Flash Back

Hey there! It's been awhile since I've posted, as I'm currently working on a few unfinished projects, so it's high time I updated! Since I don't have any current work to show, I've decided to post some of the work in my portfolio. These were completed in high school for my Advanced Placement art classes, and I'll try to post 3 or 4 regularly to give you an idea of what I like to do, and what happens to be on sale as well. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think! The above piece is called London Calling, and was made as soon as I returned from the best vacation of my life. Its a collage of photos, ticket stubs, and postcards from the London trip, and I painted over it in acrylic. Its one of my absolute favorite pieces.

While we're on the subject of lamps... I find city lights very inspiring. Just the idea of a beacon in the darkness, guiding you home or elsewhere... it's very cool, plus the elusive quality of light is very fun to paint. This one was also inspired by London, and a poem of sorts that seemed to flow out of me is a definite part of the art. It's on sale for $55!

This is a playful piece inspired by several things, but after seeing the Prada collection of white leather handbags with inked pixies and fey girls drawn in a very graphic, scrolling, stylistic way, I wanted to try my hand at it too. This is what I came up with! It's india ink and chalk pastel on tissue paper embedded with bits of leaves, and supported by a sheet of matboard. This work is on sale for $115.

It's no secret that I'm in love with the human body! Anatomy is incredibly inspiring, and the human body is such an amazing machine; in fact, my junior year AP portfolio concentration was all about the human body and its interaction with nature, and how the seasons and human emotions interconnected. This particular piece I painted at the end of my senior year, and is more graphic, but with a painterly feel nonetheless. The bones are collaged with newspaper for texture, and painted over, and the body was done with acrylic india ink. I also used Sharpie and acrylic paint for the numbers and letters. What I like most about this piece is that its actually truly symbolic and has many layers of meaning, but there's no definable right answer. It could be inspired by barcodes and be a message about the materialization and objectification of mankind, or it could be inspired by the holocaust, or be the apathy we show to our fellow humans around the world who are dying in droves in different warzones. It's really up to your interpretation, depending on how you think, which is really what art is, isn't it? A way to discover how you think? Anyway, this one is on sale for $150!

Cheers!

Character Sketch 1

I'm going to start uploading what I work on in my sketchbook. Usually that's the type of art that's mostly my version of brainstorming. Visions I have in my head that need to spill out, or notes I need to remember... there's really no organization to it, and as such, its probably the most free I get with drawing. There's no need to overthink things in your sketchbook, because it's like a visual diary. At least, it is to me. Recently I've been having some story ideas in my head (okay, one story), and to get a better idea of my characters, it helps if I create character sketches. Here's one such sketch!

Watercolor + Ink

I saw a couple of art blogs and fashion sketches that mix watercolors and ink, so I wanted to give it a go as well; it creates a pretty cool juxtaposition of the watery and sort of free-form, unpredictable paint, with the more intense and precise strokes of the pen or pencil. Portraits are really my favorite things to do, so these were pretty fun, and I'd like to do some more, perhaps on a bigger scale, perhaps with real models and not just faces in my imagination.

Here are some closeups!

"The Pretty One"

This is a portrait of my maternal grandmother at age 16. She's one of the most inspiring people I know, and was probably a princess. I mean, really. Look at her! She's incredibly beautiful, even at 16 (umm hello? Ever hear of awkward puberty? Obviously not.) In the village in Bangladesh where she grew up, there were three or four other girls with the same name as her, Monowara, Manu for short. To tell them all apart, the other villagers ascribed appropriate adjectives to their first names. Hers was "Shondori Manu," literally translated as "Pretty Manu." She was The Pretty One. When she showed me this picture, I had to draw it. And I've finally finished it!

Here are some detail shots below:

Fresh Canvas

Last night, mon pere took me to buy more art supplies. I'm about to embark on the biggest project I've ever done (that enormous canvas above). My father's commissioned a painting of the Kazan Mosque, a picture of which I shall post below. I've been trying to figure out what to do with that canvas for ages now; I'm so glad I've discovered its purpose. Alright... now to get started.

Farewell, Windy City

This is one of my favorite pictures from my recent trip to Chicago. I took it from the plane as we flew away. It just perfectly represents the frenetic energy of the city, don't you think?

Beginnings

I'm so so excited to start this blog! For the record, this is my third, but the one I'm most psyched about. My other Blogger account was for my World Literature class, and my Tumblr serves as storage for all the things that inspire me.

But this. This. This is going to be where I exercise my artistic muscle. That sounds terribly cheesy, but honestly, that's exactly what this is! I'm an Architecture + Plan II (liberal arts honors) student at the University of Texas in Austin, and I have a bit of a creativity bug. I like to make things. I draw, I paint, I design, I photograph, I write, I play piano, I read (a TON), and I'm inspired by anything and everything around me.

Here I'll keep track of all my artistic endeavors and projects, and document the adventure. Okay, perhaps its not that epic, but as any artist/creative person will tell you: Process is EVERYTHING. Wow. Who knew I'd echo my design professors one day?

I sell my work too, and work on commission as well. If there's anything you want, shoot me an e-mail at sadiaquddus.art@gmail.com, and I'd be thrilled to work with you!

Well, I dunno where this is going to go, but I guess it's my first step to whatever journey this might end up to be. Thank YOU for reading this and joining me :)

Welcome to my imagination!