User:Bopha Suos

'''Biography Of Abdelfatah Hamouda '''

AF Hamouda’s Family

Abdelfatah Hamouda, known to his friends as Aby Hamouda, born in Casablanca, Morocco to an artist comedian father ( Abderrahim Tounsi / Abderraouf ). AF Hamouda, discovered a love for art since an early age. He started drawing from comic books and some Japanese sketches, but he had no encouragements from his parents as they always asked him to leave what he was doing and concentrate on his studies. His father wished that he would play tennis from an early age, which he never accepted and always made other excuses not to go to the tennis club. He kept on drawing in hiding from his mum who was always at home looking after him and his other four sisters and four brothers. His mum was working from home, knitting and sewing clothes; then she opened a school teaching styling which she learned from French teachers during the French occupation to Morocco.

'''Schooling Life '''

Abdelfatah was very quiet little boy, always to himself which made some of his school friends bully him and thinking of him as weird. Never wanted to let him join their school games including football. But, this never prevented him from thinking and trying to draw on walls and some empty streets in his areas where they lived. He used to borrow his father's camera, a Canon AE1 with a 50 mm lens. He had no idea how to make it work, so he asked one of the photo labs in his area; who showed him how to focus and adjust light according to the beach, cloud and late afternoon. He kept practicing with it but did not go far with that, as he only had the camera from time to time. During his youth, one evening, his father came to his room and saw him drawing a portrait of the Jamaican singer Bob Marley, whom he was very fond of. His father told him why not you join the art school of Casablanca? He couldn't believe what he heard and rushed to register that same year. He had to sit a writing and drawing / painting test which unfortunately failed. He was so desperate to enter that school as it was the start of his dream since his childhood. AF Hamouda asked his mum to go and talk to the head of the school, who was someone from the government office and was not bound to arts, this latter refused to talk to him and laughed when he showed him Bob Marley's portrait and some other portraits he did. He then met a friend "Mostapha Zamoum", who encouraged him to practice together and go to do the test the following year. The following year, he asked his father that he would go to do another test, and as he practiced all the year with his friend "Zamoum", he was very confident to pass. Finally, he was accepted but he was very weak among his pupils - who had been in art schools before - as he had no previous experience before. The first few months in class, he was struggling hard, and his first year teacher told him that he would never make it as an artist. This was like a knife through his heart. So painful that he could not sleep for days. But, he swore to learn and push himself to learn, he bought various books such as "How to paint still life, how to paint landscape, how to draw portraits, how to paint in oil, how to paint the human body etc .." It was all the selection from "José M Parramón". He studied at school and every evening at home, he stopped seeing his friends at weekends, just spending all his time in his room that sometimes his family thought he was out and did not bother to call him for lunch or dinner.. He read about other artists who started like him, like Van Gogh, or Rembrandt who used to stay hungry and buy paint and brushes and canvases. He composed many still lives in his room and painted.. During the school breaks he visited other classes of 2nd and 3rd year and asked them about colour mixing and techniques. He was so enthusiast about learning and very open to every critique which made him so happy when experienced students point out his mistakes. He finished the first school and narrowly passed, it was the hardest year of his life, but still he had too long years ahead.

Breaking Weaknesses

During his summer holidays, he spent them with his friend from 2nd year in the same art school "Abdelilah Jiddi" and worked together painting throughout the 2 month holiday. When he returned to school for the second year, all his school friends were amazed how much talent and improvement he achieved, but he never forgot Abdelilah's efforts to him. He was an inspiration to him since he met him. But Abdelfatah had a different approach to paintings; he loved to paint from his heart, and went to practice realism. During his 2nd year in art school, he was with his best friend "Abdelilah Jiddi" and Abdellah Khozima whom he always asked them to find mistakes on his drawings, and was angry if they could not find any, but cheered when they found some mistakes. He spent the whole year working so hard and doubling his works which annoyed his class mates then, fearing that he would put three times more work than them at the end of the third and final year. He ignored them and kept working hard at school and his home. He was at the same time copying from old masters such as "The Orientalists" painters of the 19th century which he sold to a Jewish art dealer who owned "La Minaudière" in Casablanca at the time. At the end of the third year, his teacher was very happy with his work, but his first year teacher who handed over his diploma with distinction and juries' congratulations, her words were "I could never think you would achieve this talent in a short time!" She shook his hand with a smile.

'''Starting New Skill '''

He left for Great Britain to finish his career in art. Joined "Camberwell School of Arts and Craft", and again, worked harder and so much enthusiasm for three years, where he studied photography and the pin hole camera using a card box. He wanted to study more, then he went to photography school for three months where he learned how to develop film and print black and white photos. He already learned the art of composition and rules in art, which paved his way into this new art that fell in love deeply with. He bought his first camera "Canon EOS 650" with a standard 50 mm f1.8 lens. Then he bought some books and set up a darkroom in his bathroom and kept on practicing and experimenting for seven years, then he went to another school to study photography, a course based on modules which will grant certificates and diplomas at the end of the year. At Hortensia College, he spent four years, they were the hardest as he had a racist teacher who never wanted to answer his questions, neglected him completely throughout, but giving up his photography was never in his mind. He was committed to study no matter what the consequences. He relied on his books and practices at home and finally had his four certificates in photography.

More Practices with painting, taking photos and Film Making

Then, he spent several years painting and taking photos, while he had some exhibitions in the UK, Morocco, France and Japan. He love for Japan and Japanese culture and Asia, he travelled around many countries in Asia and was fascinated by the architecture and habits of people. Years passed mastering photography as an art and painting on the other side. Then he went to study film making in 2008, which he always loved to do. Again, in film school he had the rules from painting and photography; he had the knowledge of symbolism from art and his rule of composition.

Getting Job and Sharing Experiences

The year went smoothly. He has worked in many short films after graduating from SAE film school in London. In April 2010, he went to Morocco and held the first workshop on studio flash lighting in Art 'Com in Rabat. He demonstrated some lighting set ups for portraits photography, followed by three workshops in Art 'Com in Casablanca. Now, he does workshops in London and Morocco on photography and film making. He had also opened a channel on YouTube Kamoon School under his name AF Hamouda, teaching from his experience to Moroccan film enthusiasts and young photographers the art of photography. AF Hamouda is still based in London working for a TV channel as a camera operator and journalist, but still searching and learning to master the art of photography, lighting and film making. He devoted his life to his art and would never give up learning till the very last moments of his life.