Usually, people consider Arabic Calligraphy as a piece of decoration for their own homes, or a something sacred. However, hardly anyone thinks creatively and includes Calligraphy in the options he or she might be considering for the purpose of gifting someone. The idea is not new. However, it certainly is unique and not a very familiar one. That is, not a lot of people realize that calligraphy art can be given as gifts to people who you love and care for.

What is best about Arabic Calligraphy is that it is not at all as restrictive as it might seem at first glance. It is not all about Arabic sayings, and Quranic verses. True, those are as good an option as any when going for Calligraphy as an option for home décor. It is always peaceful to have a piece of Islamic calligraphy in the drawing room or over the dinner table, especially if the piece of art contains Islamic wisdom which people take home learning from. However, that is not all where Calligraphy starts from and ends.

Arabic Calligraphy can be found in several places, and can be done on pretty much any material of your choice. That is, it is not necessary to restrict Arabic Calligraphy to wooden panels. Rather, Calligraphy can be painted on mirrors just like glass painting, or it can be carved into marble mantle pieces. Furthermore, when it comes to deciding what to engrave or paint Calligraphy on, it once again depends all upon your own creativity. You can turn a very ordinary photo frame and have words of wisdom or relationship quotes painted over it in Arabic Calligraphy style, add a few beautiful pictures to it, wrap it, and viola! Your perfect gift is ready for delivery to its recipient. The imagination is the limit.

Portrait artists specialize in one part of the body. Millions of different faces offer endless painting opportunities. There are many expressions which the human face will make. Portrait artists will never run out of subject material. You as the artist will never get bored as there are many interesting challenges in drawing and painting the human head with its face. There are many hundreds of clicks which a photographer will make before he settles on one photo which captures that special “look” needed for the magazine print. The model in front of the camera had to also pose her face in many directions in order to help the photographer finalize the “look”.

It has been my experience with many worn out erasers how one line can alter a facial appearance. That one line can change the appearance of the eye, ear, nose, and mouth which in turn changes the appearance of the face. One line can add a smile or a frown to a face and that line can also add age or worry to a face. Every line you sketch on your canvas will undo or redo a facial appearance. There are faces expressing happiness, sadness, loneliness, depression, doubt, fear, hate, laughter and much more.

Portrait artists will make many changes to get the expression they want, just as the photographer and model had to be at one in a second of time with the click of a lens to capture that special or unique “look”. There are basic lessons of measurements to learn and memorize for drawing eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, and ears as everything in our body has set dimensions. As the head tilts the measurements will still remain the same, but the angles cause confusion and you will keep the eraser busy. Do not expect each drawing and portrait to be a masterpiece. Just as the photographer gets bad shots; you too will have a bad portrait. Do not get upset, set it aside, and return another day. You will be amazed how it can be corrected.