Caligraffiti

link

www.caligraffiti.co.uk

timeline

2016 – 2021

software

Procreate, Adobe Ps, Ai, Id, WordPress

Intro:

As a teen who grew up with hip-hop being a favourite genre while my favourite hobby was art, I naturally went towards Graffiti as an art choice. Seeing that graffiti wasn’t really categorised as art, I still practised it, loved it and didn’t ever stop doodling for a minute. This led me to destroy ample amounts of resources, all for the greater good, within my own reasoning and thoughts as a child. I went through my high school years being popular for actually tagging exercise books and people’s bags with graffiti, to the point my own teachers would allow me time in every class to doodle once I completed my work.

How My Art Evolved:

Soon, I joined an Islamic institute taking a deep interest in faith and philosophy. But to understand my faith as a Muslim, it required me to learn Arabic and this is where I started mixing the calligraphy of Arabic with graffiti. This is how Caligraffiti began, how creativity and art led me to being a graphic designer ultimately.

NO FEAR

This piece was created at a difficult time during the pandemic. As a struggle to feel normal and usuality became unusual, I wanted to create something as an expression of hope and patience with a message of bravery.

Writing the words ‘No Fear’ in Caligraffiti with a mixed red and white background to make the text stand out and contrast the rest of the piece.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

As an artist who bases an entire art form and approach to life based on positivity, selflessness, steadfastness and an overall ‘count your blessings’ through every diversity, I have created and recreated this particular piece in many different forms of colours and Caligraffiti styles.

Furthermore, I gave this piece out for free to those who wished to download it and print it via my social media channel. Not only does this spread my message of positivity but also gives people something to look at with meaning and purpose to remind them, that hope is everything humanity relies on.

The Change Of Art

The change from paint to digital was a slow change but also future-proof change, as the ages went from raw paint to digital canvases and frames. Furthermore, sending out parcels and using packaging became different when I started to envelope art pieces that were prints or sending an email of the digital art to someone across the world with no delivery time.

1. Canvas

Starting with canvas art being my first form of fully produced artwork which required me to invest into materials and where I gained my first sales.

2. Spray Painting

Spray painting was the next step as I started getting commissioned for wall murals at launges and bars in Birmingham.

3. Performing

Thereafter I got introduced to event for charities, university workshops and events, live shows at bars and lounges as well as TV and Podcasts.

4. Digital Art

With the wave of technology and moving forward with times to future-proof my art, I gradually evolved into digital art, creating clothing, art prints and other digital assets.

Canvas Art

Title: Salaam – Peace

Dimensions: 30cm X 40cm

To create this piece I used black acrylic paint, black, gold and silver chisel-tipped markers.

This was an order placed by a customer from New York, who wanted a piece of art in their office space to remind them that being peaceful requires inner strength and steadfastness in hard times. This is why I used gold and silver, as these colours are connected to achievements and high virtue. Patience and strength are qualities which are merited qualities.

The world is a garden for all humans to decorate and make lush before they leave…

Spray Painting

Title: Smoke, Drink Eat

Dimensions: 13ft X 5ft

To create this wall mural I used MTN94 spray cans utilising the wide nozzle, medium and chisel tip nozzle.

This art was created for a Shisha lounge in Birmingham, Digbeth which is the home of arts and craft, next to the custard factory. Furthermore, it is known for its walls of endless graffiti by known artists and the entirely covered walls of art throughout the entire neighbourhood.

I created this piece in 16 hours which says, smoke, eat and drink.

Live Performance

Title: In The Name Of The Lord

Dimensions: 90cm X 80cm

To create this canvas I used orange acrylic paint and a black POSCA paint marker with a chisel-tipped edge.

Performing live has always been an objective I set myself, starting as a free act for a charity, then moving on towards online platforms where I used to stream live on insatgram and perform my art, thereafter I went on to perform at universities, holding workshops and then at events where other performers and entertainers would also perform live on stage.

These incredible experiences built up my confidence massively and ultimately gave me a marketing experience through networking with individuals to have myself recognised and be approached.

This finally led to performing live on TV and being proud that in the space of three years, all of this could happen through my handwork and passion that kept me going.

Digital Art

My digital art comes with messages of my own and messages for my clients while also being creative pleasure at times and expressing my emotions. I also took on campaigns for different issues that had awareness days or weeks, such as domestic abuse and violence, mental health awareness, and racism.

After years of creating pieces displaying a strong message of unity, integration with society, setting aside differences and humanity as a whole just being more compassionate with each other for who we are, the subject of my art changed.

The change went towards humanitarian issues and also speaking for minorities, furthermore, taking messages from individuals and turning a story of suffering into a piece of art.

It also led me to my journey in graphic design, utilising Adobe Suite to create graphics and digital art and vectorising my work for vinyl and other print assets.

Email Marketing

Often with email marketing, I created systems to keep the audience engaged, starting with a welcome series and then a sale series. Also, there would be an abandoned cart email as well. Furthermore, I would segment the audiences into particular groups, separating them into unique groups.