ArtbyHerbie.com » Wall and Canvas Art

Canvas Art: Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

Herbie Hysteria — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:41:45 +0000

I received a private portrait commission from a local homie in the hood which would really test my skills (gulp). I only take on a handful of life-like portrait commissions (acrylics on canvas-board) annually because they require serious patience, time and craftsmanship. I tend to paint large canvas boards and this one was 35″ x 28″ to be delivered to the Sheikh in Cyprus, so it HAD to be special..

The subject of the painting was Muhammad Hisham Kabbani or (‘Sheikh Hisham’ as he is also known by his legions of followers all over the world), an Islamic spiritual leader/scholar and ‘pir’ of the Naqshbandi/Haqqani Sunni Sufi Order. Born in Lebanon in 1945, the Sheikh is an advocate for peace and tolerance, which he promotes in his many international projects.

Working from a photograph, I tried to keep it life-like yet abstract to give it a unique appearance, something on the border of realism and surrealism. Therefore, a seamless blended background was air-brushed to represent a white shadow or ‘emmitting light’ from the figure, so to speak. The turban, clothing, face and beard was all hand-painted. A black and gold frame to compliment the bright colours within the painting was added. I seem to have an obsession with black frames, trimmed with metallic finishes, but they always add an uber-classy touch to the paintings.

Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani - ready for framing!

Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani - framed and finished!

The brother who commissioned the portrait hand-delivered it to the Sheikh a month later and reported back to me that him and his close associates had approved of the painting. Smiles all round then!

What do you think? Would love to get some feedback from any followers of the Sheikh, please comment below!

Case Study: Victor’s Liquors, Manchester, Lancashire

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:01:29 +0000

The finished article - slicker than your average!

Victor’s Liquors is a new off license and liquor store in Sale, Manchester. In the summer of 2009, I was approached by the owner to manage the whole project and get the store ready for it’s opening in August, 2009.

The Brief – ‘The Best Dressed Off License In Manchester’

Herbie Hysteria and Victor Victorious

Victor Shah, the owner, is a charismatic kind of individual who certainly knows what he wants. ‘Herbs, I want the slickest and most fuckin’ best-dressed offie in Manchester!’ was the brief he gave me. Hmm, ‘Thanks for the detailed brief, Vic’, I replied. Having secured the premises lease, a prominent property on the Sale Circle, Manchester, we set off one morning, Red Bull in hand, to view the battered property. Apparently, the previous owners also ran a liquor store there but it was evident they didn’t spend any money on making it look at least decent. It was a mess, here is what it was like – before, I got my filthy mitts on it:

The state of the shop, before the fun began

Logo Design and Branding

Victor's Liquors Logo

The project started with a brand new logo design and branding. At the time, I was contemplating using just the ‘V’ and ‘L’ in the logo. However, after some initial drafts, I thought a shield design would envisage Victor’s own personality – ‘authoritative’ and ‘outspoken’. Adding two crossed liquor bottles to the bottom of the logo made it instantly relevant to the service. We decided on the orange, white and black trim after reviewing all the other various shops around the property. Orange would make sure it stuck out like a sore thumb.

I chose two typefaces for the whole project. The main font used in the logo is called Anticlaire Display SSK, a personal favourite of mine. I think it’s clarity and elegance worked well whilst remaining simple and readable. I stuck with normal Arial to be used on information such as products, opening times and such.

Painting and Colour-Coordination (RAL)

Picking the correct shade of orange was extremely important. This is because the orange had to be exactly the same colour for the paint as well as the vinyls. I started by viewing all the possible orange shades available in outdoor-vinyl. The colour-matching system I used was the RAL system, of which ‘pure orange’ was RAL2004. this ensured the same shade would be used on both the vinyls, signs and paintwork.

The horrible green colour which adorned the exterior didn’t really make you jump out of your pants(!) Therefore, all the exterior wood, bollards and pillars were painted using exterior gloss paint. The pillars and bollards were painted orange and black with a small white trim to break the colours further. The metal window frame was painted black using gloss black metal paint-spray.

