deviantART: gallery:hautalken/13631899

Skylight

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:37:51 PST

Ever wished for the sky to be part of your room? You might not have a skylight, but here’s a pretty literal interpretation. Through typography and colour, the letterforms come together to create a patchwork of clouds - but you are not looking at this sky from below. Your perspective is that of an astronaut on the moon looking at the clouds that happen to be swirling above an ocean. When you put this skylight up in a space, the light from your window is able to give it that see-through ability that makes the typography behave differently every time - which ensures that you will never get bored looking at this for days on end.

Map to 216

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:16:46 PST

Design Methods and Processes
Fall 2012
Time: 5 hours

With the idea of a pinball machine in the back of my head, I designed this road map from Slope roundabout in Al-Rayyan to our classroom at VCUQ inside of Qatar Foundation.
It was interesting if anything, but that issue of leading the reader to the first floor of the building was a headache.

And since this was last minute, my digital craft suffered a lot and my type was awful.

I'd appreciate any feedback on how else I could have illustrated and differentiated between the ground floor and first floor. Thanks!!

Dukhan Scape_6

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:00:40 PST

Sky at Dukhan beach in Doha, Qatar. The sand went friggin' pink omg it was sooo pretty *.*

THIS IMAGE CAN BE USED AS STOCK::

I did not intend for this to be stock initially, though if you want to use it, please go ahead.

I'm not going to make up any rules, but if you do end up using this, I'd love if you could comment or note me with your finished work. I'll even fave and comment on your work.
Should you want this image to be even larger and without the watermark, I can upload it separately for you. It should take me a maximum of about a day to get back to you. Just note me~

More shots of Dukhan Beach::

Dukhan Scape_5

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:37:34 PST

Sky at Dukhan beach in Doha, Qatar.

THIS IMAGE CAN BE USED AS STOCK::

I did not intend for this to be stock initially, though if you want to use it, please go ahead.

I'm not going to make up any rules, but if you do end up using this, I'd love if you could comment or note me with your finished work. I'll even fave and comment on your work.
Should you want this image to be even larger and without the watermark, I can upload it separately for you. It should take me a maximum of about a day to get back to you. Just note me~

More shots of Dukhan Beach::

Dukhan Scape_4

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:34:28 PST

Dukhan Scape_3

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:30:06 PST

Dukhan scape_2

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:58:30 PST

Dukhan scape_1

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 03:44:13 PST

Sky at Dukhan beach in Doha, Qatar.

FOR STOCK::

I did not intend for this to be stock, though if you want to use it, please go ahead.

I'm not going to make up any rules, but I'd love if you could comment or note me with your finished work if you do find use for this. If you want this image larger and without the watermark, I can upload it separately for you.

More photos from the same day::

Dukhan Sunset

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 07:18:13 PST

Practicing painting the sky. This was just so I'd get an idea of how the light works.

I was at the beach in Dukhan last year during a semester break and I sorta happened upon this beautiful sky there. I'll do more paintings and upload other photos of the sky from that day.

Free as a bird

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:39:40 PST

Stock image: by
Birds from sxc.hu

Made as an example of 'appropriation' for a class in under 2 hours. The stock image had some really nice flow and fit in just right with my bias for 'x' compositions.
I swear though, that seagull looked like some sort of skeptical uncle. I should have just added the kind of eyeglass that Abraham Lincoln used to wear.

Image was also applied here:

Some crit and feedback would be lovely~

Methods and Processes

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:30:17 PST

Stock image: by

Just a map of all the methods and processes we learned/used throughout this semester, along with definitions.

Height of the bar implies frequency of usage.

Eggstatic

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 05:08:37 PDT

Class: Typography 1
FALL 2012
Time: 4 weeks

I would wake up at friggin' 1:30 am and work all night to make a gazillion experiments to do this right. This is my final typeface!
The idea was to create a typeface from a naturally existing grid by placing related objects on top of it.

I used eggs and 2 egg crates to work mine. The best thing about this combination was that it was really easy and quick to rework the letterforms and then take a picture.

Don't you just loooove the pretty leaf-like counters? I had to push the x-height to be 5 units and with only one unit for an ascender so I could fit each letter in nicely and get that shape for the counters.

Can be read from pretty far away thanks to the wonderful colour contrast and how big the letters are.

Also, for the record, no eggs were broken during the entire process!

B

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 09:20:06 PDT

Time: 5 weeks (research)
Imaging 1
VCUQatar

I was asked to work with two letterforms, and one of them was this uppercase B. It was the same procedure as this one:

:thumb330985652:

I made about 50 different 'B's on whatever medium with paints and brushes, sponges, forks, nets, threads, ripped papers...
Once I had chosen the form I liked, I traced over it several times, keeping the 'design' in mind.

