New illustration work

I recently did some illustration work (poster and a business card), one for a DJ duo named LOOT and the other for producer and sound designer Karim Sultan. Check it out, there's more on my website.

Front of the business card for Karim Sultan



Poster for LOOT - Geoff and Jamie

Caffeinated illustrator

Forgot to post this but last month my coffee sleeve illustrations were featured as an inspiration on Paintlounge, a social painting tea space in Markham.

[Via: David Lanaspa]

[Via: ViaCom]

[Via: Fubiz]

[Via: September Industry]

[Via: Coute que Coute]

[Via: The Shiny Squirrel]

[Via: The Sartorialist]

Asma

Recent work from friend and graphic design student Asma. I'm trying to encourage her to get her stuff up online sooner, so in the meantime, this is what I stole borrowed.

Mr. Jambalaya

Let's Play Ball

Just a little stressed, no big deal.

Baduizm

My friend Billy Bob

From my Google Reader

I'm sorry, I have no time to write. Just this stuff.

Un tour de Manège from Les Manèges on Vimeo.

Via Fubiz

Après la Pluie ©2008Gobelins from Emmanuelle Walker on Vimeo.

Via Drawn

Via Coute que Coute

Via Designboom

Via The Coolist

Via The Independent

Comme ci, comme ça

Massimo Vignelli occupies two spaces in my home, his famous Stendig Calendar fills one. I almost did not walk away with a 2009 edition if it wasn't for one store in Toronto that had one last copy which was being neglected due to bent edges. Ever heard of ironing? Got my hands on the 2010 before it was too late.

illustration: Noma Bar

Maison de la Presse Internationale has tons of magazines, except the one I'm looking for of course (Bidoun), but throughout my customs search of the racks, I found what looked to be the most famous Arab singer of all time Umm Khalthoum in contemporary form on the cover of a magazine called Brownbook. It's about entertainment and arts in the Middle-East, pretty cool.

BOOKS PURCHASED THESE PAST TWO MONTHS

Author-title: Randa Jarrar, A Map of Home

Status: complete+recommended

Comments: Arab authors residing in Western countries are not common, however, they have been in the past few years (women in particular) and Randa Jarrar is one of them. Her book A Map of Home, a story about a young girl's experience growing up in the Middle East and America, is humourous, honest, and well written.

Read Randa's interview on KabobFest

Read ei's book review

Author-title: Richard Poplak, The Sheikh's Batmobile

Status: In the process+don't know how I feel about it yet

Comments: This book discusses American popular culture in Muslim countries. Interesting two-year research, but I still can't seem to enjoy the writing style.

Author-title: Ben White, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide

Status: I should finish Richard's book first and then get to this.

Comments: Ben just finished his Canadian book tour (include a stop at Ryerson University last week). He's also a really cool guy.

Speaking of Arab Americans, while doing some random research, I stumbled upon Marguerite Dabaie's work. Being a fan of illustrations, I surfed her site throughly, purchased her work and am now sharing it with you! She humourously illustrates memoirs of growing up Christian-Palestinian in America and her grandmother's cookbook.

Is that a younger Adrian Brody?

source: The Ones to Watch

Oh, I write for blogTO now in the fashion section. Look out for my coverage of LG Fashion Week which starts tomorrow. I'll also have an article appearing in Washington Report on Middle East Affairs in a few weeks (thanks CamRon!), but that one isn't fashion related.

Yard Sale, The Hipster Way

I’d like to start off by saying that Hipster’s* don’t have garage sales because they never live in houses with garages, only yards. However, sometimes, yard sales are also called "Vintage Sales".

Some things to note:
Do not expect to be greeted with a smile, merely a bangs push back, okay?

If you don't buy, you have no style.
All their friends will come and “hang out”, so you may think you’re inside an American Apparel, but without American Apparel prices.
Hipsters hate math, all prices jump by two or five. It’s easier that way.

If you didn't hear about it, you either a) don't read their blog, b) don't use Craigslist, or c) weren't one of the seven people tagged on the Facebook note. i.e. They don't actually want anyone but their friends to come to this thing because they don't like someone deemed unstylish buying their shit, it needs a good home, which is completely understandable.

Below is my illustrated Hipster Yard, Vintage, whatever sale.

Click image to view larger

*For lack of a better word

Coffee sleeve art

***© COPYRIGHT, STARBUCKS I'M LOOKING AT YOU***
I doodle...a lot. My exam papers, class notes and calculator were filled with them. Sometimes, I doodle on my lunch hour, which consists of me not actually taking a lunch just doing some work at my desk and somewhat eating food, and maybe, doodling. I also drink lots and lots of coffee, and today I thought it would be a good idea to do something with the never ending amounts of sleeves I recycle. Here are two sleeves I doodled on at the 9 to 5. Art exhibit soon?

Mischief, mischief, rah rah rah

Last night, a friend from home came to visit. We got together with other high school friends who work and study in Toronto. Drinks that night were spent remembering my days of debauchery. Come to think of it, my behaviour in those days was hilarious. Any way, after the conversation, I dug up something I came up with during those days of mischief. Back when I was 16 and colourful neon bumper stickers with slogans like "ass, gas or grass nobody rides for free" were part of my life, I came up with an even cooler idea for a sticker I would have on my car when I got one. Because I have the tools now, I decided to create this sticker I thought of so many years ago.

It was a very popular saying around my friends, and engraved my reputation as a self proclaimed cool hunter. This sticker is basically saying, and I quote Tupac (*READERS PLEASE, THIS IS THE ONLY QUOTE I WILL EVER USE FROM HIM*) "I played her like a game of Sega." For the purpose of relating to this sticker, you may change "her" to "him".

Scroll down, more mischief...

When I first moved to T.O. I had a landlord. He was nice, but he had a funny license plate.
I thought I would do him a favour before anyone else got to it but then I changed my mind (rationality why do you do this to me?) I opted to take a picture and draw what I wanted to do instead.

Really surprised no one took the time to do this. GOLD.

Harper's Bazaar - Homage to The Simpsons

The Simpsons is and will always be my favourite TV show. Linda Evangelista, thanks to her natural beauty and versatility, is one of my favourite models. Harper's Bazaar, on the other hand, is not one of my favourite magazines, although I'll admit, they pull off some great editorials from time to time, like this one featured in their August 2007 issue to promote The Simpsons Movie. I'm just surprised this spread wasn't given more attention, because it sure deserves it. I wish they turned this into an episode!












































image source: NotCot.com and Oh No They Didn't