Window Graphics

Window vinyls and graphics

Initially, the idea was to cover both ground-floor windows. This was to create a real ‘hardcore liquor store’ feel. After contemplating the decision, I decided to cover the right-side window fully, but keep the left-side window only half-covered. This would ensure some natural light got through into the store. The window design was simple, a bullet-pointed list of products and services. The left window would show the opening times in a ‘week summary’ style, instead of listing each day of the week seperately.

I had to be careful I didn’t ‘over-design’ the windows, if you get my drift. This was because the first-floor window boards and light-box sign would be graphical and creative enough. The windows were covered with black vinyl and the text layerd on. I kept the bullet points of the text orange so the colour-co-ordination would match.

Light-Box Sign

The biggest and most expensive part of the project was the main light-box sign. Measuring nearly 16 foot across, it was big. This was great for the desired effect, an illuminated ‘Victor’s Liquors’ sign which shone like a beacon at night. The main lettering was left transparent so the light could shine through.

The light box, illuminating the neighbourhood!

The aluminium light-box was powder-coated the same orange (RAL 2004) colour. It matched the paintwork beautifully and fitted in great when it was installed. Hooking it up to the electrics was easy enough so the sign could be switched on or off from within the shop.

Window Boards

Hand-painting the window boards, HH in action!

The first floor windows of the property were in a horrible state. The wooden frames were rotting and the paint was flaking off. Just giving them a lick of paint wasn’t going to be enough. Replacing the window frames was not within the budget. So, I improvised and suggested covering the windows with half-inch thick wooden boards, hand-painted of course.

Custom Printed Sweatshirts

To really finish the project off, I supplied printed sweatshirts for Victor and his staff to wear as their uniform. The big shield logo was transferred onto the backs of the sweatshirts, which also provided added promotion for the shop. In closing, this was a project I thoroughly enjoyed and the locals absolutely loved it. Job well done!

Case Study: Mansha Sweet Centre, Nelson

Herbie Hysteria — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:31:21 +0000

Mansha Sweet Centre, A Hit With The Locals!

The renovated exterior - looks slick!

Mansha Sweet Centre started of with their first branch in ‘home sweet home’ Nelson, Lancashire, back in 1999. Their selection of freshly-cooked asian sweets, confectionary and savouries made them quickly become ‘jam-packed’ (forgive the pun) with customers every time you visited. Yes, be it morning, lunch or evening, Mansha’s on Manchester Road, Nelson was heaving with hungry heads buying their ladoos, samosas or chicken rolls – with mint sauce, please. So with the new food a hit amongst the locals and afar, it’s no surprise that a few more branches quickly opened in nearby Burnley and Bolton.

In around August 2009, the Nelson branch was being extended to cover the shop next door. Everything was fully renovated and no expense was spared. New lightings and fixtures, tiling, windows, doors and just about everything else was upgraded and the work was done to a seriously high standard. The owner of Mansha’s, a very humble and polite chap called Sajid, had a keen eye for design anyway. He knew exactly what he wanted and took a hands-on approach during the renovation. He approached me to commision two 30″ x 20″ abstract portraits that would be the centre-piece of the new extended shops.

The Two Subjects

Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer (Late)

The sentimental aspect of the project was that both subjects of the portraits were deceased. The portraits would be a fitting tribute and would immortalise their memories. Mansha’s is named after Sajid’s late father, Ghulam Mansha. The second portrait was of renowned Pakistani scholar and spiritual leader Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer, who passed away in February, 2009. Two photographs were provided to me and I set about visualising the project. I wanted to create something that would be totally unique, yet resemble the subjects with true likenesses.

Hand-Painting

Work in progress - slowly does it!