This vector is the final product of all that work.

I recommend you get yourself a print of this~ It's really beautiful to look at

i

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 09:10:22 PDT

Time: 5 weeks (research)
Imaging 1
VCUQatar

I was asked to work with two letterforms, and one of them was this lowercase i. I made about 50 different 'i's on whatever medium with paints and brushes, sponges, forks, nets, threads, ripped papers...
I then iterated one of those forms and traced over it about 13 times. This vector was the final product.

I highly recommend getting yourself a print. It looks unbearably beautiful on matte~~

Tape

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:52:03 PDT

Time: 5 weeks (research) || 9 hours
Methods and Processes
VCUQatar

My prof asked if our brains had turned to jello at the end of these 5 weeks, and honestly, they had. With the amount of research that we did and and all the thinking involved to get to this final piece.

My chosen (mundane) object was 'tape' and through this poster, I'm trying to help you visualize what the journey this object took me on looked like. It seems like it's always in the background - boring, grey, nothing much. But it's really untrue. It's history is really quite fascinating, and I honestly had a lot of fun researching. There was a lot of convergence and divergence, a lot of pulling in of crazy ideas, and manifestations of them. I had finally arrived.

I Am.

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:00:56 PDT

Spring 2012
Class: Drawing
Time: 3.5 weeks~
30" x 22"
Graphite

CONCEPT
Ultimately, I will die, just like anybody else, but it will only be after these three stages I have already crossed. I have become a strong person, even if I still constantly suffer from giving myself too many even when I draw. Although I was not as strong before. I had to grow from this blank grey to the fully textured stone. I used to be very afraid so much that I could never even stand up to touch the bulletin board of our classroom at school. I preferred to stay in my room all day and I would imagine a blank room with nothing in it; it was my place of refuge. There were people I couldnt trust, and I would always feel insecure around everyone. I found that having a completely unnecessary support system helped a lot even if it took over me and would not allow me to step outside of my little bubble when I wanted to. I was brought up believing that the world outside is built on flaky ground, but I finally began to trust, and then grew into the solid structure you see here. The tree you see in the back, however, is yet to start flowering.

I always like to work large when I do a drawing because it is fun to add in the little details. For this piece I went as far as recreating an entire painting in my room using a magnifying glass (see it on the right side of the structure above the little bed?).
Working to make so many different concepts was difficult because I prefer to jump straight to the final instead of making little sketches. I found that once I did that, my ideas flowed, and I was able to give significance to everything I put down on the paper.
Once I had the basic structure of a cube planned out, I threw in 3 registers, fencing, a tree and two glass balls one containing a scene I miss very much from my past, and another with a symbol that will stick with me for life.
I was also taught to layer graphite slowly in order to completely eliminate its tendency to shine.
Once I was finished, I found that I had created this simple looking house that was packed with meaning.

Charcoal still life

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:17:32 PDT

Class: Drawing
Freshman Year
Spring 2012
Time: 100+ hours
Charcoal, carbon, red oxide and pastels on paper.
27" x 34.5"

More than a month in the making, but I finally finished it, and in time. Charcoal and pastel are reeeeally fun to work with.
This was done using the recursive method of drawing; meaning I sponged in a thick layer of red oxide and then erased the drawing from it. After that I added in charcoal, layer by layer, and then finished off by adding a touch of pastel colour in the end. Yes, they're messy, but much easier to blend.

Also, being able to erase the drawing instead of actually drawing it took a bit of getting used to. Was definitely interesting and helped me gain a better understanding of highlights.

I know it looks like a bunch of crap, but we were given this huge mountain of things arranged in crazy ways. We were only supposed to pick out a portion and then draw that.

On a side note, drapery is very annoying.

VCUQ TWC logo

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 03:36:43 PDT

Created in collaboration with a colleague for the Writing Center at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar.

Technically, our boss didn't want it to be too obviously writing center-ish; you know, the standard pencil and pen thrown and around. But we ended up doing that anyway.

It probably looks too much like an arrow, and it's only the second time I attempted a logo, so I'm not too happy with it. Hopefully I can make better ones in the future~~

Infinite Colour

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:38:56 PDT

Surface Research
Fall 2011
Time: 6 weeks

A full layout of a 100 pictures of the sky! Unfortunately, at the time, we didn't get too many clouds, so I was limited to taking pictures of colours in the sky...which, to me, seemed like the point of the assignment after a while.

