working in the field

working in the field . 2021

i'm happy to share my second participation in médecins sans frontières lebanon's 2021 inktober campaign (see my contribution last year here). for this year's illustration, i worked with the theme 'working in the field', highlighting the efforts of the msf staff in dangerous conditions and circumstances. some examples of on ground humanitarian assistance are providing medical care in war torn areas, setting up make shift clinics with almost no resources, and supplying aid to communities with limited or no access.

it's amazing the work that msf volunteers and staff do to help underprivileged communities, giving each human a chance to live and survive. i sometimes feel that art can be such a shallow industry when comparing it to organisations like msf. but being able to contribute through illustration and work together with an organisation like theirs makes what i do important as well.

i hope whoever sees this enjoys the final illustration. i've also included a little gif at the end of this post to show the different stages of the illustration process. thanks msf lebanon for the opportunity once again. and also, do head to their instagram page to check out the other illustrations from this year's campaign (see here).

lastly, do make sure to head to the msf website and contribute, volunteer or donate to make this world a better place for someone in need...

'working in the field' process . 2021

the scribe (or tawĩ digger)

'the scribe (or tawĩ digger)' stamp design . 2021 (image courtesy of elaa)

'the scribe (or tawĩ digger)' stamp design . 2021 (image courtesy of elaa)

i'm so excited to finally share this – i've officially had my work printed on stamps!

having a stamp design is one of those small achievements for an illustrator. there's this wonderful, rich history of illustrators and artists creating works for commemorative stamps that are shared with the masses and go on their own journeys around the globe, later becoming these intimate collectors items.

i was approached by luxury pen brand elaa, to create artwork for a limited run of stamps for their inaugural pen launch, called 'touine'. the pen is absolutely beautiful – made from the fronds of palm trees, making each pen in the collection unique, limited to only 71 of these being produced.

i was inspired by the idea of a scribe when i started working on this, and shared one of the preliminary designs in a previous post which didn't make the cut (see here). the client wanted a more distinct 'khalid mezaina' illustration, so i came up with a design featuring my dancing figures which i've been drawing over the last couple of covid years! i had my abstract scribe carrying a pen and ink bottle and created 2 colourways of the final design. i'm really happy with how these stamps turned out. the title of the stamp 'the scribe (or tawĩ digger)' pays homage to the well diggers in the harsh desert conditions of the past. 

thank you moustafa, the man behind it all, for the opportunity, and having me be a small part of the elaa story. do make sure to head to the elaa website to learn about the brand and check out the product line. it truly is stunning.