Inspirations in Dubai - Fashion Illustration

I am glad to finally give you the next installment in my series of Artistic Inspirations, to show you some very special people who have given me much pleasure as a creatives person living in the city of Dubai.

They are some of the newest modern-day immigrants, who have given me an opportunity to very colorfully introduce them, in a few minutes.

Before I do, may I draw your attention to a brief summary of this new fascinating city, which is Dubai, where I spent most of my past decade working, living, tasting the multi-culture, and feeling perfectly attuned with its lifestyle that today it is impossible for me to exist without the taste of this great magical city.

A place which has made that extra effort to cut down barriers in order to see everything from a lighter perspective, through its successes and failures, yet surging ahead with conviction.

This link points you to the picture and story of the Tallest Building in the World, "The Burj Khalifa" which just drew more attention to Dubai by the beginning of 2010.

The image at the end of this like at Jumeirah Lake Towers shows that it comprises of man-made lakes and skyscrapers, holding commercial and residential complexes. I may refer to them as another mass of desert which got transformed into a developed real estate, in a matter of 2-5 years. I vividly remember an awesome drive I took to the JLT early this year, on its winding fly-overs.

Featured in my narration here is one community of Dubai's immigrants, who have contributed in volumes to making Dubai one of the most sought after destinations in the world.

I vouch for the good things I have received from here as an artist, with its man-made city-life and its sunshine days forever waiting to greet everyone, every day.

One does not have to plan hard to make an impulsive outdoor sketch session here.

Dubai is every artist's friend because he/she has so many sources to get inspired from. It has so many things to offer. To name a few, there are the great deserts, its well-preserved date palms, natural and man-made beaches going on and on, rocky ranges, large sand-dunes, and of course a number of malls and scores of skyscrapers.

Weather in Dubai is always predictable for a lovely outing, at any time of day.

One can look at the beach-side by the tallest hotel in the world, "The Burj Al Arab." Every beach and coastline is as peaceful as what is seen on this image.

We step out of our homes to see our gleaming, forever polished-looking cars waiting to take us to another exotic location in the city at will. No stranded roads, no water-logged by-lanes from a rain or blizzard.

It is always bright and sunny in Dubai.

The desert-clad landscape is all the more wondrous to behold, with its gold shimmering outlook with camels roaming freely, associating themselves with their natural habitat in spite of all the development.

Now, if I want some change of weather conditions, I could just peep into the Ski Dubai (At the Mall of the Emirates), where enjoyment of a winter wonderland is guaranteed; or I could go to a golf course to see spans of green-coated plains and connect with the elite businessmen while playing a game of golf.

I could even go horse riding at the ranches. One gets to ride an Arabian horse for just about $10 an hour. And if we are newbies, we are good to go with our very own personal instructor for just about $15 an hour.

Driving on the streets is a sheer pleasure, if we just avoid the traffic-prone roads.

Before I get down to the main players in this hub, to whom I am sending my tribute, let me talk a bit more about the inspiring Dubai.

Working in Dubai is an experience that has taught me to fight my personal fears and challenges against all odds, and emerge stronger as a creative person and a female professional.

In my opinion, there is no other place in the world which offers such safety and safety for a woman resident or traveler. Just make a special effort not to venture off into lonely localities on your own and be back indoors at a safe hour and you will be fine. Driving off alone into the deep deserts are also not a good idea as law and order like anywhere else are best close to the metros.

An enchanting young land such as this is truly a pleasure to live in, offering hours and hours of quality time, with five-star treatment right up to our doorstep, literally.

Every residential complex has at least a mini supermarket, which delivers anything and everything to our front door.

I was so lucky to have lived here during Dubai's high-speed growth, literally seeing huge expanses of empty desert getting transformed magically into glittering skyscrapers, with Lamborghinis and the Ferrari playing on its roads. In a couple of instances, I was overwhelmed when the mighty Rolls Royce passed modestly by my sedan.

Dubai makes you challenge your profession, so you can afford to enjoy the luxury of its growth. It encourages you to organize your life a bit more, to be ready for the constant change it is faced with.

The magic of such a growth was made to happen, like a fairy-tale, by none other than the labor of people hailing from all around the world; from the rich and pompous western architects, to the humble and hardworking construction workers from the so-called third world nations – with, of course, the cool courtesy and tolerance of the citizens of the UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Every resident working here has contributed, in some way, to its growth and unique character.

I am pleased to have realized the cultural melting pot which Dubai truly is, as living and laboring in and around the city is an experience to be reckoned with. It was up to me to pick and choose what the place actually could turn me into, a better or worse person. I certainly grew volumes in this nation.

All said and done, Dubai and UAE soon became my second home, with my hand-picked one-of-a-kind international friends, who worked with me, from different corners of the world.

For it made me more sympathetic to the millions of laborers who sacrifice their normal lives to build up these greatest of malls and buildings in the scorching heat. It made me look at the hundreds of communities co-existing in the best way they could, respecting one another’s beliefs and personal space. Last but not least, it made me love the safety I felt when I moved around, with its perfect law and order.

Here lies proof of my hours of mall-hopping in the safety of the city, where I highlight how I, as an artist, have found inspiration in a new breed of people who have shown up by the millions in Dubai. Do read on, I am just about to introduce them....

My article here is a learner’s edition in Fashion Illustration, where I briefly take you through a small part of my journey as an illustrator.

But understandably, I have also made it into a travelogue because of the nature of the venue. Dubai, being a travel hub of the world, is difficult to let off lightly.

Fashion Illustration is one of my passions, something I also do to make a living while doing other things in the world of creativity (focused on human forms) like character design, character animation, corporate design etc.. These other disciplines of my art career I shall talk about in my future hubs to come.

