rivers of the world part 1

al ebdaa school workshop . 2012

al ebdaa school workshop . 2012

omar bin khattab school workshop . 2012

omar bin khattab school workshop . 2012

omar bin khattab school workshop . 2012

al khansaa school workshop . 2012

al khansaa school workshop . 2012

al khansaa school workshop . 2012

umm suqueim school workshop . 2012

umm suqueim school workshop . 2012

since the beginning of the year, i've been leading a series of workshops along with my friend and freelance graphic designer maie atabani, catered to students in government schools around the city. the workshops are part of a bigger project/exhibition happening later this year titled rivers of the world, part of the thames festival in london.

rivers of the world focuses on encouraging children to create art based on research about a river that exists in their country. it also promotes dialogue and exchange between international schools. i think its a great initiative and am glad to be a part of it. thank you british council for inviting me to be a part of this project!

as dubai is being represented this year with the dubai creek (which technically isn't a river but still works!), maie and i have been to four schools so far, leading workshops and teaching students different techniques to create artworks based on assigned themes about the river. so far, we've used techniques like drawing, painting, collage and inkblot printing! once the students create their final pieces, maie and i compile all the works digitally to create one final artwork per school. as long as each student's work is visually represented, we have free reign to decide how the final artwork looks.

it's been such a great experience so far. i feel that in some way, i am giving something back to the community, and hopefully inspiring a younger generation to express themselves through art. its also been very exciting seeing the results the students come up with. they actually reminded me of how much i miss being young and a student, where i had so much fun experimenting with different mediums to create works.

after march, we have two more schools to work with. once we've completed all six workshops, maie and i start working on the six final pieces. stay tuned for updates in the near future...

a queen needs her king...

king . 2011

its time to make new krossbreed products (do i hear a yaay in the distance?!) & i am super excited to announce 2 new designs for tees coming out this march.

i decided to use my previous queen illustration as one of the new t-shirt designs. but every queen needs her king! so, the second tee will be none other then my queen's significant other; her very own king! i'm very excited for when these are ready, as i've been badgered by many to produce these designs onto t-shirts. i hope i don't disappoint & satisfy the krossbreed lovers out there! both king & queen tees will cater to both male & female audiences, & come in a special package for anyone who's interested in buying both designs.

stay tuned for more updates on the king & queen tees, plus news on additional krossbreed products to be released in march...

birthday boots

birthday boots . 2012

today i turned 27! & what better way to celebrate then gift myself with a funky new pair of kicks! while recovering at home after an intense surgery involving wisdom teeth & gum infections, i took the time to customize a pair of basic h&m high-tops to my liking. i worked on the shoes as a submission to be featured in one of my favorite magazines out there, i like my style. i don't know if it will be selected (fingers crossed), but i hope to see it featured in their next issue...

to the loved ones who made my 27th special, no matter how big or small the gesture, this post is for you. love you all...

cry wolf

cry wolf 1 . 2012

cry wolf 2 . 2012

cry wolf 3 . 2012

cry wolf 4 . 2012

cry wolf 4 (version 2) . 2012

cry wolf 1 sketch . 2012

cry wolf 4 sketch . 2012

it's the new year and time for the first post of 2012 & new projects!

first up, we've got a series of illustrations for a children's publication soon to be released. i was approached to be part of a project honoring famous children's fables and stories, many of which i have grown up with reading as a child. the stories are from around the world, & each illustrator was assigned a story to interpret through illustration. i was assigned the famous story 'the boy who cried wolf'; about a farm boy who constantly lied that his herd of sheep were attacked by a pack of wolves, until one day it really happened, and no one believed him...

i was so excited to be a part of this project as children's book illustrations was something i definitely wanted to do for a very long time. and for a first attempt, i'm quite happy with the results.

my visual interpretation of the story relates to the heritage & culture of where i come from, giving a subtle arabic feel to it. it was quite challenging having to reinterpret a story in 3-4 different illustrations. but in the end, i figured out a solution that focuses on the characters, without being a literal interpretation of the written story. while growing up, i found the best illustrations were the one's that give you just enough for you to look at, leaving enough room to interpret the rest yourself.

i'm still not sure how many of the illustrations above will be selected for the final publication. ideally all four would be awesome. but i guess it will be a surprise for us all. stay tuned for updates...