Walsingham by Walter Ralegh (excerpts)

786,

Know that love is a careless child
    And forgets promise past,
He is blind, he is deaf when he list
    And in faith never fast.
His desire is a dureless content
    And a trustless joy
He is won with a world of despair
    And is lost with a toy.

Of womenkind such indeed is the love
    Or the word Love abused
Under which many childish desires
    And conceits are excused.

But true Love is a durable fire
    In the mind ever burning;
Never sick, never old, never dead,
    From itself never turning.

James Blake "Wilhem's Scream"

786,

Two portrait-videos I adore. Highly artistic, poetic and emotional.

"Negative Capability"

786,

From the movie "Bright Star" by Jane Campion

I still don't know how to work out a poem. 

A poem needs understanding through the senses.
The point of diving in a lake is not immediately to swim to the shore but to be in the Lake,
to luxuriate in the sensation of water.
You do not work the lake out.
It is an experience beyond thought.
Poetry soothes and emboldens the soul to accept mystery.

I love mystery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIlsVKVAp-4

"Beth / Rest" by Bon Iver

786,

Favorite song of the moment
By one of my favorite artists

"The Man Who Grew His Beard"

786,

Check out this book flipping video.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/fantagraphics/sets/72157627459946072/show/

Makes me want to buy it right away!
Oh why oh why does it have to be so hard??

middle of a random night

786,

We're just a couple of stoned, drugged up teenagers
Flying motorcycles in the sky
Full moons and fishes mouths...
Want to "stay safe and warm", want to "stay beautiful"*
Want it safe and warm, want it beautiful

Moonlit night
I realize that only You are Real
Want to go inside the whale's mouth and remember
May the companion care to join

*(as a friend would say)

working...

786,

drawing, inking, scanning, editing, lay-outing, sending, waiting...
oh and listening to music

New arrival! part 2 :P

786,

It keeps getting better and better, praise the Almighty! :D

New arrival!

786,

A certain special someone sent me this as an early birthday gift
Sweet! Couldn't be better :)

Read this article about Didier Le Fevre, the photographer

Comic in progress

786,

Remember the project mentioned a couple of times a month or so before? ( in "Reading List Summer '11" and "Current Project")
Still in progress.
But now we're doing the adaptation of this scholar's work in modern times.

For Some1, Porcellino was a huge inspiration. But for this it's Manu Larcenet. Also one of my favorites.
His series "Le combat ordinaire" is always by my side. Like a reference.

For more info on him, click here

Designing

786,

Cover design-ing for an agenda
Waiting for the client's approval
In the meantime, what do you think?

Guess what will be present at the Fanzines! festival???

786,

Some1 issues #2 and 3 made it to the Fanzines! festival in Paris, France. They'll be present at the Marguerite Duras multimedia library and the festival is set to begin during the month of October 2011.
After that, all the fanzines will be archived for future reference, God willing.

to check out the original post: http://fanzines.papiergache.net/fr/2011/09/14/fomalhaut/
more about the festival: fanzines.papiergache.net
and more info about the people behind the event: papiergache.net

yes, I know: YAY!!!

Angoulême "Young Talent" Contest/Concours "Jeunes Talents" d'Angoulême

786,

From the site www.bdangouleme.com

Pour l’édition 2012 voici les conditions de participation

• la date limite de participation : 18 novembre 2011,
• les lauréats des années antérieures ne peuvent participer,
• envoyer une bande dessinée présentant une histoire complète avec titre, d’expression française, en une, deux ou trois planches originales maximum en noir et blanc ou en couleurs.
• le thème est libre,
• Le format du support-papier est obligatoirement un format A3 (29,7×42 cm max), à la française (format vertical).
• Joindre un dossier type press-book réunissant les travaux antérieurs
• Expédier lʼensemble à plat par voie postale
• Le nom, le prénom, lʼadresse et le numéro de téléphone du participant doivent figurer au dos de chaque planche,
• Il ne sera pas accusé réception des travaux

9ème ART + / Festival International de la Bande Dessinée

Prix “Jeunes Talents”

71 rue Hergé

16 000 ANGOULÊME

La Pavillon Jeunes Talents®  accueille également d’autres concours :

- concours Révélation Blog

- concours Anim’ton Fauve

- concours Agora

dont les modalités pour le Festival 2012 seront communiquées ultérieurement.

