2012-2013 Calendar

After my last calendar finished, I decided to try and come up with a concept for my second calendar. I decided to go with the 99 Names of Allah. Throughout the 18 months, I covered all 99 names, in order. According to the Islamic Tradition, the 99 names represent the different attributes of Allah. 

Here is a link with all 99 Names and their meanings
99 Names

There is a phrase in the Qur'aan that repeats itself multiple times, and translates roughly to 
There are signs for those who can see

I wanted to use this idea that if you believe and look for Allah in all things, you will find it. I created this calendar by drawing images from nature and then camouflaging the names within the image itself, symbolizing that the Allah is there, for those who look for it. 

This calendar was made using PrismaColor Markers and PrismaColor Paint Markers (for the metallic gold and silver colors) on 8 1/2 x 11 inch computer paper. 

Cover

1. Solar System

2. Planet Earth

3. Sunset

4. Desert

5. Forest Sunrise

6. Tropical Flower

7. Autumn Leaves

8. Squash and Corn

9. Mountains

10. Winter

11. Northern Lights

12. Caves

13. Glaciers

14. Coral Reef

15. Green Trees

16. Waterfall

17. Fruits and Berries

18.Volcano

2011-2012 Calendar

Every Ramadan, I like to give myself a project to do. It helps to pass the time while doing something productive, and keeps my happy, lack of food tends to make me a little cranky. So in Ramadan of 2011 I had the idea to make a calendar of designs: the first use of my amazing markers for calligraphy. I did most of the designs on plain paper and then pasted it onto colored cardstock. (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

This Calendar, I also started to experiment with my own calligraphy designs, conforming the arabic letters into different shapes, making them abstract, etc. 

Cover
(Bismillah)

Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem

In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

Allahu

The Name of God

Allahu Akbar

God is Great

Alhamdulillah

Thanks be to Allah

Subhanallah

Glory be to Allah

La Illaha Ill Allah Muhammad Rasool Allah

There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah

La Hawla Wala Quwwata Illa Billa Hil Aliyul Azheem

All Power and Might Belongs to Allah, the Most High, The Great

Al Fatiha

The Opening 

The first chapter in the Holy Qur'aan

Ayatul Kursi

Al Baqarah 

2:255

Surah Al-Isra

The Night Journey

17:24

In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

Lower the wing of humility to them [parents] out of mercy, and say

 "My Lord! Have Mercy on them, just as they reared me when I was a small child. 

More Paintings

Here are some more calligraphies that I did about 3 years ago. The first one is a 15x30 inch acrylic on canvas.

Calligraphy Says:

La illaha il Allah Muhammad rasool Allah

Translation:

There is only one God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God

This phrase is also called the shahada, and it represents the basic tenants of the Islamic belief. 

This painting is also acrylic on a 16x20 inch canvas. I decided to try a mosaic pattern on this painting, I thought it would be really neat if the background looked like shattered glass, or an opaque stained glass window. 

Calligraphy Says:

Allahu Akbar

Translation:

God is Great

These calligraphies are based on designs that I found online, but I did alter the writing somewhat in order to make them my own. 

First Calligraphy

As I mentioned in my last post, my love for arabic calligraphy began somewhere around freshmen or sophomore year of college, during winter break. In retrospect, I really wish I had written the date on this piece, lesson definitely learned.

 First I remember just making a border and layering it with designs and colors with a big space in the middle. I think I had somewhat of an idea of what I wanted to put into the middle when I began, but the idea kind of developed as I went along.

This is what I came up with. It's done entirely with acrylic paint on a 16x20 inch canvas

The calligraphy says:

  Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem

Translation:

In the Name of Allah, most Beneficent, Most Merciful 

This is one of the most beautiful phrases, and is used at the start of almost every chapter in the Holy Qura'an. In the Muslim Tradition, Bismillah is also said before doing almost anything, including eating, driving, taking a test or exam. It's basically meant to invoke the name of God (Allah) before anything that you do. 

The Calligraphy design itself was not originally my own, but one that I found online and used in my painting. As this was my first calligraphy, I wasn't as familiar with how I could manipulate the arabic letters, etc. I know how to read arabic and so it was easy for me to notice how each letter was written artistically, and I slowly began to learn how to create my own calligraphies. I'm still not completely there yet, but with practice, I'm getting better. 

My First Ever Post

Hello World!

This right here is a great feat for me. I've been thinking for ages how fun it would be to blog about something, realized I had nothing to blog about, and then continued to go about my life. That is until my cousin recently gave me the suggestion to blog about my art work, and then it clicked. So, here I am. 

A little bit about me, 

I have always been an artist. My parents and grandparents have videos and pictures of me as a little kid drawing all over papers, writing my own stories just so I could illustrate them and lots of other normal little kid things. My interest in art however never really subsided. I started off college as a Fashion Design major, but soon learned that although I loved the drawing and designing part of it, I was probably the world's worst sewer, so then I took a 180 degree turn and began to study elementary education. 

The Fashion Design part of my life plays a big part in my artistic development because of one amazing thing: Markers. Yup, through my years as a Fashion student, I discovered the wonder and amazement of Prisma Color markers, that I use for absolutely everything. It's become a mild obsession, and my siblings and many family members now know that if anyone needs markers, I'm probably where they should go. If you've never used them, I would highly suggest it. Yes, they're a little pricy, but the quality is amazing and they last for a long time, completely worth it.

Somewhere at some point in college, it must have been a winter break around freshmen or sophomore year, I started painting arabic calligraphies. I should also probably mention that I'm Muslim, which is where the interest in Arabic Calligraphy began. I realized that this type of art could not only be beautiful but it was also very rewarding. It gives my art a purpose, and having a purpose is one of the most inspiring things for me. Purposes are what give me my greatest ideas. I was also incredibly incredibly inspired by my aunt, Salma Arastu, who has become a very well known artist (salmaarastu.com) and also does beautiful arabic calligraphies among many other things. 

My family is originally from Hyderabad, India which has been widely known for its arts, be it poetry, painting, etc. This could be a reason for all the encouragement and support I've gotten over the years. A lot of my art is also inspired by Indian designs and colors. I love anything bright, vivid, and filled with patterns. I always use acrylic paints because I love the way they layer on top of each others and the many layered patterns you can use with them. But, I'm sure there will be more on that later. 

Well, I think that's it for now, 

Keep the creative juices flowing, and Art Away!