I had a total of over 500 images, but these worked the best.

Also, I found out that green exists in sky! Nope, I did not edit any of these~ And it's not just the camera either.

Optical Illusions

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:26:49 PDT

Surface Research
Fall 2011
Time: 2 weeks

Looooved this assignment. The purpose was to understand the behaviour of colours with respect to light. We had to put strips of colours beside one another on Illustrator, print, and then make folds exactly where one colour would separate from the other.
I made loads of experiments, but this one was my final.

The idea was to print this on a 2 metre long paper, fold it, and then mount it on a wall. As the viewer walks past it from left to right (or the other way), they are treated to an array of colours. No two views would look the same, thus resulting in the 'optical illusion'. I really loved how the yellow turned to green just because the colour of the blue was being reflected off onto it~

3D pattern

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:58:31 PDT

Space Research
Fall 2011
Time: 1 week
Foam core

Was asked to research patterns, draw them and then convert them into a 3 dimensional form in foam core, by using either lamination, scoring, or uhhh slotting.

I made one basic shape and then repeated it in different sizes and played around, trying to put them together in different ways.

I. Hated. This.
Yes, it looks pretty, but I totally hated working with foam core. The material kills the blade very fast even if you're working with cardboard or a cutting mat underneath. I ended up using a laser cutter to do most of my cuts instead. I couldn't stand it.

Familiar Volume

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:41:25 PDT

Space Research
Fall 2011
Time: 2 days
Cardboard

Here we had to recreate a room/house completely from memory. We weren't allowed to measure the space, or anything.
I chose to do my parent's bedroom in our old apartment in Bahrain (no way I'd go back just to check the dimensions...looked at it for nine years anyway). Thankfully got it proportionally correct~

BONUS STORY!

Guess what happens when we bring in our models to class after 2 days of hard work? We're asked to get into groups, take our houses apart and use them as raw material to create an abstract implication of one of these four words: Balance, Ambition, Density, Internet.

(I, thankfully, did not have to do 'Internet' ><)

Prosthesis

Tue, 08 May 2012 04:57:16 PDT

Space Research
Fall 2011
Time: 2.5 - 3 weeks

In order to understand that the origin of design and sculpture is the human body (or something of that sort), and acknowledging it's imperfections and limitations, we were asked to design some crazy prosthetic attachments to our bodies.

I went with finger extensions with wheels on the end.
It was really to curb a bad habit of mine. Without noticing, I'm always trying to touch or tug, or play with the person beside me. The closer the relationship with them, the more they suffer.
The point was that I acknowledged my inability to stand still and without touching anyone by keeping my left hand engaged with these uhhh 'reigns'. So It really turned out to be a fidget device.

Seemingly silly, but served my purpose well.

Made with drain cleaning pipes, wood, velcro, gloves, and of course, wheels.

Material Meaning

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:19:47 PDT

Class; Space Research
Freshman Year
Fall 2011
Time: 2.5 weeks

Here, we were supposed to build an exact replica of an object (in a larger scale) and then rebuild it in another material that would alter the meaning/intended purpose of the object.

I chose the Oliveti Lettera 22 as a model and came up with this. I used cotton as my material for the second phase of the assignment. Cotton is soft, white and pure, and was meant to contrast the hardness of the typewriter while also eliminating the trademark 'clickity-clack' sound it would make.

Also, the cotton is almost like a dressing on a wound. Think of it this way: a typewriter is made to produce words, just as a mouth does, and sometimes, those words are designed to hurt others. The cotton is a kind of reminder (particularly to myself) to be careful about our choice of words and what we want to say in the first place.

Underwater Mysteries - ver 2

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:13:17 PST

Result of a collaboration with

First off, this was really timely! It's been around a year now that I've actually sat down to make something for fun. This opportunity helped me get back into that old, work mood. I've missed it so~

We were going in for a 'mysterious scene in space kind' of concept. The model in the stock image was uhh actually underwater, so we had a few issues with the lighting on her face, skin and clothing. It felt a bit wrong for some reason to take her out of her original context and throw her in space. See? This is what happens if you remain dormant for 11 months straight.

The left side caused us some trouble because we didn't know what to do with it. It still feels too empty and makes the piece look a tad unbalanced. Perhaps typography would have helped, but then again, maybe it wouldn't have. We didn't really try it.

Personally, I like my pieces to be pretty large. Well, very large, actually, and I did miss that while we were working on this piece. I should have liked to use this as a wallpaper. Maybe I can add in more stocks and extend the scene later on.

