Abdullah Interviews Fatima Al-Othman

P2BK was a portal for me to meet lots of wonderful talents in the country. F20 Designs was no exception, however I never knew who was behind it, the whole concept and what’s it all about ?

I met this wonderful spirit, the gorgeous and talented FATIMA AL-OTHMAN, electronically on twitter, we became friends almost instantly. The energy she brings about is amazing. For instance, i’d read tweets that’d go like this:

“Im having a great day//im about to meet a client//Green Apple//preparing a package//having breakfast” Its so refreshing to read tweets that are hate/complaints and drama free. I think it shows in her smile.

The iconic AFRO character she brought into the world is just beautiful. She created a guy who looks good in any hair style and anything he’s wearing. This iconic figure is the face of F2O designs, seen in nearly all her creations, here’s a quick sample:

This character is her own creation, nothing copied or duplicated, lets get that clear and out of the way. She went ahead and made lots of amazing artworks that are definitely creative, IN and current.

She even made something really special for *ahem* yours truely, the dinosaur, Mr.P0ach. HAH! But I cant share anything with you guys just yet, ITS A SECRET.

I hope you understand that this young woman, out of her own mental daydream series, created her own empire pursuing what she loves which came from within. She established a name, character, creative outlet and a loyal fan base. That, to me, is success.

Externally, she may be awesomely HAWT. What’s inside is double that and more. Beautiful, full of light and wonderful energy are only small fractions of what she is, get to know her yourselves !

Fatima, drop the fro, pen ‘n’ paper and just talk to us !

My name is Fatima Fawzi Al-Othman, I’m 26 years young. I have a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the American University of Sharjah. I used to work at KNPC; I quit last June and I am now working full time on my business, F2o Designs. Interests? I LOVE cartoons – comics, animations. I like to learn new things everyday, travel, bake every once in a while and spend quality time with my family and friends.

What was your childhood like ?

I’ve always been the quiet, moody one (still am), with a sketch book and a pencil glued to my hands most of the time. I also remember scribbling on the walls with my sister, and then later on being secretly excited about discovering that I can still scribble on the walls using a key. We always played house (barrooy), and were quite creative at it, like building our own tent (club house) out of bedsheets and ropes. I had a great childhood el7emdellah.

What inspired you to tap into who you are now  ?

Well, some of you might wonder, “She’s an engineer, how come she left her profession for cartoons?”

I’ve always loved to draw ever since I was a little kid. Back in Summer of 2004, I entered a t-shirt designing content organized by Villa Moda and I won 3rd place, which was totally unexpected because I never intended on participating.

2005 was the official start for F2o Designs; I participated in the AUS Global Day, and started to take orders from people in the UAE and Kuwait.

After earning my degree in Engineering, I returned to Kuwait and worked for 1.5 years in KNPC. This past April, I was lucky enough to be one of the 50 participants in Small To Big, organized by PinkCoffee and Viva. It was then when I realized that this is what I really want to do – F2o Designs! I knew that my utmost passion is and always will be to draw cartoons, and this is what I should be doing. So, I took the decision and resigned from my job as a Contract Engineer and became my own boss for good.

Ever since, I’ve been working on developing F2o Designs as a professional business rather than just another home-based business. I now have a license, and am in the process of finishing the rest of the paperwork. In addition to that, I expanded the services from just designing t-shirts to offering professional cartoon illustration services. I also invested into taking a couple of training courses, which I believe is essential to every individual who is going through any transition in his/her life.

Long story short – I’m pursuing my dream!

What differs you from the rest of the competition out there?

