10 years since st. marys

an ode to high school . 2010

its been 10 years since i graduated from st. mary's catholic high school. and i must admit, catholic school really did live up to every stereotype in existence! at the time it did feel pretty miserable being there for 13 very long years of my early life! but looking back, i do miss being there (partially!). what i really miss the most is how simple life was when i was younger.

to all my friends that i still know and to those that i have lost touch with, to all the nuns and teachers who made sure our lives were miserable with good intentions, to my sisters who went through what i did before me, i dedicate this post to you all, and most importantly, to st. mary's high! thank you for looking after me when i hated you the most, and for always being a part of who i am today.

as wise as an owl...

wisdom . 2011

here's an illustration i made that communicates how with age, comes wisdom. we tend to look at our elders as wise people who've experieced so much more then we have. with the phrase 'as wise as an owl' as my starting point, i wanted to make a visual connection between the elderly and owls. sometimes i feel the traditional headress the female emirati elders wear (called the burqaa) can visually resemble a beak. so i couldn't help but illustrate how our elders are our real 'wise owls'! even though sometimes owls are symbols of bad luck in middle eastern cultures, i wanted to look at the positive, and give a sense of anticipating my wisdom as i age over the years...

gamboo3a

gamboo3a . 2011

quick sketch of the week - i had a great conversation/dialogue with a friend on culture and was asked to create a visual based on our discussion. here's what i came up with; making a relationship with the modern high-rise buildings of dubai, and the funny, tower-like hairdos alot of emirati girls have. i guess what i tried to express in this illustration was how a change in the city's visual landscape can impact the people in a community in the strangest ways. you can make visual relationships between a city & its people, even if its as random as saying people have towers growing on the top of their heads!

london baby!

english currency . 2008

big ben . 2007

lovebox people . 2008

piccadilly circus . 2007

i just came back from a short but sweet trip to my favorite city in the world, london. if there was anywhere in the world i can live in other then dubai, it would probably be london. regardless of the weather, i find london fun, inspiring and alive. i try to go there as much as i can, and whenever i do, i am never disappointed. 

over the years i have sketched moments of my travels around the world, never wanting to forget the cherished memories i have at these special places. here are some sketches i have drawn over the years during my trips to london town! doing a quick and spontaneous sketch is a process i thoroughly enjoy...

uh-oh-oh...

uh-oh b/w . 2011

uh-oh . 2011

uh-oh card . 2011

i had a moment of randomness yesterday, having the urge to produce something fast & effective, and totally random! i pulled out my sketchbook (while listening to beyonce's hit 'single ladies') and started sketching what is now some of the most iconic choreography in a music video. using that as my source of inspiration, i moved on to create something that looked more like a mark, or a printing error, combining figurative, gestural and graphic forms to create a minimal style visual. the final drawing was then photocopied on sugar paper, to give the final print a hand-crafted look and make each one unique from the next. the final prints/cards are a5 in size, signed, and an edition of 40. let me know if you'd like one...

3 keez of illustration

3 keez of illustration exhibition . 2011

american university in dubai (aud), visual communication department . 2011

3 keez exhibition poster . 2011

3 keez exhibition poster (detail) . 2011

'what hurts the most' in 3 keez exhibition . 2011

'what hurts the most' in 3 keez exhibition . 2011

earlier this month, i participated in a group show that consisted of works by some of the best illustrators in town! on the 1st of march 2011, the american university of dubai (aud) visual communication department opened it's gallery doors for the opening of '3 keez of illustration'. the exhibition included works by 25 illustrators of varied styles. i was happy to be a part of the show, exhibiting my latest illustration 'what hurts the most'. 

if you haven't had a chance to check it out, make sure you do, as the exhibition runs until the 31st of march. during the duration of the show, there will also be a series of workshops and skectchbook sessions, where you can meet and interact with some of the artists and see how they work. for more info, head to aud's website - http://www.aud.edu/

new krossbreed tees coming soon...

'khalid says relax' male tshirt sketch . 2011

'khalid says relax' female tshirt sketch . 2011

here's a little teaser of things to come...! by popular demand, krossbreed is releasing a new tee design to add to its growing collection, in conjunction with the opening of artdubai. whoever wants to get their hands on these special edition tees, make sure to come to artdubai during the 16th-19th March 2011, and pop by their awesome store. for more details on artdubai ,check out their website www.artdubai.ae

stay tuned for more updates coming your way...