 Basic points in English:

- Deadline: November 18th 2011, God willing
- Send a full story in 1 to 3 pages long, in black&white or colors, must be in French
- It can be about anything you wish. It's open
- Must be in A3 format (29.7 x 42cm), vertical (portrait)
- Join a portfolio along with your comic-strip
- Send package without folding it by airmail
- Put your name, adress, telephone number at the back of every page
- Send to:

9ème ART + / Festival International de la Bande Dessinée

Prix “Jeunes Talents”

71 rue Hergé

16 000 ANGOULÊME

Now, the surprise is that The Fish's Mouth is willing to translate from English to French the first two comic-strips it receives by mail!
Why? No reason, just encouraging local talent, I guess. Oh, and Google translate sucks when it comes to that kind of stuff.
How? Get in touch via facebook or comment here and we'll send you all the details
When? Deadline: October 1st so hurry up!! only 4 weeks to go!!!

Current Project

786,

A few panels of the project I'm currently working on.
I'm done with the first part which is a "short graphic non-fiction" in other words a bio in comics

Can you guess who the scholar is?

Hint: We already mentioned him in this blog... somehow ;)

Prize: I'll send the WHOLE pdf comic to the FIRST one who answers correctly!

Just arrived!

786,

Just got this through my local bookstore! (It took six months to get here but what the heck it's here!!)

For more info about Jeffrey Brown: www.jeffreybrowncomics.com
To read reviews about "Undeleted Scenes" click here

un truc qui ressemble à un poème

786,

la peur dans ses yeux me hantent jusqu'à présent
le bruit qui a tout interrompu pour une microseconde
la déconnection
puis le retour apeuré
"où étais-tu maintenant?"

Reading List Summer '11

786,

3 weeks already since my last post! phew. Been busy working on a project, you know how they go, inspired one day, totally lazy the next, kinda reminds me of Joe Matt's Peep Show #1 where he would sit for hours on the phone instead of working... I know what you're talking about man! can't rush art I must say!


But anyways, the comic I'm drawing which, thank God, is literally something that fell off the sky, has several parts. The first is set in 11-12th century Iran and Iraq. A short bio of a well known philosopher by the name of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.
It requires some background so here's my reading list for the time being:

From left to right starting from the top:
- The Ninety Nine Beautiful Names of God by al-Ghazali, published by ITS
- Lettre au disciple by al-Ghazali, published by Commission Libanaise
- La peinture persane, Dossier de l'Art, Mars 97
- Nour al absar by Shaykh Muhammad al-Sabban, published by al-Fajr al-jadid
- An anthology of Graphic Fiction edited by Ivan Brunetti, Yale University Press

Comics

786,

Map of my heart by John Porcellino

The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams

Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco

a response to "within me within you"

786,

got this in an e-mail, feedback for the last Some1:

may all difficulties go away and we stay attached to hope and to  life .. satisfied with our small little things that keep  us rich in the heart and mind

Untitled by Rania Fouad

Some1: "Within me within you" a video experience

786,

After checking out Gabrielle Bell's video adaptation of her comics, I decided to try it out with "Some1"

Special thanks to Nebula for doing a very appropriate version of "stop crying your heart out" by Oasis for the video

Check it out and tell us what you think!
NB: go full screen!!

Updates

786,

It's been more than a month.
Lots of things have happened
an unexpected lovely trip where my heart is still is
a new job and a new project
lovely people I've never thought I'd meet
oh and Big Dipper out my window (for the first time I can spot it out in the sky, I've been waiting to do this for a whole year)

give thanks, give thanks
thank God

Some1 #3: Interlude

786,

Some1 is out sooner than expected!! Click HERE to download it!

Deepest apologies for the very low quality. The original file was too large to upload.
If you have any technical suggestions, please be my guest!

thank you for reading :)

on the way...

786,
on the way, God willing
slowly but surely, hopefully...

Man and the Modern World illustrations

786,
Below are the pieces presented at the gallery.
This work was inspired by an introduction written by Roger du Pasquier.

here's what I wrote to a friend to explain the whole concept behind it:

the idea that really got stuck in my head was the humanist concept that changed how we view the world. How humanism made man the center of the universe, and earth leaving no room for any Divinity as they thought that the Church was dictating too much their lives and limited them in their research scientifically, literally, etc. From the side that it is limiting to seek knowledge, I agree but the negative side of it was the absence of the Absolute which led to individualism, loss of spirituality, hyper materialism, etc. So this is what I tried to discuss through the tryptic.
I took the vitruvian man which is the symbol of humanism and just showed the downside of the movement. that's why it's black, like the shadow of the vitruvian man.
in the first part, i meant to put the text like that so it won't seem like a page from a book and plus I didn't want to distract the viewer too much from the figure in the middle. I wanted the text to serve like key words if you like. I took the square to observe the materialistic, quantitative aspect, how the effects have led to waste, hyper consumerism, lots of gadgets, etc. this "i, me , mine" concept. where there is no room for the other.
in the second part, i took the circle and proposed the psychological aspect, how it affected the psychology of man in general. it turned him into a "perfect monkey" by evolutionism, the perfect machine with fordism, like a hamster in a wheel, constantly working, bound by time, non-stop.
something tasteless, and maybe suffocating.
the third part is just a proposal to take the best from the humanist concept and apply it differently: that thirst for knowledge, love for work, that people unite with a common principal, to seek "light"... 

