hello!
My name is Hashem Elias and I’m an illustrator, animator and occasional designer. I got into this field more than a decade ago and even though I pursued engineering in college, I never drifted away from design and I knew I’d most likely end up here.
A few years ago, I decided to freelance full-time and I’ve been fortunate to work with many clients in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, UK, US, Singapore and more.
I’m also the co-organizer of Bahrain In Motion events. BIM is a community for animators, VFX artists, illustrators, storyboard artists and anything related to motion design. We try to hold 2-3 events a year and we are expanding the team to organize these meetups in neighboring countries too.
I recently started an animation and design studio called Mythical.
Frequently asked questions
What software do you use?
Mainly After Effects and Illustrator but sometimes Photoshop and Animate.
What plugins / scripts do you use in AE?
I started by using no plugins at all for several years. But lately I’ve been using plugins like Rubberhose, ESL and I quite like them. Though I still do create custom rigs and write lots of expressions simply because I enjoy coding.
Do you use a drawing tablet?
I do have a Wacom Intuos Pro which I use for certain projects but most of my illustrations are done with a mouse.
I’ve been eyeing the 16-inch Cintiq though! (Update: I got one!)
Have you released any courses?
No but I do post tutorials on my Instagram when people request them.
Do you recommend any courses?
You can refer to this list.
Although out of these I’ve only taken one course from SOM and one from Creature Art Teacher and both were good. So please do your own research.
Did you go to art school?
No. Self-taught initially but later I got some books and courses that were helpful.