As for credits, if I remember correctly, this came from a MasterWorks stock pack? Balance will be able to give more details on that. Meanwhile check out his version here:

[link]

I would love some feedback too, if you can give me any! Remember! The more detailed it is, the better~

Apple Red

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:48:16 PDT

I was experimenting with my camera one day and thought I'd throw in my cute little Nina Ricci 'Nina' perfume and try to capture the reds. You see, I love red. I just do.

3 Moments

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:33:57 PST

Mixed media artwork made using Photoshop CS5, my bamboo tablet and home-made watercolour splats.

Sleeping, Talking and Eating are a necessary part of everyone's lives, but there are some who give themselves entirely to these three things to the extent that they disregard almost everything else. As a result, they waste their time and themselves away without having achieved anything at all.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I CAME UP WITH THIS IN JUST ONE DAY!!

Hall drawing

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:53:26 PST

I can't take photographs after I gave away my camera, so I thought I'd draw bits of my new house to show you! LOL [no, this was done as a requirement for a Uni application]

Crumpled Paper

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:43:26 PST

Drawing of a crumpled paper. I guess it could have been better, but this was like my umpteenth attempt! I CAN'T DO ANYMORE!! T____T

Pattern

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:49:32 PDT

Something from my 2-D class again.

The professor gave us free reign, so I fooled around with my water soluble pencils (I <3 them so much!)

Painting

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:05:33 PDT

Another one from my 2-Dimensional Design II class.

I'll admit, I didn't do it all on my own. My professor helped out quite a bit because painting is not really my forte.
I LOVE the colours though <3

Carpe Diem

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 09:48:41 PDT

My 2-Dimensional Design II class final exam~

Why my final exam artwork looks like a doodle? Because I decided to have fun! The only requirement was for it to be A3 size and made with mixed media. I got an A

I used markers, ball-point pens, gel pens and graphite to make this.

Green Landscape

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:09:59 PDT

A doodled digital version of one of my paintings I did in my Drawing class at Uni. I swear, the traditional version looks a lot better, and yes, I also know the mountains here are all the same size T___T

Trust me, they're better than before~

La Cosa Nostra

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:15:45 PDT

Gangsta-themed project for IntuitionGFX.

I had to read a bit into the Sicillian Mafia to get the words I used. They're all in Italian, not gibberish~

I used a Sig SAUER P239 Two-Tone as reference and the Impact typeface, which is really easy and fun to use!

Cat Doodle

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:26:15 PDT

Just a doodle I did at 12 am. I quite enjoyed it actually! My first ever digital painting~

King's soldiers

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:53:32 PDT

A shot of the Burj Kahlifa [I think it's called?] in the UAE. Another shot from the flight which is why it's so grainy.

I was looking through those old shots, and this one seemed eye-catching like a few others. Surprisingly, I don't actually remember taking this particular shot o.o;;

A Guide To Pencils

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:16:27 PDT

Just a little guide to understanding pencils and their grades. I've had a lot of people ask about them, so I thought I'd go ahead and write this.

Hope it helps~

Pencils

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:08:10 PDT

Just a random macro shot of my 9B, HB and 9H pencils. It was for a tutorial~

Just Business Ethics Codes

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:20:04 PDT

I was in the mood for some typography and what said sort of gave me something to chew on. So I ate it~

Doodle 2

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:49:34 PDT

Just thought I'd have fun while studying for my Philosophy class. I love the thing in the middle. The rest, I added it just because~~

I used whatever I had in front of me. Sketch pens, a black ball pen and a black ink pen.

Seashell

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:51:28 PDT

And here's the other side of it~

I only took out some 25-30 minutes on this one too. I wasn't really in the mood for sea shells. it's just that I half did this one yesterday and wanted to finish it. I do hate leaving sketches unfinished; it nags at me from inside =\

Yes, I know, the shadow part sucks.

The other side of the shell: [link]

Landscape

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Our professor wanted us to scribble....literally. So we did~

That up there is my outcome! I'm not too proud of the foreground, but ah well!

Wineglass

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:30:43 PDT

This also goes with the other drawing for my final. I actually did those simultaneously for nearly 3-4 hours. I quite enjoyed myself while making them~ I tired myself out too! I really shouldn't stand up while I draw...

This one drawing is actually a remake of this old one: [link]

The other drawing I did along with this for my final can be found here: [link]

Still Life 3

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:22:44 PDT

Yeah, I know, a lot of still life sketches. Too many bottles in particular. This one was my final exam for Drawing 1.
Took me some 3 hours to do.

The other one I did along with this can be found here: [link]

Best one

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:19:50 PDT

5 and a half hours of continuous drawing and with this result. This is the drawing through which I found my strokes, really~ I really love it!

