Maheen Sana

Specialized in Fine Art Design.

Maheen Sana

About Maheen Sana

Maheen Sana is a published designer and illustrator. Her illustrations have been featured in several books including the Zendar collection, Beautiful Name, and Stuck among others. The book Beautiful Name is displayed at the Library of Congress. Like most artists, Maheen initially worked in the traditional medium. In 2013, upon joining DeviantArt, she got introduced to digital art and never looked back. Experimentation with different styles over the years has allowed her to bring versatility to her art. Currently, Maheen is focused on learning 3D art and expanding her skill set as an artist even further.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Fine Art Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Fine Art
Malware Digital Painting

Malware Digital Painting

Fine Art Design

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Interview with Maheen Sana

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
Like most artists, I realized at a very early age that this was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I am completely self-taught. I didn’t think there was anything they could teach me at an art school that I couldn’t learn on my own using the internet.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
Not sure if it was for a company, but my first paid freelance job was to draw an onion in Microsoft Paint and I killed it.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
I love digital art. I’m currently happy with my Wacom Intuos pro tablet and stylus. The setup is easy and comfortable. Photoshop is hands down my favorite software to work in. I recently got into 3D art and so Blender and Zbrush are pretty fun to play around with.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
If I’m in the flow state and making something I genuinely care about, then I feel indifferent to everything and anything around me.
What makes a design successful?
If it gets more than 60 likes on Instagram. But on a serious note, generally, if a lot of people are talking about it and it just really makes you go “man, that’s good” then I guess that’s successful. On a more personal level, I feel like a design is successful if you see your idea through to the end and do not have any regrets.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
I’d like to see more artists interested in tech. I’ve seen so many artists completely shun any new technological advancement especially if it somehow makes its way into the art community.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
In digital art, I am noticing more and more people incorporating 3D into 2D artworks. I think it’s a really nice strategy to get more structure into your paintings and up your perspective and composition game. I don’t know if it’s the “future” of digital art. It’s certainly not revolutionary, just something that is very cool, I think.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
I exhibited some of my paintings at ND2C 2018 in Islamabad. I don’t have any plans for an exhibition at the moment.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
My art style is all over the place, but in a good way. I like drawing different things in different styles.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
I start by collecting some reference images, start working on some concept sketches, and then once I’m happy with one, I start painting.
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
My iPhone, Macbook Pro, Doc Martens, these earrings I got from Istanbul, the floating stairs in our house.
Can you describe a day in your life?
Wake up, workout, breakfast, chores, shower, work, lunch, work, dinner, read, sleep.
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
The positives definitely outnumber the negatives. We as designers get to do what we love, most people can’t say that. We actually enjoy doing our work, well most of the time anyway. I guess the only downside I see is constantly having to deal with imposter syndrome, which can often lead you to undervalue your work and be underpaid.
What is your "golden rule" in design?
Kill your darlings. I know it’s a rule for writers, but I think artists/ designers should incorporate this in their art process as well.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
The hardware includes my Macbook Pro and Wacom Intuos Pro. I mostly work in Adobe Photoshop, but I dabble in Adobe Illustrator and Figma depending on what I'm working on. I’ve also been learning some 3D in Blender. I use a lot of different websites to get inspiration. Some of these are, Awwwards, ArtStation, Behance, Pinterest, DeviantArt, etc.
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
My life is different from most 22-year-olds, I think. I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of time to create art for personal projects as well as for work.
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
An illustration can take me anywhere from a day to a month to make. Yep, pretty standard.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
Yes, I’m working on several projects right now, some of them I can’t talk about. I'm also working on some original paintings.
How can people contact you?
@maheensana on ArtStation and Behance @maheensana_ on Instagram and Twitter @Maheen-S on DeviantArt

Extended Interview with Maheen Sana

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
I am not a design legend, but I would suggest young digital artists not delay learning perspective, colour theory, composition, and so on.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
The secret ingredient is to stop listening to the people around you.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Alexandre Diboine, Jessica Taylor, Darya Kozhemyakina, and many more people.
What is your biggest design work?
Way too many. One of my favourite paintings is New Order by Mosh Art.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
I didn't do anything which is why I'm nowhere near where I want to be. If you want to keep getting better, keep drawing.
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
I haven't reached any heights. I don't think of my life in terms of my supporters. I don't know who my supporters are?

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