Using acrylic paints on flat-canvas-board, I opted for an ‘abstract yet life-like’ feel to the portraits. Instead of using real-life flesh and hair tones, I discussed with Sajid the possibility of using the same green within the Mansha Sweet Centre branding, and using the various shades of green in and around the faces. Highlights and tones would be depicted using light and dark shades of the same green colour. It would give a more contemporary feel to the portraits, yet still keep them life-like. The background would be beige geometric shapes so it stood out against the green. He liked the idea and trusted my judgement.

Frames, Mounts, Glass and Placque

Custom engraved placques - matched with frames

The hand-painting was finished within eight days. However, to create a real visual spectacle, both portraits were to be framed and mounted. I chose a ‘double-frame’ consisting of a thin aluminium outer frame and a thicker ‘black-wood’ inner frame. The grey and black colours contrasted well with the green and beige paints used. The canvas was mounted inside a 1″ white mount and covered with glass. This made the portraits look bigger and more ‘exclusive’, I should say. The finishing touches were a matching black and silver engraved placque for each portrait reading ‘Ghulam Mansha – by Herbie Hysteria’ and ‘Pir Syed Naseer Uddin Naseer – by Herbie Hysteria’ respectively. Colour co-ordination of the placques and frames was standard to me. It just HAD to be perfect. Nothing short of perfect.

Prime Positioning

The final placement - perfecto-mondo!

With the existing floor-plan of the shop, there was a perfect position for the portraits to be hung. This was on either side of the main entrance. The door was in a corner so both sides were angled towards you as you left the shop. The width on each side was just about right to accomodate the width of the portraits once they were mounted and framed.

For me, this was a thoroughly satisfying project. The fact that it had a huge sentimental factor to it made me push myself further to make my client proud. I’ve had some great feedback and am happy I could deliver a custom product to a client who is already way-ahead in his game! Here’s to Mansha’s! Two chicken-rolls with mint sauce, please(!)

Your Comments and Feedback

Have you been to Mansha’s and seen the portraits? What do you think? I’d love all your feedback and responses to this project. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.

Case Study: Splash Car Valeting, Nelson

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:32:42 +0000

Should've been the full wall, I say(!)

Splash Car Valeting is a vehicle hand-wash business from Nelson, Lancashire. They have two sites, one in Nelson within a covered business unit, and one in Brierfield, Lancashire (about 2 miles away) on the main road running through the town. During summer, both sites are extremely busy where people get their prides and joys washed, soaped, rinsed and polished. The site on the main road was already great for attracting customers because ‘you just couldn’t miss it’ as it is on the main A-road going into Burnley and coming out, going towards Nelson.

Brierfield, Lancashire (Long and Narrow)

Exterior gloss paint used..

The owner approached me because he wanted the plain main wall behind the car wash ‘to make people’s heads turn as they walked or drove by’, as he put it. As he had not put up any signs as yet, he also wanted the wall to identify the name of the business and a short description about what the business does, whilst at the same time being colourful and creative. After a short discussion, I suggested to him a simple, bold and abstract design to cover the entire length of the wall. The wall was long, so I suggested a large ‘graffiti like’ design for the word ‘Splash!’, riding on a wave of water and a cartoon-like bi-plane pulling a long banner with a motto for the business, flying over a choppy sea with curvy waves to depict the water. He liked the design on paper, but the motto which was to go inside the ‘banner’ was a separate issue(!)

‘Washes In A Dash ‘n’ Valets In a Flash’

‘Some people are naturally creative, others who are not should stick to their day job!’ I replied to the owner in a light-hearted manner when he suggested a possible idea for the motto. He suggested: ‘You’ve Tried The Rest, Now Try The Best!’. ‘Hmm, not very original is it Mr. Owner?’, I replied. You see, the motto was important because it would reflect the business and also my creativity. After a lengthy discussion, I suggested ‘Washes In A Dash ‘n’ Valets In A Flash’ which was original, fresh and suggested to his customers that their vehicles would be valeted without any waiting around. He liked it, just. Phew, that was a close one!

Nelson, Lancashire (Long and High)

Twit twooo!

