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