter with the creature called 'blaze', and the adventure that came next.
it was so much fun working on this, and it's great hearing what people think about it when i show it to them. if you're reading this post, i hope you enjoy it too! to nasir and the sharjah art foundation – thank you once again for an amazing workshop and inviting me to be a part of it. to more workshops like these in the near future.
don't forget, make sure to come to the focal point art book fair in november. stay tuned for a future post announcing the fair and the dates. until then, i end this post sharing a photo of the original graffitied 'blaze' that inspired the mini comic you see above. and by chance, if the artist behind the graffiti below reads this, i hope you like the mini comic you inspired. please reach out – we should catch up over a coffee!


photograph of original 'blaze' graffiti in deira . 2019