After completing the Brierfield wall, I was on a bit of a high as everyone liked the design. Their second car wash wall was different because it wasn’t on a main road, although it was still in a busy area where people would see it daily. It was about the same length as Brierfield (approx 45ft) but it was TWICE the height. A new fresh design was needed whilst still keeping the same motto. My thinking-cap was well and truly ‘on’. Again, I suggested a bold and abstract design but this time it had to have some functionality as well. The wall itself could be seen from the main road, but it was across a busy car park and the entrance to the wall was obscured by a building in the foreground.

I suggested a huge yellow arrow that would stretch from edge-to-edge and point towards the car wash entrance. Again, a ‘graffiti-like’ design for the word ‘Splash!’ would run across the middle of the arrow, but the design and lettering was twice the size of the Brierfield design. The motto would be split to run half along the top of the arrow, and the other half along the bottom edge of the arrow.

How it USED to be..

The Big Yellow Arrow

A lot of yellow to apply..

The arrow was the fundamental feature of the design, and it had to be marked out in such a way that it was straight and fitted the wall’s edges perfectly. I had to use a ‘chalk-line’ tool to mark the straight edges out.

Also, to make sure the arrow ‘point’ was smack-bang in the middle of the wall, I had to measure the wall’s height and put the point in the middle of the height. From this point, I could angle the arrow head so it aligned correctly within itself, and also within the wall. After marking the arrow out, I had to view it from a distance to see it wasn’t cock-eyed(!) Of course, it wasn’t and was as straight as a die.

Paint and Materials

You see, all walls ‘breathe’. They let air circulate in and around them as most materials used such as cement and plaster ARE porous, to an extent. Just slapping a load of gloss or emulsion paint would have resulted in the paint cracking after a while. The solution was to choose the right paints for the job. I selected ‘Johnstone’s Exterior Weather-Shield Emulsion’ for the larger areas of colour because this paint was designed to resist the wear and tear caused by the weather, whilst also allowing the walls to let in air.

All in all both jobs took about a month to complete, with one full week of rain. So I would say three weeks in total. The amont of extra advertising and promotion the business recieved as a result of me ‘pimping’ their walls was phenomenol. So next time you’re in Nelson or Brierfield, you know EXACTLY where to take your dirty little ‘passion wagon’!

Your Comments and Feedback

Have you seen these two walls on your travels? What do you think? Maybe you’re a regular and get your car valeted from Splash. I’d love all your feedback and responses to this project. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley, Colne or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.

Was Adolf Hitler an Aspiring Artist Before He Became a War-mongering Dictator?

Herbie Hysteria — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:15:03 +0000

Should’ve stuck to Art, Adolf(!)

After stumbling across an online article today, it came as a surprise that, apparently, Adolf Hitler was a ‘bit of an artist’ in his teens. The claims come as a collection of drawings and sketches believed to be the handy-work of the mad-man himself, are up for auction. They were the submitted pieces that would have allowed Hitler to gain entry in the prestigious Vienna Academy of Art, which unfortunately for the rest of the world, he didn’t.

Apparantly, he wasn’t really good enough and his work was only sub-standard which meant he was rejected of a place in the Academy, twice! Maybe it was this rejection that moulded him into the tyrant he became? Some say it was a Jewish professor who told him to ‘sling his hook’, which planted the seeds for Hitler’s anti-semitism.

He moved to Austria in 1905, to ‘seek his fortune’ as we have heard being mentioned in many cartoons and fiction stories. Most of the pieces are dated 1908, which would’ve made young Adolf 19 years old and it was in 1908 that the young aspiring artist was rejected from the Academy, not even being allowed to sit the entry exams.

A Sample from the Twelve Drawings

Hitler's Handywork - A 'Modern' Soldier

Hitler's Handywork - 'Old Woman'

Hitler's Handywork - Candlestick Holder

Hitler's Handywork - Vase (or is it a bed-pan?)

