Visual Artist, Muntasir Mohamed based in Kuala Lumpur, answered his calling and has been blooming in the Malaysian art scene over the past years. Back in 2015, he is the lead designer at Everyday Studios. On the side, he works on designs for local and international artist’s album covers and highly prominent local streetwear brands such as Againstlab, BADKL and many more. Dubbed as Flower Boy, he is playful with abstracting colours as he explores digital techniques that accentuates beauty of florals and fuses hip-hop cultures into his digital artwork.
Tell us more about yourself and how did you get into the art scene?
“Well, I started off in the art scene sometime around 2013 – I was initially very into illustration and sketching at that point. I had a few pieces of mine displayed in various indie galleries and also was fortunate enough to be part of duo show in 2015. I mean I always knew art would be my calling but how and when was always the tough part. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a level-head, supporting peers and a extreme passion for art – so it was only right that I pursued art as a career rather than a hobby.”
Are you self taught or do you have any art studies background?
“I would say that I am self-taught. I had enrolled in a design foundation program at Taylor’s in 2012 but shortly dropped out after as I thought the course wasn’t stimulating enough. In 2015 I went to the UK to pursue a short but intensive course in Design. Besides the two courses mentioned above, all my skills and knowledge in design have been a product of countless hours or practice, youtube tutorials and design-related materials – also I have to attribute my skills and ability in design to my morbid insomnia. I would spend hours upon end drawing, sketching and even creating art on photoshop late through the night and early mornings.”
Two different mediums, sketching – a traditional way and digital art – a modern take. Which do you prefer and why?
“They both play an important role in the design process. I believe if you are able to integrate and merge these 2 mediums into your design process, that is definitely a “Pro”. Although most of my current work involves digital mediums, I do still like to sketch out certain ideas in my head before I am able to transfer them into programs such as Photoshop & Illustrator.”
How does your art process come about when starting a project?
“This is a question I get a lot and is definitely one of the more tougher ones to answer as for the course of my career as a designer, my design process has constantly evolved as I have progressed. As would anyone, I always like to start of by doing some research + reading on the subject I’m working on which then moves on to multiple attempts at different concepts and ideas. I try to be original as possible with my designs – Something I take very seriously as plagiarism and lack of originality is definitely something I see prominently in the design world nowadays. On some occasions, I could be extremely happy with the outcome of a design yet be completely unsatisfied with it an hour later – This can be annoying in some ways but I guess it always pushes me to create more and create something better.”
How do you overcome creative block?
“I’ve been fortunate enough over the course of my career to have not been ravaged constantly by the infamous creative block. I find that when I am facing creative blocks, I force myself to create yet whatever I’m producing is utter crap to me. I like to take a step away from the design process and do some reading, watch design documentaries and browse through various design. Once I’m more relaxed and inspired, I jump straight in to the design process again. Also, I love watching ‘The Office’ so maybe after watching a couple (or 10) episodes, my mind is refreshed and ready to create again.”
You’ve worked on many projects such as album covers, merchandise designs, etc. Tell us what have you been up to?
“I have been so blessed to be able to collaborate and work with some amazingly talented individuals/brands from all over the world. I recently worked with a talented RnB singer from Toronto, Canada by the name of Raahiem – I was fortunate enough to handle the art direction of his debut album “Fear Of the Unknown.” Earlier this year, I was commissioned to design Againstlab’s most recent collection entitled “This Might Be Paradise” a design project I thoroughly enjoyed and would like to thank the team at Againstlab for believing in my vision. Working on the art direction for musicians is definitely one of my most favourite design projects to work on as music plays such an important role in my life and I believe a great song/album is not complete without the right visuals to go with it. Not only is a listener drawn to the production and and quality of an artist’s music but they are also drawn to the cover art. I hope to be able to create visuals that will have an everlasting impact and propel an artist’s project to higher heights.”
Tell us your signature style in creating art.
“I would say for a while I did have a distinct style which revolved around floral motives. It was such a prominent and re-occurring trend in my work to the point that I was dubbed “Mat Bunga” (Flower Boy) by my closest friends.
I really enjoy working with floral elements as it was able to bring a certain form of “life” to my work – The idea of merging certain subjects with floral motives intrigues me and is something that will definitely be a part of my identity for years to come – floral elements also helped me be a more colourful person when it came to my designs.
For a while, my work was somewhat monochromatic and working with flowers + plants really helped me add an interesting and colourful touch to my art.”
How important is it for an artist to own a signature style or is constantly evolving is better than a certain type of style?
“I am always educating and exposing myself to different art styles, mediums as well as artists to constantly improve and evolve my craft – I think it’s important for each creative to have their own distinct style but I truly believe that without exploration & experimentation, you can’t progress as a creative. Over the last few years, my work has definitely taken some interesting turns – I have worked with many different subjects and styles which I am grateful for as they were all an important part of the learning curve of being a creative.”
How do you market yourself to your clients? Do you prefer marketing yourself to brands that are aligned with your style or you don’t mind the challenge?
“Yeah definitely, I would say my work caters to a certain demographic and clientele but I am always up for the challenge of taking on projects that are outside my comfort zone. These projects can prove very stimulating and helps build up my portfolio as well as my confidence as a designer/creative.”
Which artwork piece represents you the best or has sentimental value?
“The series of painting’s above, I had made in 2015 while studying in London. The series was entitled “2 Face” and it was a series of left handed ink sketches which resembled a human face – I photocopied 4 individual copies of the sketches on a3 paper and then proceeded to paint over them. Each painting was unique in their own way and had their own visual identities. It meant a lot because I had made these particular paintings during a time where I was in a very experimental phase with my work and overall it was a very stimulating project to work on.”
