Happy Hamdoon

Abdulla Al Sharhan’s story begins with a little boy, fascinated by art and eager to express his creativity. Now the 31-year-old from Ras al Khaimah with a passion for drawing and cartoons has a career that has taken him to unexpected directions…

Initially, Abdullah thought that there would be no market for his skills. So he opted for a safety net and  studied Management Information Systems at UAE University. He then worked in a variety of advertising to employee relations positions in private and public companies.

However, through all the years he always maintained his passion for art. Through attending and participating in galleries, his interest grew. Abdullah says, “I felt that the majority of people do not visit art galleries. On the other hand, I was more into art that people could bring home. I wanted to be a true nation artist, but I had to figure out how.”

Abdulla’s answer came while he was in the United Kingdom in 1998. “I was at a bookstore looking for art books when I came across a book that taught animation. Since then there was no going back for me.”

Driven by his passion, Abdullah is now a full time artist and creative director. His most famous creation is Hamdoon, the impishly adorable young Emirati character that is the star of the popular cartoon series.

Abdullah says, “Hamdoon was originally a nameless boy that I sketched based on a request from a client who wanted to use it in his own personal website about poetry. I was so excited about the project that I sketched and coloured the artwork without agreeing on a price. In the end, the client didn’t agree to my price so I uploaded Hamdoon to my portfolio on my website.”   From that point on, Hamdan was copied, printed, pasted and his image can be seen on everything from car bumper stickers to school bags. All of course without Abdullah’s permission or licencing consent. For Abdullah this was further validation of the popularity of Hamdoon the character, and the need to develop him into a full fledged cartoon series.

Abdullah now runs Aiyaal Media, in association with twofour54; which specializes in creative content development for youth, kids and teenagers, such as animation, publishing and music. He has also worked on various projects where he illustrated books for children.

Abdullah’s Inspiration

Abdullah says that his inspiration comes from the people around him. He says, “I love observing facial expressions of people from different part of the worlds, particularly, kids and elderly people.”  He is also inspired by landscapes and spends a lot of time travelling to places that have ancient ruins and picturesque sights.

His Artistic Process

When creating a character, Abdullah uses his own process to understand how a character will take shape. He first determines where the character will be used, whether for a feature film, television, a comic or a video game.  “This is important because it will define a huge part of the style and the sophistication level of the character. Then I define the target audience and do a lot of research on trending characters,” says Abdullah. Once the concept of the character has been decided on, the artistic process begins. “I do quick sketches in different styles, then I engage my friends and coworkers and even the client to help me decide which option they love the most.”

His Future Plans

Abdullah is at something of a crossroads. Having produced so many successful projects, he now has many options on the table; both involving his own creations and projects that have been offered to him. While he is taking a moment to consider his choices his determination remains. “Once one of these projects gets a green light, I will commit to it and put the rest on hold,” says Sharhan.  Above all, Abdullah wants to continue inspiring generations. He advises young artists to understand their audience so that their creativity is not unleashed in the wrong direction, and to build experience and develop skills before embarking on a project alone.  “Last but not least, keep moving no matter what,  because often you will find the most creative people among those with the most limited resources.”