Artist Who Previously Drew Political Figures Using Sos Cili & Kicap Now Creates Calligraphy Mural of Agong

By Ameera Rosli  •  24 Aug 2020 in Design

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In conjunction with the upcoming National Day celebration, many artists have shared their wonderful artworks as an homage to the event that symbolises unity in our country.

One such artist is Mohd Shah Tumin who recently painted Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in a black and white calligraphy mural on the wall of his house.

The unique artwork uses khat calligraphy, which is commonly integrated into Islamic art pieces. By using the Agong’s name, Shah Tumin managed to create a portrait spanning 1.3 metres by 1.5 metres.

According to the 36-year-old artist, the piece took him 2 weeks to complete. He told Malay Mail,

“I worked on it for about an hour daily from sketching the outline to colouring it using acrylic mixed with outdoor paint.”

Despite the fact that he painted the mural specifically to celebrate national day, he does not plan on removing it even after the celebration ends.

In order to show the tedious process behind the painting, Shah Tumin uploaded a 14-minute YouTube video where he not only shows the drawing process but also the inexpensive tools he used to create the artwork. He also shares tidbits on the Agong’s life as he sketches.

Watch it below:

By using common stationery like Stabilo pencils and RM1 brushes, Shah Tumin proves that you don’t need expensive materials to meticulously craft beautiful and impactful artwork.

However, this is not the artist’s first time creating such portraits, for he has drawn political figures such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and DG Noor Hisham before. To spice things up (no pun intended), he used cili sos and kicap to create these incredibly accurate depictions.

He also turned up the heat (okay, maybe the pun is intended), when he used curry powder to draw homegrown YouTube chef, Pavithra.

In fact, there’s a plethora of videos on Shah Tumin’s YouTube channel where he draws famous people by using accessible items. Granted, with talent like his, he could use any material under the sun and still be able to create cool art.

To keep up with him, check out his Facebook page.