The title of the article is '5 things to consider if you're worried about your finances right now'. I was given this brief yesterday, March 23rd at around 1pm. I had to come up with an illustration that was expressing the idea but also wary of the sensitivities of the institution publishing it (TD Bank). 

I normally come up with at least three to five concepts but time was limited, and this is all I could think of at the time.  I wanted to show a meditating figure with the solutions around her, with a backdrop of tension. The idea was rejected however as the team felt it was too relaxed, and would not be relatable.  Ans so I came up with some more ideas..

And so I came up with these options sitting on my bed trying to get my son to nap at the same time. I wanted to focus more on the aspect of social distancing, and working from home tie the idea into that. The team went for option A, but felt that it shouldn't be too negative and there should be some sort of positive element in it showing the solutions.

That night I went right for it, and created this. The hardest thing was getting the expression right, so that the person seemed worried but also slightly relieved by possible positive things in the situation. The team liked it but felt however that the dollar signs were not necessary (perhaps too dramatic). I was worried that we would lose the financial aspect of it.. but then in conjunction with the headline it might work.

And this what the final looked like. I'm quite happy with it for the time it took to complete  (basically had half a  day). I like that the sense of isolation is clearly evident in the image and reflective of the times. The headline helps is make sense. I feel its a mood the people can relate with right now, and thats what's important, it reflects the times. 

Want to read it? Check out this link..
https://www.moneytalkgo.com/5-things-to-consider-if-youre-worried-about-your-finances-right-now/

This is the first page from this 6 page short story that is in the RAID 3 collection that just came out the summer. It was a lot of fun to work on with Andrew Healey! (who has himself written some PJ Masks episodes in the past). It was a great journey figuring out the story, and watching how it evolved into what it was and was still developing till the last day when the ending was finally determined (its a fun one so you better read the book!) The book has also work from amazing talent from the comic industry who have done brilliant work for DC and Marvel too. 

The book itself is available at the RAID Stores along with the first two editions. They do have some mature content, so not for kids!

I really enjoyed the word on the street this year. The day started with rain, but then brightened up considerably and the crowd was great (although I did notice that the festival was smaller). I was luck yet again that the people who I was supposed to share a desk with did not show up! The more I do these shows and see people's reactions the more it motivates me to keep on producing certain types of things. I think my work is definite by the line work, bright colours, social commentary, educational value and of course humour. I would like to start making products other than just prints, and also need to get that online store going! As usual I had the Timeless Characters as the main attraction, but the postcards always get some good chuckles. Overall, this was a great show yet again, for making new contacts and networking with the right people. If I do it next year, I hope to actually have some books to display. Some suggestions that I got this year were..

• Create a book with all your illustrations in it
• Make a t shirt out of the Kensington Market /Sesame Street illustration
• Keep creating!
• And a note to myself, that planets illustration is very popular, and I didn't forsee that, I think education and humour could be a great niche for me.. see picture below.

A visual timeline of fictional characters from Frankenstein till today. It shows the parallels between political and technological events and the creation of fictional characters. Characters have been chosen based on the fact that they have persisted in out media through time, and the theory is that they have persisted because they represent something significant and real in history.

This is an evolving poster that you can order by emailing me at email@daneshm.com This poster is updated every three years, and people who have already purchased one can get a substantial discount of the next on that arrives three years later. Sizes that are available are 12 by 18 inches and 24 by 36 inches. (anything smaller would not do it justice!) It's a perfect piece to have in your living room as it is a very entertaining conversation piece (especially intergenerationally).

I didn't know that when tomatoes first came to India they were called 'Laal Baigan' (red eggplant).

Now I've been to a few Comic Conventions (Fan Expo Toronto, MEFCC Dubai, Kapow! London, Delhi Comicon and Angouleme Band Desinee) as well as some art fairs (Kensington Market Art Fair and a Toronto Xmas Market) and these are the things are feel are important to keep in mind!