It makes you think. If young Adolf had spent more time on his drawing skills and put in more effort in his Art career, then World War II may not have even happened. He may still be alive today, amongst a few million civilians and soldiers. He may have been a decorated artist and the name ‘Adolf Hitler’ might have been included within the same breath as Picasso, Van Gogh and maybe even Andy Warhol. Unfortunately, he was shit at art so decided to try and take over the world through death and destruction. You fucked up, Adolf!

Another spoof like The ‘Hitler Diaries’?

In 1983, a West German news magazine called ‘Stern’ released excerpts from what they claimed were Hitler’s own diaries, hand-written of course. They claimed they paid a whole cart-load of cash for them and they were recovered from a plane-crash near Dresden, Germany, in 1945. Forensic analysis in the USA and Europe confirmed these were genuine.

However, only two weeks after, it was revealed that they were infact, forgeries. The guys that created the fakes were rounded up, thrown in prison and the reputation of ‘Stern’ never recovered, and that was that.

Going, going, gone!

So, are these new drawings and sketches also an elaborate fake? Well, apparently not. The amateurish ability, the dates adorning the pieces and also the chronological details of Hitler’s whereabouts at the time all seem correct. The vendor who is selling the archive is someone who has had them for quite a while, he claims. The sale, at Mullock’s Auction House in Ludlow, Shropshire, UK is taking place on April 16, 2010. They are apparently hoping to fetch about £6,000 EACH. Not bad for an amateur artist who just so-happened to kill a few million innocent civilians in his life-time.

Your Comments and Feedback

What are your views on Hitler and the Nazi regime? What do you think of his ability as a young artist? I’d love all your feedback and responses to this post. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley, Colne or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.

David Beckham’s ‘Vihctoria’ Tattoo

Herbie Hysteria — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:12:03 +0000

Anybody Got An Eraser?

Do you remember the ‘David Beckham Victoria Tattoo’ story? Back in 2000, Beckham decided to get his wife’s name emblazoned on his arm in Hindi, as he thought it would look ‘tacky’ in English(!) So he did, only to be told afterwards that it actually spells ‘Vihctoria’ with the additional ‘h’. What a pair of twits! Him and his tattooist. You see, there’s nearly two hundred different languages in the world and not all the sounds and pronunciations are the same. In some languages, some letters of the English alphabet don’t even exist. Therefore, when writing words which are not native from one language to another, you have to be sure that the way you have spelt that word can be read correctly, in the language it is written.

My Personalised Arabic Canvases

I have to adhere to this golden rule because one of the personalised products I offer is your name, or the name of your business written in Arabic on canvas. Most of my clients require English names translated into written Arabic, therefore the grammar has to be correct as well as the pronunciation. I make sure all names are translated correctly into Arabic by conferring with my ‘wise man’, a white-haired older gentleman who just so happens to have a scholarship in Arabic Literature. If he can’t get the translation right, I doubt anybody can(!)

The point is, my personalised arabic art is not only visually appealing and personally unique, but it is also grammatically correct. So I can virtually guarantee you won’t have any embarrasing moments like Mr. Beckham. He has to live with it ‘cos it’s permanently tattooed on his forearm, a constant reminder that ‘money doesn’t improve stupidity’.

Your Comments and Feedback

Are you a big David Beckham fan? What do you think? Have you had a nightmare at the tattoo parlour where something has gone wrong like a spelling mistake or even a a nasty side-effect? I’d love all your feedback and responses to this project. If you’re from Nelson, Burnley, Colne or the surrounding areas, or even if you’re half way across the world, your comments are much appreciated.

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Street Art and Graffiti – A Love / Hate Thing

Herbie Hysteria — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:06:23 +0000

Grafitti, street art or vandalism, call it what you want, it’s part of urban life. Everybody can relate to a particular piece in their locality in the past or present. It’s basically a two-sided affair. Some people love it, some people hate it. As an artist, I can appreciate the creativity and hard-work involved in creating any piece of art, graffiti included.