Below, I show you my early drawings, which include a study of quick sketches; Life Drawing (human forms); gesture-drawing, which I captured from public places such as the gymnasium, parks or restaurants, making it my alternative to traditional Life Drawing Sessions.

A Life Drawing Session is something I did not commonly find in the city where I grew up. Nor did I find it at any art course or university, because of the cultural beliefs or way-of-life or simply because it was deficient in dedicated art schools. If ever we needed a Life Drawing Session, we artists paid for our own models to create our own private learning environment.

I am very glad I had the luxury to pick my very own art curriculum, sitting in a private art studio with a group of dedicated self-taught artists.

My stars of today are beautiful people like these, and their sparkle remains, untainted by the harsh Dubai summers. In spite of the recession, they live affluent lives forever adorned in best clothes and accessories.

Let me hold the suspense before I reveal the identity of these special people; first let me give you a bit more of the background of Dubai, worth visiting at any time of the year.

The United Arab Emirates, as we call it in short "the Emirates," is a country where 80% of its residents are of foreign origin and 20% are from the friendly Emirati Bedouin pride and heritage.

Dubai is one of the seven Emirates, which has made a signature for itself. It is a safe haven in which to enjoy a holiday. Hence it is very easy as a newcomer to find their way around in such a pristine setting of today.

Be aware to conduct oneself in accordance with the culture and beliefs of this part of the world, which happen to be very moderate and only add to the safety of living in Dubai.

With its safe streets and multiple cultures and volumes of languages spoken here, it is no surprise to see everyone co-exist along the Mediterranean Sea. This is just a stones-throw away from anywhere, with their many signature airlines like Dubai's very own Emirates Airlines, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, and Sharjah's Al Arabia flights connecting to the rest of the world.

It is said in a recent report that DubaiAirport has topped JFK and Singapore in world traffic rankings.

Dubai has in recent years become a top shopping destination for tourists from around the world, with its malls fitting beautifully into its urban landscape. Dubai added the largest mall in the world, "The Dubai Mall" with its dancing fountains just beside the prestigious address of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

With the mall culture came an influx of this new population of people. Keep Guessing ;o) while I give you a list of the famous malls in Dubai.

The Dubai Mall www.thedubaimall.com/

The ibn Battuta Mall www.ibnbattutamall.com

Wafi City Mall www.wafi.com

Mall of the Emirates www.malloftheemirates.com

Deira City Centre www.deiracitycentre.com

Mercato Mall www.mercatoshoppingmall.com

Burjuman Centre www.burjuman.com

Al Ghurair City www.alghuraircity.com

The Oasis Center www.oasiscentremall.com

Souk Madinat Jumeirah This year, it is also the fabulous venue for Art Dubai 2011 – a leading contemporary art fair in the region.

Lamcy Plaza www.lamcyplaza.com

Dubai Outlet Mall www.dubaioutletmall.com

Dragon Mall www.dragonmart.ae/

At last, may I introduce you to the beautiful people to whom I am dedicating this hub, for the sheer inspiration they have given me in this field of design that I am showcasing right here.

They are the Gorgeous "Ma-ma-ma-nne-ne-ne-quins”! (Mannequins in echoes; :o))

These petite people have migrated into Dubai by the millions, making Dubai's malls and shopping backdrop pleasurable to hang out in, surpassing the scores of tourists and immigrants flying into the country in search of better living.

So, let me show you how these lovely mall dolls stepped into my art pieces and made my artistic life here even more rewarding.

Besides drawing, I keep capturing a few more lovely things from watching them: one, to appreciate their beauty; and the other, to learn of the latest upbeat world fashions. One can keep up-to-date with the trends simply by strolling down them, without having to buy any expensive show ticket, view a Paris Runway, or make a visit to the high street or even to our very own fashionable New York City. We could get all of it right here in Dubai.

Here I am taking you through my snapshots of these fashionistas while taking my long weekend walks in the malls of Dubai, also showing you my own artistic impressions of them. It is my hope that you get a bit of a sense of what I did.

I love the opportunity to mix and match characters and their outfits, as I’ve displayed here.

Below is the video clip of Angela, whom I discovered during one of my artistic strolls in a mall in Dubai. Her gorgeous display of modeling to sell me this dress was too awesome to ignore.

Welcome to a preview of the Malls of Dubai to meet this community, which lives with the generation of the now, shown through my view-finder and my mund’s eye.

Mind you, Dubai offers this free entertainment anytime throughout the year, whether it be the annual Dubai Shopping Festival in January and February, or the annual Dubai Summer Surprises between June and August; or even the festive-packed months of September, November, and December every year.

Whether you are alone or in a group, a couple or a family, everyone gets to have their own 100% share of fun.

While I am on the topic of Inspiration to make Fashion Design sketches, I felt it appropriate to end this hub by showcasing the following wallpaper I created (the woman is larger than life, almost the size of the Avatar characters), inspired by the art nouveau movement and the size inspired by the Na'vi humanoids in the 3D movie "Avatar," which hangs suspended on one of my walls even as I write.

I made it, during a time when I was excited about a few creative scintillations. One was after watching the mannequin-folks' never-fading smiles. The other is my in-depth study of one of the greatest art eras of the 19th century in Europe - "Art Nouveau." The essence of Art Nouveau was the line: Curvilinear, flowing, sinuous lines in a serpentine or undulating form, used to incorporate other extended elements. This approach rejected the order of the straight line and right angles in favor of more natural movement. The name Art Nouveau (French for "new art") came from a shop in Paris called La Maison de l'Art Nouveau.

I am pleased at the opportunity to bring you this hub to hopefully enjoy, and am signing off once again with yet another fond remark that I enjoyed every minute of creating it.

I would love to hear your thoughts, critique, comments and questions to help me gather how this hub has contributed to enriching your inspirations.

Happy sketching!