I took part in this year's even in Dubai and had a table at the artist alley. The artist alley here is the best I've been too so far in terms of space and accessories given to the exhibitor. By accessories, I mean the backing board for displaying your art work. What's great about it is that you can even draw on it, giving you even more opportunity to customize your space. The tables are not arranged edge to edge, rather there is at least a meter or space between each table. This is just amazing, its one of the more expensive artist alley tables but certainly worth for these luxuries. I hope they maintain these sort of things.

The crowd was also quite interesting. The first day, Thursday was excruciating slow, as is expected, but it gave me an opportunity to fiddle around with the stand and arrange it to perfection for the big busy day, Friday. And busy it was on Friday! What's interesting as well is that the crowd at comic con is not an accurate representation of the population of Dubai. In Dubai only about 20% of the population consists of locals, at Comic Con though it felt almost like 90%. It helps of course that they are so easy to spot visually (males in their white traditional robes and women in their black). There were also many people from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The cosplay was also really entertaining. The most interesting costumes are always those that are mashup of different characters or just plain original. The funniest were the groups of characters all dressed the same that would go charging through the crowds. One such one was carrying a rubber boat around. I never see these 'groups' in the north american ones, and wonder wha the reason is? I guess its cultural?

Another thing that amazed me was the lack of excitement and awareness around legendary talent such as Adam Kubert and Bob Layton! I was able to go have a chat with these gentlemen and even exchange prints and get some feedback. I really felt that there was not enough awareness of who they were or what they represented.  I also got to get to chat with and get a great print from Otto Shmidt.

It's great for me to come back to Dubai, the place where I was raised, and show people how I've developed. I also still have family here, so that's a wonderful bonus. I hope to return next year, or perhaps even get invited if I can reach that sort of status!

This is my second year submitting to the TTC Sketching the Line and I realized in my first year I didn't pay much attention to the requirements. So I'm trying to be more aware, have some more fun, and do some fresh stuff with variety!

I was standing in front of the King Station Ticket booth (on the inside) and just planning on sketching the booth, then when I turned the booth operator into a King because of the station he was at, one thing lead to another and a whole fantasy bloomed out of it! Next came the wizard with the 'Presto' card (i think thats a magician phrase or a wizard phrase.. not too sure, but it seemed to fit the joke). Then you have a humpty dumpty character strolling in, poles turned into trees, birds arrived along with structural elements of a castle... and ofcourse grass and rocks. What I'm most proud of is the logo which I changed subtle things to make it seem like it fits the picture, with the shield shape, the banner turning into a ribbon and the royal staffs...

My next stop today was Union station and I wanted to get a good angle on the booth attendant, and first thing I noticed was how many people he was showing directions too. This way, that way, this way etc...  He had moments of rest, but mostly he was showing people the way. I tried to get a little bit of background in as well to get some context. 

My original intention was to get to the new subway station up north on University Line and find something interesting there. However, sometimes the journey is more fun than the destination, and this gentleman was in from of me for most of the journey so I could do a decent study. He got off, and I was done drawing him at York University Station.

After drawing for a while what always happens is that I realize that I'm drawing too many people who stay still and not enough of lively interesting moments taking place. So this is what happened here where a couple were getting cozy and engrossed on something on the tablet screen. I like the contrast between them and the very angular gentleman sitting in front of them.

I wasn't planning on doing any drawing but when I saw Dieufaite playing and a seat in a very strategic location the stars aligned. It's great drawing musicians because they have so much emotion when they are playing and of course hearing the music adds so much rhythm to the lines as well. I added in a passer by who started dancing to the tunes.

Sometimes just be walking around on the streets, watching the ads, reading the news, looking at street banners and listening to people you get a general sense of what the vibe is about. I felt for me personally, there were two prevailing themes this Canada Day. The first was idea of the Indigenous people (what is really being celebrated here?) and the controversy behind that big expensive rubber ducky. And so this cartoon came together! Canada is a great country and is a world of opportunity for many who have been lucky enough to immigrate here and I feel that whats needs to be celebrated.