summer workshops

'identitee' t-shirt printing demo . 2019

summer is officially upon us, and it's pretty hot and gross here! but one way of bearing the summer heat is by letting out your creative energy in some nifty, fun and creative workshops! 'tis the season where art institutions set up summer camps focusing on young folk who aren't traveling abroad over the summer to let out their inner artists! i'm fortunate enough to be involved in leading eight workshops over the next couple of months, so if you are (or know anyone that is) 8 years old and above, i hope you find something you fancy. below is the list of workshops i'll be hosting between june and july:

29 june 2019

'identitee' teens tour and workshop at jameel arts centre
10am to 1pm – ages 13 to 16
for more info and to register click here

09 july 2019

'geometric capes' session 1 at jameel arts centre
9am to 4pm – ages 8 to 13
for more info and to register click here

10 july 2019

'tees'n'totes screen printing' at tashkeel

10am to 1pm – ages 8 to 16
for more info and to register click here

20 july 2019

'screen time: screen printing on paper and fabric' at warehouse 421
(in collaboration with tashkeel, and co-taught with my dear friend salama nasib)

11am to 5pm – ages 12+
for more info and to register click here

23 july 2019
'sun prints' at al dhafra cultural center
instructor's assistant – workshop will be led by azim al ghussein
(in collaboration with tashkeel and the ministry of culture & knowledge development)
10am to 1pm – ages 10 to 14
for more info and to register click here

24 july 2019

'geometric capes' session 2 at jameel arts centre
9am to 4pm – ages 8 to 13
for more info and to register click here

28 july 2019
'screen printing' at al dhafra cultural center
(in collaboration with tashkeel and the ministry of culture & knowledge development)
10am to 1pm – ages 10 to 14
for more info and to register click here

30 july 2019
'screen printing' at masafi cultural centre
(in collaboration with tashkeel and the ministry of culture & knowledge development)
10am to 1pm – ages 10 to 14
for more info and to register click here

looking forward to meeting you all at one of these workshops very soon...

saturdaze

'saturdaze' cover . 2019

'saturdaze' page 1 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 2 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 3 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 4 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 5 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 6 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 7 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 8 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 9 . 2019

'saturdaze' page 10 . 2019

here it is – saturdaze!!! a mini comic by me and my friend mohammed al shaibani. as mentioned in an earlier post, i've known momo for around a decade, so this collaboration was more then just making a comic book together – it's a celebration of our friendship, the crazy adventures and moments we've shared together over the years.

people who know me know my love for comic books and the impact they've had on me growing up. i always tell myself i want to get into making comics, but never really put the time for it. the last time i made a comic was in 2016, which was also a collaboration with another friend and artist, azim al ghussein (see 'we met on the dance floor'). the opportunity to work on a comic came about this year when momo was the motivator behind participating in a couple of open calls, one being the 'made in tashkeel' exhibition. we worked non-stop through most of ramadan to get the pages above penciled and inked on time. thankfully, our application got accepted, and we have a mini comic to share with the world.

to explain the story behind 'saturdaze', here's a brief description momo perfectly drafted, explaining what we wanted to make a comic about:

this is our first collaboration in art. our previous collaborations included outings and adventures in dark, neon lit locations, but never on the page. we wanted to show an adventure into the night, a chance meeting with darkness, and a change that ensues after. ‘saturdaze’ begins with our protagonist venturing forth into an alley lit up with neon signs, making his way to a popular establishment called ‘ego’. our hero descends to a seemingly open dance floor populated by eccentrics, where one particularly masked stranger takes notice. through a flurry of choreographed movements, the protagonist shakes the dance hall silent, garnering further attention, and summoning the masked stranger forward to battle. a single touch transforms our hero, forever making him different, and causing him to return from his evening changed. through sequential art, we weave a story that is both somewhat personal, and open enough for the audience to interpret as they please.

'saturdaze' is currently on show in the 10th edition of 'made in tashkeel'. we have our original pages on display, which momo pencilled, and i inked. also available at the show are a limited run of printed editions of the 'saturdaze' comic, a5 in size, on sale for aed 25. help a couple of artists out and make sure to buy a copy when you check out the show!

this post is dedicated to momo – thank you for making sure we completed this comic on time, and thank you for being a friend for all these years. to making more memories, and to more comics in the near future.

'made in tashkeel' is on until 10 september 2019. please do stop by, there's plenty of interesting works to see. for more info on the exhibition, click here. i end this post with a few images of the display at the exhibition, and a little gif of our little comic! 

'saturdaze' mini comic . 2019

'saturdaze' at made in tashkeel . 2019

'saturdaze' at made in tashkeel . 2019

'saturdaze' at made in tashkeel . 2019

'saturdaze' at made in tashkeel . 2019

call me jalila...coco jalila

madame coco (for coco jalila) . 2019

wind towers (for coco jalila) . 2019

ramadan 2019 (for coco jalila) . 2019

once in awhile, you come across a client that is so fun, it doesn't feel like work! i was lucky enough to experience this with coco jalila, a homegrown chocolate company. we've been in touch since i was in providence in my last semester at risd. they saw my work online and reached out to work together. it was a stressful time for me with completing my thesis project and preparing for graduation, so i asked if they can wait to work together once i moved back home. and they generously did. 

our meetings are always filled with laughs and gossip, and we hit it off right away after meeting for the first time at the end of summer 2018. coco jalila was my first official client post-graduation, and i was glad to have them as my first project after moving back home.

the brief was pretty simple – have an 'emirati' flair, and to have something stand out and pop! the illustrations above are the final stages of many iterations and revisions, until we collectively felt they were each in a good, finished place. the first two are meant to be for special edition boxes, pushing forward some of the important brand colours. the third graphic was created for their ramadan products announcement. i really like how they all turned out, and i think they are quite different to many local based chocolate brand packaging. so far, none have been printed onto actual boxes, but i eagerly look forward to it (there will be a blog post for when it happens). until then, enjoy them as illustrations on the screen!

i end this post with one of the first illustrations pitched which we all loved, but unfortunately didn't make it in the final cut. the bougainvillea is such an iconic flower in many of the households around the uae, i felt it could've been a great idea to have this illustration printed onto their packaging. but it wasn't what the clients were looking for. so i leave it here for everyone to enjoy.

thank you to the coco jalila family for working together and for your patience. i look forward to making more cool illustrations for your packaging in the near future...

bougainvillea (unused) . 2018

made in tashkeel 2019

made in tashkeel e-vite . 2019

i'm happy to announce my participation in this year's 'made in tashkeel' exhibition. it's truly special being a part of this show, as this marks ten editions of the annual 'made in tashkeel' summer show. i was in the very first 'made in tashkeel' back in 2008 (with this piece i barely remember), and also exhibited again in 2016 (see here). so it's really special being a part of this show once again, seeing how my practise has evolved over the many years, and my relationship with tashkeel is still going strong a decade beyond.

another exciting announcement about participating this year – i'm happy to announce that the work exhibited is in collaboration with my dearest friend mohammed al shaibani. i've known momo for ten years as well, so this feels like a celebration of our creativity and friendship. we've both gone through our own personal journeys, but through it all, we've managed to grow up together and share some of the funniest experiences in life together. love you momo.

i won't give much about the project just yet – you'll have to come to the show to check it out. 'made in tashkeel' runs from the 19 june - 10 september 2019. the opening reception happens tonight (18 june) at 7pm. more info on the exhibition here.

stay tuned for a future post very soon about the project titled 'saturdaze' - a mini comic by momo and i. until then, see you at the opening of 'made in tashkeel'.