Thursday, January 24, 2008

A STITCH IN TIME


Starry Night by Shafaq Zehra

I always thought there are only so many things one can do with pocket fluff until i met Shafaq Zehra. She is a bit of McGuiver when it comes to creating art from unusual materials. Give her a papaya, a screw driver and a needle and she will probably come up with a glistening 7 foot sculpture. A recently graduated textile designer from Karachi University, Shafaq's last exhibition was a sight to behold.

It was a series of wall hangings inspired by Van Gogh's paintings. Her interpretation using bright colours was a treat but the unusual thing was her choice of material. She used 'Namda' and 'Putsun'. Namda is actually a form of felt-making where a fabric is contructed using sheep's wool. Putsun is the raw form of jute. All the definition and adornment was embroidered with woolen threads. Sure sounds like a lot of work, but in the end her 'textile paintings' were truly unique and original.


Thatched Cottages in Auvers by Shafaq Zehra


Sun Flowers by Shafaq Zehra

In the future, Shafaq plans on experimenting with different techniques and natural materials like coconut hair, namda, paper making, fiber glass, etc. As if her ingenuity wasn't impressive enough, she is not a big fan of high art and believes in producing work that would hold interest for a layman as well.

Whatever the future holds for her, one thing is for sure, if you are planning to get lost on a deserted island, Shafaq is the person to take with you.



Gypsy Camp With Horse And Carriage by Shafaq Zehra

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

You wont like him when hes angry!


pencil on paper by nazim maroof

The Graphic Design Thesis at the Department of Visual Studies (Karachi University) was a little mild this year. There were a lot of projects with a lot of soul, but sadly not all were executed to their full potential. There were a few shining stars though, a few projects that were truly original and put a smile on your face. There was an excellent little story book for children called 'Lakar rani' (The Woodcutter Princess), along with its audio version. It took one back to the days when we used to listen to those cassette kahaniyaan (audio stories). Anyone remember 'Ahmed nay jab urna seekha' (When Ahmed Learned To Fly) or 'tees maar khan' (The Fibber)?. Since we are already down memory lane, i bet everyone remembers playing 'carorepati buopaar' (the Urdu version of monopoly). Now, can you remember any other local board games? any at all? no? Well! this is exactly why Nazim Maroof's thesis was just so delightful. He developed a working, expandable 3-D board game - 'Bhoot Bangla' (The Haunted Mansion). Unfortunately i don't have any pictures to put up here, and describing it would be like trying to sell you a car by telling you to imagine its red and has great mileage. As soon as i get a hold of some pictures, ill put them up with details on how the game works.

And its not just the board game, Nazim himself is a very interesting person. When asked what's next on his agenda, he said he was working on applying to Disney! I wouldnt be surprised if he gets in. You have to hand it to him, the guy has ambition and he is focused. He spent the past year working in a post production house and making his way towards his dream of becoming an animator.



pencil on paper - all eyes on nazim



pencil on paper - earthquake victim

There is an honesty in his work and he tends to emote through his lines. If you go through his sketch books, you will find his dedication to the study of anatomy and facial expressions. With all the hard work this young designer is putting in, he seems determined to get what he wants.

Lets hope he gets a deal and manages to have Bhoot Bangla commercially produced. Ill be first in line to buy it.

Monday, January 14, 2008

The Dark Lord rises,brushes his teeth and goes to work


Meet my friend Khalid Ali Qureshi. This is a picture of him on graduation day. If you are older than 15, then you need not worry. Khalid only feeds on little children. Nah! im just joking, this wasnt taken on graduation day.

As you can tell, Khalid also, is into fantasy art :) so im basically putting my foot in my mouth by featuring him. BUT!! yes there is a but, he likes describing himself as a digital artist. Alright, so that wasnt really a big point-making but, but trust me, im going somewhere with this. Lets not get into the 'computers BAD!! hands good' debate right now, because lets face it, they have made our lives easier. Hell even i use a tablet to draw, and the possibilities of what you can do with your sketch are endless. Being a digital artist dosent mean you are hopeless with a pencil. Its just another means to an end. The next step in evolution I suppose, just like the x-men. I don't know about you, but if it were up to me, i would much rather be a mutant any day of the week. Now these were done in pencil. See what i mean? No matter what medium you are using, if you cant draw you just wont get results! (and you wont be able to draw well if you dont try).

The coolest thing about Khalid's work is that his hand has a direct connection to his brain. If he can think it, he can draw it. Most of his work is about hybrids and with all those wires going around , its no surprise that he prefers going digital. In a way, he lives the theme right from the concept, the medium and the process he uses to make his image. You might want to check out more of his work and his full interview at Designers.




I AM NOT A FANTASY ARTIST!!!!



Alright, I've put this off long enough, so lets go ahead and do this.
There was a time, not too long ago, when i thought i should start uploading my work on the internet. I started looking for forums i could join. You know, be a part of the Pakistani artist fraternity, working together to promote art, that kinda thing. But this is what i came to find: most forums or websites cater to fantasy art! i have no idea what that is all about but there you have it.

