kylie minogue is really hard to draw!

kylie minogue . 2020

it's the 28th of may which means it's kylie minogue's birthday!
i remember watching ‘can’t get you out of my head’ for the first time in a c&a store in prague, summer 2001. i was mesmerised by the song and music video. in university, i repeatedly drew the final scene of the video during my bus rides back home. kylie dancing on a rooftop to the chorus was so iconic to me. 19 years later, i thought i’d draw it again this year on the occasion of her birthday. i must say i like how it turned out, but my goodness kylie minogue is so hard to draw!

those who know me know how much of a fan i am of ms. minogue. i have to thank my sisters, who listened to her music around me during the late 80s & early 90s. my fandom came to fruition by the end of the 90s during my final years in high school. when her seventh studio album ‘light years’ was released, i was officially team kylie! her music has been a constant in my life, and got me through the best and worst of times – listening to her songs while stressed in the studio, chilling at home, or singing loudly in my car.
in addition to the music, her collaborations with william baker and tony hung have always been a point of reference and inspiration to me, influencing my work in some form or another. her music videos, album artworks, stage designs and costumes are some of the best examples of art and design in contemporary music and pop culture.

i’ve never met kylie, but i’ve watched her perform ten times so far – my first was at the x tour in Madrid, 2008. i hope i could meet her one day (universe, please see this and work your magic!). until then, i hope this post crosses kylie’s path. and if it does, i hope she likes what she sees.

thank you for the music, the entertainment, the inspiration, and for sharing the same initials as me! can’t wait for what’s next. until then, happy birthday kylie minogue.

garden gathering

'garden gathering' mini comic . 2020

 

illustrations for 'garden gathering' mini comic . 2020 

i write this post as ramadan slowly comes to a close. and what a strange ramadan it's been. i'm still quarantined at home, with the occasional stepping out for running errands. ramadan is usually filled with gatherings amongst friends and family, yet this year no one has been able to do so. and for those not following social distancing rules have faced the consequences – news reports mention cases where communal gatherings have occurred and those in attendance were exposed to the virus. so ramadan this year has been quite intimate and simple for me – staying at home for most of the time, and experiencing it with just my mother and sister.

in terms of making work, i feel a momentum slowly picking up again. since my last post, i've been drawing more, and had the opportunity to work on a couple of illustration-based projects, one being the mini comic you see above. titled 'garden gathering', this short story is about longing for interaction with the outside world, and making new friends where you least expect it. here's a quick description:

my time of late involves staring into the distance from my balcony at home, missing the outside world and the people i interact with. and yet, i've made new friends during my time indoors – a lovely pigeon who stops by for a break at my window, and a cat who's made the outdoor garden her new home. we keep each other company every afternoon, until we part ways in anticipation of gathering again the next day.

'garden gathering' was originally commissioned for warehouse 421's "jam'atna" series, in collaboration with artist and educator rania jishi of naqd critique, and independent consultant and creative nahla tabaa. "jam'atna", which translates to 'our gathering', invited a group of artists to interpret what gathering and being together means during these quarantined times, especially during the month of ramadan. i'm really happy with the final result of the mini comic, and can't thank the team behind "jam'atna" for the opportunity. it definitely sparked my drive to create once again, and i hope i can keep the momentum going. if you'd like to have a look at the other "jam'atna" contributions, head to the highlights section on warehouse 421's instagram page. 

until the next post, stay safe, healthy and indoors.

sanitized ramadan

ramadan kareem hand sanitizer . 2020

ramadan kareem to those observing. may it be a blessed month for everyone. 

i'm writing this post as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause havoc around the world. i've been quarantined at home for the last four weeks or so, and it hasn't been easy. the news has been strange, projects have been on hold, and people are showing their true colours. obviously some days are better than others when trying to cope with it all, and social media has made me laugh on many occasions when i've been down.

i haven't been in the right mindset to make any work. and having no access to my studio has made it even more challenging to create. but the night before ramadan, the idea of illustrating a branded ramadan hand sanitizer popped in my head! and i immediately opened my sketchbook to draw it out. i thought it was a funny idea, with hopes it would make someone feel better as they cope with current covid challenges.

the illustration is a little tongue in cheek – commenting on the excess panic buying of hand sanitizers by everyone in order to protect themselves from the virus, and how people suddenly become more connected to their faith during ramadan in hopes of being forgiven for 'past sins' (it takes being a good person all year folks!).

i hope everyone here enjoys the illustration above. and i hope the month of ramadan allows for some self reflection and gratitude amongst many not so nice people in our communities. as mentioned earlier, this pandemic has really revealed people's true colours, ranging from general bad behaviour to taking advantage of the pandemic for social media clout. i hope we can all come out of this as better humans and slightly less selfish to each other and the earth we share.

madame coco is here

coco jalila chocolate box design (final) . 2020

coco jalila chocolate boxes (final) . 2020

hello from the confines of self isolation! i hope everyone is staying safe and washing their hands regularly and practising social distancing. i'd like to think that i'm trying to stay calm during these troublesome times. but it's hard to do so when almost everyone around me is in panic mode. let's all do our part, stay calm, and rid the world of this silly corona virus together. 

on a lighter note, she's finally here – madame coco has been introduced to the world on coco jalila's newest chocolate boxes. i'm so happy to finally see this illustration printed. i started working with coco jalila shortly after moving back home post risd. i created some fun illustrations last year for their upcoming line of boxes (you can read all about it here). however, 2019 wasn't the year they'd print new boxes. cut to corona 2020, and madame coco was selected as the face of coco jalila's new boxes! i made a few minor adjustments to the background on the final artwork. i'm really happy with the end product and how the printed boxes turned out. i think the artwork really stands out amongst the other chocolate brand packaging out there. 