I believe it’s my passion that differs F2o Designs from the rest of the competition. I consider F2o Designs to be my baby who’s turning 6 next year. Each year, it develops into a more mature business.
Also, it is important to note that all cartoons by F2o Designs are purely ORIGINAL. I refuse to copy any cartoon characters and insist on creating my characters myself. To some, this is trivial; however, to others, this might be a surprise. I actually get lots of shocked reactions (good-shocked) when people find that all F2o cartoons are original. Sadly, there are some t-shirt businesses out there that copy famous cartoon characters onto t-shirts and claim that their business is “creative.” I’m totally against that, and I strongly advise them to find their own niche and work harder if they really want their business to succeed.

Im in bliss mode so I have to ask you how you came about with the creation of p0ach’s T-shirt ?

I was developing some characters for an upcoming comic series, and I was extremely inspired by P0ach’s personality. He has an amazing vibe that affects everyone. It’s a great honor to have such a character as one of the main characters in the new F2o comic series.

What were the difficulties you faced and how did you overcome them ?

One of the main difficulties in the beginning was actually getting used to painting on fabric. All F2o t-shirts are hand-painted, and it took me quite a while to get the hang of it. The earlier t-shirts were very simple with the least amount of detail, which is the opposite of the current ones. I also faced a slight obstacle with the colors washing off the t-shirts, which is when I started doing some research and found ways to cure the fabric paint onto the t-shirts more effectively. I’ve always believed that ‘practice makes perfect’ and that you should strive towards achieving your goals no matter how many trials or failures you go through.

If you dont mind share with us some of you’re shocking or controversial moments of your career ?

Well, I still haven’t faced major shocking/controversial moments (el7emdellah!). I can recall a couple of incidents which taught me that not everyone will love F2o, and there are some difficult customers.

- When I first started, I had a customer return her custom order, claiming that she never asked for the F2o logo to be painted on the garment, and that she “doesn’t want to wear the training suit to advertise F2o.” I was quite shocked, to tell you the truth, and a bit let down by her reaction. But I explained to her that F2o is a brand name just as any other brand name in the market, and with that she returned the training suit and I refunded her the amount.

- Another incident happened when I participated in P2BK-2009. An older woman came in through the crowd, grabbed a t-shirt, and asked about the prices. When I mentioned my price range, she almost yelled at me in front of the crowd of people, telling me that she is an artist herself, and that my prices are too high. I just smiled, politely.

Your Support System, what’s it like ?

My late father, who passed away in 2006, was one of my biggest fans. He was so proud and supportive of my work. My mother is also a huge fan; every time she sees a new drawing, she gets so excited and happy as if it is the first time she sees my work. My two sisters support me 100%, and I feel like jumping up and down when I see them wearing F2o t-shirts! The same thing goes for my close friends.
I won’t forget to mention the ever-increasing F2o fan base, that has been growing since 2005, el7emdellah, to which I am greatly thankful for their never ending support. I absolutely love meeting F2o fans!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now ?

This is the picture that I always see: F2o Designs is a renowned cartoon design firm, which is not only expanded in Kuwait, but in the rest of the region. I also see myself working on my very first animated cartoon. I also strive to become one of the influential personalities in Kuwait, and be able to stand some day in front of thousands of people to share my story.

Throw something for p0ach readers

“If you can dream it, you can do it!” – Walt Disney
It’s never too late to do what you REALLY love, and when you do what you REALLY love, it’s called passion, not work!

*I would like to take this opportunity to announce to your readers that there will be an F2o Designs solo exhibition, November 23-24 (after the Eid holiday).

This time, you’ll find a variety of items to choose from, along with t-shirts of course. Like what? Hoodies, Cushions, keychains, and tumblers, to name a few!

An official announcement will be posted soon!

Contact

Office location – KCZ2 Office #13,The 7 Zones, Shuwaikh

Website – Twitter – Facebook

Blog – YOuTube

Related posts:

1. Abdullah Interviews Osama Al-Othman
2. Abdullah Interviews Farah Al-Zuhair
3. Abdullah Interviews Shurooq Amin
4. Abdullah Interviews Ahmad Al-”ZABEDY”
5. Abdullah Interviews Yousef Al-Qanai