When you look at that stuff, it blows your mind. The details, colours, depth of perception, real good stuff. There is only one problem, its not my style! I Just dont feel comfortable posting my stuff on a website where EVERYONE draws a certain way and i just stick out. i mean, sure, sticking out can be good if you want to get noticed. Attention-good right? but that is just it, i don't want to feel like the only jew in a Nazi parade. Look at websites like drawn. This is what im talking about. There are sooo many artists featured here and all have different styles and thats not BAD! BUT, and this is some what of a constant but for us Pakistanis, we don't have any websites like that. hey! im not whining. its great living here. there are sooooooo many things that we don't have and that makes up for an infinite number of opportunities and possibilities to 'DO'. That is partly why i started this blog. Ill be posting articles on new and upcoming (perhaps a bit unknown at this point) artists. (Maybe, if i can overcome my laziness) we'll see how different people use different mediums and styles to draw. You cant pick one as being better than the other because there is no comparison. they are DIFFERENT! There isnt necessarily a good or bad (well actually there is. some people really suck at drawing).

The point is, every line and dot that you make has your signature on it. It is important to understand that there isnt just one way of seeing things. Ill also try to post new drawings every day or so (ha!) ....alright i know in the end i wont. but its worth striving for right? i havent drawn in quite some time, but i really want to get over my fear of blank pages and just get drawing already! so maybe ill start with the last skecth i made and we'll go from there.

Ooh! lest i forget, check out 'Designers'. A few of my friends from college started this e-zine, all about Pakistani designers. If you are interested in having your work featured on it let me know OR you could get in touch with them yourself. Just remember to be nice!

So here it is. The last thing i drew, about three weeks ago. Well technically this would be the last thing i carved since its a woodcut print but i love it. Its my first woodcut ever and I think it turned out quite nice.You might not agree and this might not fit the definition of what qualifies as a perfect edition, but hey! the important thing is to keep at it. Another thing that makes it special is that i made it from a picture i took of at Frere Hall. Yeah that was back when we had a right to roam free in our own country and the American Embassy still acknowledged that right. Sadly now you cant go there anymore, especially not with cameras. Well you could of course, but then you wont get too far.



NIGHT OF THE DOODLER



Lets have a quick test to see if you are a potential reader for this article. If you can relate to any of the following, this article is for you. You love drawing monsters and creatures from the underworld. No! grotesque beasts don’t scare you at all. What you really find disturbing are EMPTY WHITE SPACES!! If you should ever come across an empty white space, you are over come by an uncontrollable urge to make a mark on it, using a pen, a pencil, or if nothing else is available, your own blood. Your notebook doubles as a sketch book (especially the last few pages). You never know what to do with your hands when having a picture taken.

Does any of it sound familiar? Congratulations, you are a chronic doodler. But that is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, throughout history, man has been an avid doodler. Starting with those squiggly mammoths on cave walls to those pretty little flowers we end up drawing on our shopping lists. Even historical leaders like John F. Kennedy were known to doodle during official meetings. So how does one define a ‘doodle’ and what does it signify?

Essentially, a doodle is ‘a figure, design, or scribble drawn or written absent-mindedly.’ Also, to doodle is to ‘scribble aimlessly, especially when preoccupied.’ That is what the dictionary says. Interestingly enough, ‘absent-mindedness’ is key here. According to some psychologists a doodle reflects the inner workings of our brains, or our sub-conscious. Certain shapes or figures drawn in distraction actually carry hidden meanings. For example, geometric shapes represent an organized brain, good planning skills etc. Abstract shapes symbolize tension, difficulty in concentration, and so on and so forth. I don’t know about you but that just sucks the fun out of it for me. However, it does ring true.

Doodling is a way of channeling your frustration without being aware of it. How many times have we doodled our way through excruciating meetings or phone calls? It’s hard to tell. However, for a designer or creative person, it goes a step further. It is a way to warm up your brain. Often times, while starting off a project, I am intimidated by the blank page. It isn’t until it is nice and friendly with the help of a few doodles that I can actually relax and be creative. We are rarely as free or uninhibited in visual expression as when we are pointlessly doodling. It is a form of visual free association, and often times you end up with something so brilliant on the page that it forms the basis of an entire series of work. Doodling truly is an ignored art form.

Like anything else, the more you work on your doodles, the better they get. As your visual vocabulary expands, chances are, your doodles will start getting more varied and detailed. For all those who can draw well, this is the part where you get to feel superior. The average person often restricts his doodles to familiar shapes and forms (flowers, stars, circles, etc.). This could be attributed to the fact that as a society, we feel not everyone can be an artist. Perhaps subconsciously, that inhibits people from exploring any further. As kids things are simpler. We draw anything and everything because it is fun. As teenagers, we become more conscious of our actions. If we are not extraordinarily skilled in drawing, we will start looking for other things we might be good at. A subconscious hang-up to a subconscious free-flowing process, how ironic.

But that is the beauty of a doodle. It doesn’t have to be perfect. For some of you, a doodle will be the most honest piece of art you ever produce, for some it will just be a starting point to something great. Where you chose to go from there is entirely up to you.