'The Blind Poet'
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Beginning with the initial drawing and ending with the final illustration, the time lapse video of 'The Blind Poet' features clips from throughout the production process. Inspired by the bronze bust of Al-Ma’arri, destroyed in north-west Syria in 2013, the image features symbols such as a book of poetry, jasmine flowers (the unofficial flower of Syria), and bees (in reference to vegan Al-Ma’arri's poem, stating that people do not have the right to take products away from other animals)
Time lapse videos were shot throughout the illustration process to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of my process. They were also created as a counterbalance to videos that capture the destruction of world heritage sites.
'Eagle of Hatra'
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Follow the creation of 'Eagle of Hatra', from the initial washes of colour over masking fluid, to finish. It is completed with the addition of a sun burst pattern, paying tribute to Hatra's reputation as the "City of the Sun God". The image represents the relief sculptures that have been defaced with sledgehammers and bullets in the area in 2015.
'Jonah's Tomb'
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Beginning with the very start of the process, the staining of watercolour paper with tea, this video demonstrates the process of illuminating patterns and finished with the completion of the whale. Jonah is infamous for the fable of his encounter with a whale; this illustration pays tribute to this as the whale hovers over the silhouette of his shrine, destroyed in 2014.
'The Lion of al-Lat'
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The process for the Lion of al-Lat begins with drawing the final composition, followed by gilding and many layers of watercolour. I chose to illustrate the statue with a 'live' gazelle instead of stone, as the gazelle is a swift, graceful creature that attests to vitality for the sculpture.