"my life has become my fuel for the art I want to make." @zein_sul

Dear Diary,

Hi, my name is Zein. It’s an Arabic name that means beauty and grace. I’m 21 years old and I live in Jordan but my family is originally from Palestine.

I’ve always loved drawing — ever since I was very young, much to my grandmother’s chagrin when she found my doodles on her pristine white walls. My mother told me recently that my grandmother, her mother, and her mother before her were all artists in one way or another. I feel that art connects me to all the women in my family who created beautiful, practical things. And as an engineer, I continue that tradition — making things and ensuring they’re both beautiful and well crafted.

Credit: Zein (Instagram @zein_sul)

The work of artist Sergey Solomko and the silly poses of the Six of Cros cast is the key inspo to my art lately. 

A story behind one of my favourite pieces I’d like to share is this piece I titled “Ms. Rage”. Other than the fact that I love angels and angelic depictions and at the time I wanted something to go on a t-shirt (its inspired by Nirvana shirts too), this piece I had made during a time when I was isolated from my friends and family and was working an internship (more like intern-shit) that was actively sucking the soul out of me. I was so angry at everyone and at myself for letting horrible interactions go without calling out people’s bullshit.

Credit: "Ms. Rage", Zein (Instagram @zein_sul)

My absolute favourite materials to work with are definitely pencils and digital art. In February this year I travelled to Düsseldorf, Germany, where I was able to go to the ACTUAL Faber-Castell store and shop my heart out (they’re still my favourite set of colors), but now I’m finding that I really enjoy oil paints; I can’t explain it but they’re smooth in a way that my heart years for. 

A more unexpected than weird place I’ve found inspiration from is that I have been sketching the interactions I have with a variety of people; from the times Vespa drivers make fun when I am cycling or the times I see half a dozen hands pointing at a warehouse layout I designed. This is unexpected because I used to only draw characters from books or cartoons, but now my life has become my fuel for the art I want to make. 

This is all for now,

Until then!

Zein