i really wish these boxes were launched during better global circumstances. but better late than never i guess. if you're reading this, keep a look out for coco jalila's chocolates located in all the address hotels around town (once it's good to go back out into the city). or you can place orders via their instagram and website. trust me when i say, their chocolates are realllllllly good! support homegrown businesses like coco jalila, especially in these difficult times.

saturdaze in samandal

'saturdaze' in samandal issue #16 . 2020

i am happy to announce that 'saturdaze', a mini comic by yours truly and my buddy mohammed (momo) al shaibani has been included in the latest issue of samandal. it was early last year when momo and i first saw their open call to submit comics for their upcoming issue. we worked through all of ramadan last year, making sure we finish our comic and submit it on time. i'm so thankful that we did. along with exhibiting 'saturdaze' in last year's 'made in tashkeel' summer show, i can now add that 'saturdaze' has been officially published as well (you can read about last year's 'saturdaze' post here).
i've been somewhat of a follower of samandal comics over the years, and love their commitment to showcasing independent artists and their stories. it's a real honour to finally be included in samadal alongside some really cool artists, and with my buddy momo. thank you team samandal for having us included in your current issue.
unfortunately, samandal isn't sold in the united arab emirates so if you're looking for a copy, it's best to reach out to them via their website or on instagram. and if you're in beirut, or somewhere around the world that sells samandal, i hope you get a copy. issue 16 is pretty great!

things to colour in

the lighthouse colouring placemat (front) . 2020

the lighthouse colouring placemat (back) . 2020

the lighthouse colouring placemat (final) . 2020

the lighthouse colouring wall . 2020

the lighthouse colouring wall (final) at depachika food hall, nakheel mall . 2020 (image courtesy of the lighthouse)

here are a couple more fun projects i worked on for the lighthouse (you can read about the earlier projects here).

the lighthouse team were really keen on working on a couple of colouring themed projects for their younger audience (and the young at heart). the first was a colouring wall at their recent pop up space for the launch of the depachika food hall, located in nakheel mall. the colouring wall was themed around the various food items found in the lighthouse menu. the final result was a simplistic illustrated presentation of different food items, beverages, ingredients and kitchen utensils for children to colour in. i really liked how the final illustration ended up, given that we worked on a very tight deadline. i hope the explosion of food got the kids excited to colour it all in. i must say, i'm pretty confused with some of the colour choices the kids decided on when colouring certain things in! but i'm glad to see the impressions left by the children on my illustrations.

the second project i worked on is the illustrated placemat at the top of this post. again, the placemats are meant to target a younger audience, which is why the back of the placemat also includes the kids menu. unlike the colouring wall, i didn't want to just illustrate cartoon-like food items, but wanted the overall placemat to look sophisticated, yet fun enough for the kids to colour in. along with including items off the menu, there are also design items that are iconic of the lighthouse, as well as products that can be found in their shop (books, crayons, kitchenware). i'm really happy with how the final placemat turned out, and i hope everyone who pays a visit to the lighthouse enjoys them too.

thank you to the lighthouse team for wanting to work with me on a really great collection of illustrated collateral for the restaurant. i hope we can work together again on more stuff in the near future.

sharjah at the london book fair

'london book fair sharjah market focus' final illustration . 2020

'london book fair sharjah market focus' character illustrations . 2020

here's a project i'm super proud to have worked on, yet that silly coronavirus has managed to have stolen the spotlight from it (damn you covid-19)!!!

i was approached by the british council uae to work on creating a visual identity for the 'london book fair sharjah market focus 2020' programme in partnership with the sharjah book authority. in this year's london book fair, sharjah takes the stage as the 2019-20 world book capital, showcasing sharjah's growth and contribution to literature and publishing on an international platform. the programming for the 'market focus' includes talks and discussions by key figures from the literary and publishing world in the emirates.

the brief was quite simple – to create a graphic illustration for easy application onto various formats (web banners, social media, printed collateral, etc.), and to respond to the theme of 'contemporary uae'. theme's are very tricky for me, and i'd like to think i responded to it successfully. the illustration above is comprised of characters interacting with traditional (books, parchments) and digital (laptops, phones) reading/writing tools. i tried to make the characters representational of the emirates through their outfits, and. the background includes abstract representations of traditional architecture (wind towers and domes) and natural landscapes (desert dunes) found in sharjah and the emirates. we went through a series of colour options until we decided on the final green and beige palette you see above. overall, i think it looks pretty great, and the clients were very happy with it.

i was really excited to see my illustrations represented at the london book fair and to an international audience. but unfortunately, the london book fair this year has been canceled due to the worldwide conronavirus outbreak. i was really disappointed to realise my illustrations wouldn't be shared as effectively as i thought it would be. i'm not sure if there are any activities lined up for later in the year. but if there are, i hope my illustrations will still be used.

i end this post with a couple of applications i found online via the british council's 'london book fair sharjah market focus' webpage. below are a couple of images of the illustration applied as a roll-up banner and as a digital web banner. thank you british council uae for reaching out to me to be a part of this project. it's a true honour to represent the emirates on an international level. and to everyone reading this, stay safe and keep washing those hands of yours!

'london book fair sharjah market focus' final illustration as roll-up banner . 2020 (image courtesy of the british council)

'london book fair sharjah market focus' final illustration as digital web banner . 2020 (courtesy of the british council)