Perspective table

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:16:04 PDT

This was my first shot at drawing using a calculated method for perspectives. It turned out nicely, I think, except that the lamp seems a bit off D:

Still life Sketch1

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:07:24 PDT

Old sketch from my Drawing class at Uni. Guess I forgot to upload this earlier~

Shell drawing

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:44:53 PDT

Random sketch. Shells are extremely hard to draw -.-

That drawing is actually quite tiny. I made it the same size as the shell itself. I do feel like there is something wrong though. It seems to have come out looking a tad stretched.

Took me about....half an hour to do in total. I'll do the other side of the shell also.

Hair or Transparent Extraction

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:58:07 PDT

I guess I forgot to upload this here. A tutorial for photoshop explaining how to extract hair. The same method can be applied to extract Transparent objects also.

Kiddy Skeleton mask

Wed, 26 May 2010 11:54:57 PDT

Final Project for 3-D Design 2 of my Spring semester.

I used this guy for reference : [link]

I got me an A- at the presentation!

I guess the hardest bit was the hair. I ended up buying a wig and then dying it which didnt work at all. Then I bought another wig that was too long, so I had to cut it and everything.
Also, since I can barely paint to save my own life, the eyes would have come out shitty had my friend Ruqaiya not helped me out.

Abstract Piece

Sun, 16 May 2010 01:08:06 PDT

Tutorial by Javed kazmi in Issue 68 of Advanced Photoshop. It looks really similar since I used the same C4D and everything, but I put in a few effects of my own too.

Brushes by and

Mini Spring

Sun, 02 May 2010 10:04:13 PDT

Inspired by a tutorial in the magazine 'Advanced Photoshop'. I was initially going to do a large wallpaper, but then I'd never done a poster before. So I went with this ^^

I know there's a bit of stuff like the red flower that looks out of place. Also, the composition feels kinda meh. I dunno...

Stocks from sxc.hu and Retro line brushes by

The Shark and the Boat-2

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:08:28 PDT

I like this one better than this shot: [link]

I luff little things like these!

The Shark and the Boat

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:05:44 PDT

These are 2 little toys that I had for a long time. Looking at them, I felt I should take a picture. I don't think I got much meaning into this, but I still like it!

I'm still cleaning out my room though. I kept the shark because it was a gift from dad [came with a set and everything with info on sharks and teeth moulds with POP], but I threw out the boat. It was just an old thing I got with a chocolate egg.

The Silenced Tiger-2

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:56:35 PDT

Another shot of the 2 Tiger Teeth. Here is the first:

[link]

I must say, although I'm not 100% happy, I still like how these shots came out!

Used the lines on the wooden table to my advantage too~

The silenced tiger

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:53:58 PDT

I bought these tiger teeth during my trip to the zoo at Mysore in Karnataka, India. It's been a few years since~

I just thought I should take a picture of these before I threw them away. Also, I was rearing to test how good the Macro settings on my Cybershot T500 were.

This is the second shot: [link]

Used the lines on the wooden table to my advantage too~

Still Life sketch

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:13:40 PDT

Yes, yes, it's ANOTHER still life drawing. We've done so many of those for Drawing class last semester. Just when I thought I was rid of still life for good, the Professor sets up a composition for us in the center of the class and declares that however we draw that composition, it's going to be our Mid-Term exam.

I scored 19/20 for this one. One point cut off because I cheated xDD I'd forgotten how to do the bottle and I picked up one of my old drawings as reference when I should have depended solely on the real thing in front of me

I don't mind though. I deserved it. Still, I like how this came out in the end =3

Sunflower_Ink Sketch

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 01:07:56 PDT

For 2-D Class.

This is the first time I used nothing but black markers and a black pen. I didn't think I'd like it when I started it because I wasn't used to adding in such dark bold strokes right when I begin my sketch.

But I ended up enjoying it a lot in the end! The result? A very pretty looking ink sketch!

Yes I know there are flaws and things, like the lower portion of the vase where it curves inwards. I should have added some shade into there, but ahh...I was just glad I got it done before my mid-terms

Above the Alley

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:21:07 PDT

Couldn't resist re-touching this with the retro curves! Turned out great imo! I like it

Our man 4

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:11:37 PDT

This is what we were working on in 3-D 2 class this semester.
We had to make a life-size model of a person using whatever we wanted and then pose it.

For the last pose, since he was supposed to be doing something really dynamic, we propped him up onto a shelf and wrote 'Do not throw' on a piece of paper and stuck that to his hand and the wall.
So it looks like as if he's sticking it on himself