Man and the Modern World exhibit

786,
This is where the tryptic "Man and the Modern World" will be shown, God willing

The (w)hole part

786,
Here's a work I really admire. It's by Askia Nasir Bilal

The artistic statement:

Using the square and the cube as foundational elements that are rooted in art

historical, architectural, and philosophical tradition, the (w)hole part. installation

explores mark making on a variety of materials and surfaces to create a non‐linear,

allegorical narrative that investigates cyclic transformation through an entire space.

It serves to illustrate ongoing exchanges that occur between chaos and order,

construction and destruction, clarity and obscurity, simplicity and complexity. The

arrangement of the space, shapes, and forms creates layers that suggest complexity

of meaning, and paradoxes that raise questions about notions of illusion and reality.

The layering of materials, marks, and text connects to a larger human tradition of

recording information, conveying different senses of meaning, time, and density. The

juxtaposing of materials are visual cues that add to the layers and indicate intricate

relationships that exist between the objects, surfaces and ideas. The use of found or

recycled materials signifies alchemy-- the process of transforming objects and their meaning

Banned commercial

786,

I wonder how people in the ad business can be so cold at passing messages to children inciting them to smoke cigarettes. And that was 50 years ago. What about now? It's worse. It's subtle. Flickering images that get imprinted in your subconscious, catchy tunes that get stuck in your head oh and guess what as soon as you find the product in the supermarket, there's an urge that need to buy it. Ha.
Oh well.

Some1 #2: Pasquierisms

786,


Today is Marcus Aurelius' birthday. One of the writers who have deeply influenced my way of thinking when I was teenager.

"Despise not death, but welcome it, for nature wills it like all else." 

Click here to read some more of his quotes.







On another note... :)
Click HERE to read the second issue of Some1!!
Hope you enjoy it God willing

"Some1: Pasquierisms #2" Coming Soon

786,

Yes, the moment I have been waiting for has finally arrived.
Stay tuned.

"Like you would do"/"Rain" published on Mashallah Blog!

786,
I'm really grateful and happy that "Rain" has been published on mashallahblog.com
Check it out!

thank God :)

"Like you would do" or "Rain"

786,
This one has been in my sketch-book since January 17th.

And no the second zine is still not ready.

New Work in progress

786,

Here's something I've been working on these last couple of weeks.
This is one part of the tryptic.
Details and final results coming soon God willing!

On Facebook!

786

Some1 is available on facebook
Like the page to stay in touch with Some1's news and fomalhaut's
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Some1-the-mini-comic/154501461271085

thank you!

Memories

786,

I'm going through some old e-mails I sent to a friend. I came across this idea and thought I had forgotten about it... Still rings true to my ears.

"Empty your heart from the means of this world at best you can"

You know what I realized? Artists are the closest to death. not in the dramatic sense. But they are the ones who see this world as it truly is. Real. without all these illusions that we're surrounded with that makes us forgetful of what we truly are. It is like artists are conscious of our true human dimension. And through their work when we just meditate in front of it we escape, we wake up from this sedative state and become real, whole, true to our nature.

In the making...

786,

Upcoming zine God willing
hold on tight...

Moon (Second Spring)

786,

ربي وربك واحد

Short Trip

786,

"If you are a mountain, then I am a grain of sand. I have my whole life, to study, write, think, discuss and reflect. I am indebted to souls for being the sparks that set my heart and mind on the seeking path. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts of God. This is the seed of love. The seed will grow into a tree and bear some type of fruit. When we taste the fruits then we shall know the real taste of love."

Work in progress

786,

Je suis en train d'illustrer mon premier livre.
El hamdouliLlah ca se passe bien pour le moment.
Si quelqu'un m'avait dit a l'univ' que dans le futur j'allais faire ce boulot, j'aillais me moquer de lui parce qu'honnetement j'etais la plus mauvaise en cours d'illustration. Je ne blague pas.
Ca se voit meme de ce croquis pour le livre, c'est tres classique comme mise en page.
Je me rappelle des profs qui me disait "faut faire ceci et cela" et je comparais mon projet avec celui des autres qui mettaient des heures a peindre une petite partie de la page... Woah. C'est quelque chose que j'aimerais bien acquerir... inch'Allah...

Well as they say, practice makes perfect!

