Muharraqi Studios, Bahrain

While the field may be at its nascent stage in Bahrain, the talent is definitely available and growing. Meet Khalid Al Muharraqi, the 38-year old animator who left behind a career in advertising and graphic design to immerse himself in 3D art.

Son of Abdulla Al Muharraqi, a renowned artist in the Middle East, Khalid studied photography and interior design at the Art Institute of Houston. It was while working for advertising agencies in the Middle East that he grew disappointed by the level of quality, ideas and design that has been accepted in the market. Recognising an opportunity in 3D as the fine art of the future, Khalid made the switch as the best path for him.

Working from his studio at home, Khalid constantly updates the software and tests the hardware to ensure that operations run smooth. When things get awry like system installation, new hardware, his business partner and a tech engineer pitch in to help. One of the challenges is always safe storage of data and secure back up. 

Despite these challenges, he maintains his work as creatively as possible. “We have always resisted corporatising our set up as I feel it would mean losing our edge and would not allow us to be flexible to try new things. This way, we are not restricted by having to carry massive overheads, staff or infrastructure.”

Even though the Gulf market is slowly waking up to the animation industry, the assumption that animation can be done in a jiffy with a few clicks of a mouse, still persists. Khalid finds it a regular task to dispel such notions among his clients.

Future Trends
Yet Khalid finds vast improvement in the quality of CG since he started out. He foresees CG diverging into two paths - the hyper realistic animations and images already started, as well as the other highly stylised cartoons or animations; work that makes you feel that this is not just 3D, but is an art style.

Work Style
Khalid uses around five applications that only work in 3D. When asked why, he says, “There is no such thing as a perfect application, so I use the tools that I need when I need them on each application. So, just like a traditional artist that would mix his medium from oil, to chalk, to pencil.... I do the same here with different applications to get the results that I want to achieve.”

Khalid has come a long way since he began. Today, his services are sharp, carried out according to the client brief which makes him proud of his professionalism. And his work has not gone unnoticed. “Those that follow my steps range from professional artists using 3D as their main tools, to upcoming CG artists and people who are just starting out. As well as software developers and those in the film and gaming industry are in contact with me regularly. I get hundreds of emails, fan mail; requests to work with me, for me or just to watch me work and give them guidance. I welcome that and do my best to make a good impression. I am always happy to help.”

Drawing Awareness
One way of creating an interest in CG and animation is to spread the word, and Muharraqi Studios has done just that and has placed Bahrain on the CG map through its work. The website also draws hundreds of people logging in per month checking for any updates, tutorials or new projects on the go and this helps people to gain awareness of the latest tools. Additionally, a boost arrives by giving support to films and creative work produced in the country.

Focus

Khalid channels his efforts towards creating projects that are innovative. To do so, he understands his client’s needs and who the audience is. From there, concepts, location, storyline and presentation are all worked out. Then there are the technical aspects like developing the 3D models, texturing them, painting the maps or the ground, lighting the environment as well as recreating day light features. Finally animation and rendering to ensure the right quality is obtained on the finished product.

Sustainability

With conservation and sustainability evolving as key issues in the region and elsewhere, Khalid and his team are considerate about utilising better performing processors and CPUs to achieve maximum performance, as well as leaving the least impact. “Although it is more expensive, it keeps us at the forefront of the latest developments in the industry.”

Inspiration

Nature, art and ancient Arabian stories are inspiring to him. “I am always looking for things that make me think and transport me to other worlds. I hope that my work will have that effect on people and make them think and wonder about what is possible.”