Creative Process

My paintings are created using the traditional Mughal and Persian miniature techniques I learned in art school in Pakistan.

All of my works are painted on handmade wasli paper—a special art paper made by sticking together several sheets of paper using a glue made by heating flour and water together, and then adding copper sulphate. This poisonous chemical acts as an anti-microbial and anti-fungal, thereby protecting the wasli from insects. Although I used to make my own wasli, I now purchase it from Pakistan.

photo of artists hand with paint swatches

Like all traditional miniature artists, I use my hand as a palette to mix the colours and to control the amount of paint going onto the wasli.

A seashell, a mussel shell with yellow paint, and a small paintbrush rest on a brown surface.

I use the traditional method of keeping the paints in seashells. This shell contains “shell gold,” a handmade gold colour. I use the squirrel-hair brush for pardakht (see below) and painting finer details.

Creating Lest We Forget 1948-2024, An Ode to Palestine

A detailed sketch of a building's front view with trees and various handwritten notes and labels describing features such as windows, doors, and decorations.

STEP 1
I draw the basic composition in my sketchbook using a pencil, trying to make it as final as possible.

Two architectural sketches or drawings on paper, featuring trees and human figures, laid on a tiled surface.

Sketch of a design with plants and panels for a decorative element or wall.

STEP 2
I trace that drawing onto tracing paper, and then retrace it onto the reverse side of that tracing paper.

Close-up of a door frame with a rectangle opening, showing unfinished wall edges around the door.

STEP 3

After boiling tea leaves in water and straining the mixture, I create a tea wash to stain the wasli, giving it a uniform background colour. I then let the wasli dry for a few days.

Sketch of a churchyard scene with trees, a church with a cross on top, and a rectangular structure, possibly a fence or wall, all drawn in pencil on paper.

STEP 4

When the wasli is completely dry, I transfer the basic composition’s image from the reverse side of the tracing paper onto the wasli using the same technique as Persian shamsa artists. (A shamsa is an intricately decorated medallion used in illuminated manuscripts. It means “little sun” in Arabic, and is often stylized as a sunburst.)

Pencil drawing of a symmetrical floral pattern with a central stem and multiple leaves.

STEP 5

I lightly outline the image with red ink.

A red paintbrush, a small white shell-shaped dish, and a partially sketched art project on paper with faint outlines of trees, a hospital, and a school.

STEP 6

I then prime the surface where the image appears with an extremely diluted safaida wash. It needs to be light enough so you can still see the underlying image.

To make safaida, I use the method we learned in art school—mixing zinc white (in its liquid poster color form) and water. (This takes about four weeks.) Afterwards, I add gum arabic to the safaida I’m about to use (keeping the rest for later). The amount of gum arabic is important. Too much, and the watercolour will crack or become too shiny. Too little, and it will create a chalky surface that can rub off when touched.

STEP 9

I then use a dry brush technique to fill in the gaps in the applied colours to make them even throughout, and to smooth out the paint surfaces.

STEP 12

Finally, I burnish the finished painting again to give it a beautiful sheen.

A detailed painting depicting a multi-story building with a hospital and school, surrounded by trees and trees, with a sunset sky and clouds. The painting includes handwritten text and illustrations of guns, flowers, and a brown bird.

A pencil sketch of two stylized plant drawings, each with multiple elongated leaves, on a piece of paper.

STEP 7

Once the safaida wash is completely dry (usually after a day or so), I burnish the wasli with a smooth seashell to thoroughly seal the fibers so there are no bumps or rough spots. I then lightly outline the drawing again, this time with black ink.

STEP 10

In order to create volume and texture, I then use tapai—contour shading that accentuates the contrast between light and dark.

A hand-drawn map showing a large building with labels for a hospital and a school, surrounded by trees and walkways, with a sunset or sunrise in the background.

STEP 8

I apply thin watercolour washes to all the places that need colouring.

STEP 11

After burnishing the painting again, the next step is called pardakht. Using a fine squirrel-hair brush, I render details such as faces, animals, leaves, and clothing.