I am illustrating my first book.
Thank God, it's going well.
If someone from college would've told me that I'd be doing this for a living I would've laughed at their face. Honestly, I wasn't really good in my illustration course. Not kidding. Teachers would tell me to add this or that and I couldn't conceive what they meant. Finishing is the key word. When I compared my work with the others, I was so amazed at how much effort they would put in one little part of the page. Wow. Something I would like to acquire... inch'Allah...

Will keep you posted :)

Middle Pages (2)

786,

2007, Caire, Egypte
Canson
-Phase inspiree de Frederic Boilet, Etienne Davodeau, Kan Takahama. Boilet a commence un nouveau mouvement de BD qui s'appelle "Le Nouveau Manga". Exprime le style japonais a travers des occidentaux. J'avais eu l'idee de faire une BD collective avec des artistes etrangers sur l'Egypte. Golo l'a deja realisee avec l'Association malheureusement et j'en n'etais pas consciente...

-Pick up and leave it aside, pick another thing up and leave it aside.

It is very hard being an "artist", if I can call myself that. It is very different than any other profession in the world. Your highs and lows, ups and downs are more pronounced then in other people: they hit harder.
It is also complicated to explain that we can't work like in regular office hours... or should we?
If I try explaining my five year plan to anyone it seems so sketchy, overreaching... is it?

-Glory be to God... this world never ceases to amaze me.
Don't want to lose track of my purpose in life.
"وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ "
الذاريات: 56

John Porcellino

786,

I was first introduced to Porcellino's work through Mc Sweeney's #13. Discovering his little "supplement" in the book's jacket surprised me: I might have lived my life and never finding it. It was written for me to read his work. It spoke to me differently from the rest.

His work is like looking out the window and contemplating. Thinking, feeling, floating above everything.

Uncovering the little daily miracles, charms that go unnoticed to the untrained eye... of the heart.

Its simple lines are made so that the core of the story can reach your heart. Sometimes in comics, we look at the artistic lines, and are amazed by them which overrides on the story.
Here, it's what John P. says that counts more.

Follow his work on:
johnporcellino.blogspot.com
spitandahalf.blogspot.com
http://www.king-cat.net/

"Some1: Ghazzaliyat #1" available online!

786,

Now you can download the first issue of "Some1" by clicking here

"I LOVE it: my hypercritical self stands paralyzed." -Y.M.
"carry on please... your contemplative writings- if reached to the people- can make a difference in such a crucial time" -R.F.


I hope you enjoy reading it!

The first issue is out!

786,

The first issue is out, in several bookstores for free. And soon it will be made available online for download, God willing.

The Fish's Mouth presents: "The journey of Some1"

786,

An upcoming zine, God willing.

Strips will also be posted on the blog in case the hard copy doesn't reach you.

Change

786,

C'est le moment ou jamais. de me prouver. a moi meme.

Mon temps est ouvert, je suis libre de le remplir de ce que je veux accomplir, si Dieu le veut.

"Change will do you good"

"Now I know to be careful"

Laisser les impressions s'exprimer.

Sortir des limites de moi meme.

Middle Pages

786,

Circa 2006 - 2007
"Waiting for something worthwhile to happen"

Reading between the moments. Unveiling some secrecy...

First pages (2)

786,

Early stages of drawing with a filt tip pen without a pencil to draw the outline. Lines are still unsure and a bit weak.

Inspired by Hugo Pratt's style to draw a character in one single line. Jacques Tardi followed in his footsteps.

On a different note, I have sent out a couple of e-mails submitting a little comic strip (which will be posted soon on this blog, God willing, after we're done with the first sketchbooks). I am on hold.

I don't mind rejection, I just dislike being hanged for a moment. Not knowing. That's the worst part. This 50/50 chance of either being in or out.

Then again, come to think of it, the purpose of a comic magazine, or a publisher is just a mean to get you to your destination. Maybe it's not written for you to use this mean as a way to reach your goal. If you don't get it, just keep trying. You'll get there. Just don't lose your integrity. (I am speaking to myself here mostly. As a self-reminder that I put on snooze a lot)

"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah [God] Knows, while you know not" (Qur'an, Surat Al Baqarah, 2:216)

First pages

786,

Pages from the first sketchbook 2/06/2005
The beauty of having a sketchbook is that it gives you the freedom to draw whatever you want without having the feeling of being judged. The pages open their arms to you waiting impatiently for that drop of ink. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Just draw.

First sketchbook

786,

Bought in 2005.
A Canson 18cmx18cm: cheap, light, and great paper quality for those just starting out.
I have found myself filling up the pages subconsciously insatiably with notes and drawings.
The image in the center is by Marcel Pajot a french illustrator known for Don Quijote drawings.